SAN ANTONIO — Keyed by big plays on both sides of the ball, UTSA rolled to a 45-16 win over UTRGV in its season opener Saturday afternoon in front of 33,403 fans at the Alamodome.
The Roadrunners racked up 525 yards of offense on the strength of five plays of 30-plus yards on offense and also had one on defense thanks to a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ahamad Chapman in running their record to 11-5 all-time in season openers.
Owen McCown guided the way for a balanced offensive attack, completing 22 of 27 passes for 275 for three touchdowns. DJ Allen Jr. registered his first career 100-yard receiving game with 116 yards on four catches that included 62-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter. AJ Wilson Jr. piled up 42 yards on two grabs, including a 36-yard touchdown that started the scoring for the Roadrunners at the 6:51 mark of the first quarter.
Will Henderson III paced the ground game coming up just shy of the century mark with 99 yards and a TD on nine carries. The third-year running back from Gilmer, Texas, broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown dash midway through the second stanza that helped give UTSA a 28-3 lead.
A’Marion Peterson added 96 yards on only eight totes, reaching paydirt on a 53-yard rush down the left sideline late in the contest to provide a 45-9 cushion for the Roadrunners.
Armed with a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter, Brandon Young Jr. made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on a 7-yard pass from McCown. Michael Petro’s extra point pushed the home team’s advantage to 14-0.
On UTRGV’s next possession, Chapman picked off a pass near the right sideline and raced 49 yards to the end zone for his first pick six as a Roadrunner, giving the Roadrunners a three-touchdown lead with 12:40 left on the clock until halftime.
The Vaqueros (1-1), who are in their second season of football as an FCS member of the Southland Conference, got on the board with a 44-yard field goal from Brysen Gardner at the 7:11 mark before Henderson’s long TD run stretched the lead to 25.
Petro drilled a 30-yard field goal with 54 seconds left to make it 31-3, but UTRGV answered with a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the half.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Allen’s catch-and-run on a pass from McCown increased the lead to 38-6 early in the fourth.
After Gardner split the uprights for the third time from 40 yards, Peterson’s touchdown run gave UTSA its largest lead of the afternoon at 45-9.
UTRGV reached the end zone for the first time with four seconds left in the game on a 1-yard rush by Atzel Chavez Jr. Gardner’s PAT provided the final 45-16 margin.
Joel Rogers paced the UTSA defense with seven tackles, while James Walley Jr. added six tackles including a sack. Nate Robinson Jr. joined Chapman with an interception, his first as a Roadrunner.
For the Vaqueros, Garrett Rangel threw for 152 yards on 19-of-32 passing, Broderick Taylor rushed for 73 yards on six attempts and Corey Holmes led the receivers with seven grabs for 68 yards. Spencer Rich led all players with 10 tackles.
The Roadrunners will return to action next Saturday, Sept. 12, when they travel to San Marcos to face Texas State in the Battle for I-35. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at UFCU Stadium and the game will be televised on The CW Network.
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