Game #7
Homecoming

UTSA Roadrunners (2-4, 0-2)
vs.
Florida Atlantic Owls (2-4, 0-2)
2:30 p.m. | Saturday, October 19th
Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas

TV: ESPN+
Radio: UTSA Sports Media Network / Sports radio AM 760 The ticket
Live statistics: goUTSA.com/fbstats

Series history: FAU leads 3:1
Last meeting: UTSA 36, FAU 10 (10/21/23 • Boca Raton, Fla.)

OPENING DRIVE

• UTSA and Florida Atlantic meet for the fifth time on Saturday in a series led by the Owls 3-1.
• The Roadrunners scored a 36-10 road win in their last meeting on October 21, 2023 in Boca Raton.
• FAU won its only game so far in San Antonio on November 23, 2019 with 40:26.
• Heading into homecoming games, UTSA is on a five-game winning streak and is 9-4 all-time.
• Jeff Traylor has an overall record of 41-18 at UTSA, the most wins and best winning percentage (.695) in program history.
• UTSA is 25-3 (.893) at the Alamodome in the Jeff Traylor era.
• The Roadrunners have won 13 of their last 14 home games.
• UTSA is 27-6 (.818) in regular conference play in the Jeff Traylor era and 29-6 (.829) against league competition when including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games.
• The Roadrunners have been victorious in 15 of their last 18 regular season league contests.
• Jeff Traylor surpassed Larry Coker for the most games he coached at UTSA with his 59th last Saturday.
• The Roadrunners are on a streak of 16 consecutive games in which there was both a takeaway and a sack.
• This season, UTSA is scheduled to play all four FBS teams that use the Owls as their nickname: Kennesaw State (August 31), Rice (October 12), this week’s opponent Florida Atlantic (October 19) and Temple (October 11). . November). 22).

SET THE SCENE
UTSA will look to bounce back when it hosts Florida Atlantic for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will air on ESPN+ and Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket. The Roadrunners are on a five-game winning streak and are 9-4 all-time in homecoming games. UTSA has won 13 of its last 14 home games and is 25-3 (.893) at the Alamodome during the Jeff Traylor era. The Roadrunners are 2-4 overall and 0-2 in American Athletic Conference play after suffering a heartbreaking 29-27 record at Rice last Saturday night. The Owls also fell to 2-4 and 0-2 with a 41-37 home loss to North Texas.

SET
Saturday’s game will air on ESPN+ and the ESPN mobile app. Ted Emrich (play-by-play) and LaDarrin McLane (analyst) will make the decision. UTSA Sports Media Network will broadcast the game live in the San Antonio area on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket, online at ticket760.com and on the free iHeartRadio app. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Ed Suarez (reporter) are on the call. There will be a two-hour pregame show hosted by Pat Evans and a 45-minute postgame show.

It’s a scream
The Roadrunners will face all four FBS teams that use the Owls nickname in the 2024 season. UTSA opened the campaign on August 31 against the Kennesaw State Owls and just faced the Rice Owls last Saturday in Houston. This week’s opponent – Florida Atlantic – is the Owls’ third opponent in 2024. The Roadrunners also play the Temple Owls on November 22nd.

UTSA IN HOMECOMING GAMES
Saturday is UTSA’s annual Homecoming game, as well as UTSA’s Salute to Healthcare and part of UTSA Family Weekend. A complete list of UTSA’s official Homecoming events can be found online at utsa.edu/homecoming. The Roadrunners have won their last five homecoming games and are 9-4 all-time in such contests. In the Jeff Traylor era, UTSA has East Carolina last year (41-27), North Texas in 2022 (31-27), Rice in 2021 (45-0) and UTEP in 2020 (52-21) at Homecoming beaten.

UTSA’s homecoming games

UTSA ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
UTSA Athletics will honor its second Hall of Fame class this weekend. Derrick Gervin (men’s basketball), Monica Gibbs (women’s basketball), Michael Rockett (baseball), Starlite Williams (women’s basketball, track and field) and Teddy Williams (men’s track and field) will be inducted Friday evening in a ceremony at Pedrotti’s Ranch. Their Hall of Fame plaques will be unveiled Saturday morning at the Roadrunner Athletic Center of Excellence and the group will be honored on the field between the first and second quarters of the homecoming game against Florida Atlantic that afternoon at the Alamodome.

HOME SWEET DOME
UTSA was tough to beat during the Jeff Traylor era at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners have won 13 of the last 14 at home and are 25-3 (.893) since his arrival at the facility before the 2020 season. UTSA was on a school-record 10-game home winning streak that began with a 27-26 win over Louisiana Tech on October 24, 2020 and previously ended with a 49-41 win over WKU in the 2021 Conference USA Championship Game snapped in triple overtime against No. 24 Houston in the 2022 season opener. The Roadrunners have won 23 of their last 25 home games and are 51-30 (.630) at the Alamodome.

PACK THE DOME
UTSA fans have packed the Alamodome for the past three-plus seasons, as five of the program’s nine largest home attendances have been recorded during that period. Two recent home games now rank second and fourth on the all-time charts as 49,342 fans watched UTSA defeat Texas State in the 2023 home opener, marking the second-largest attendance in program history. In the final home game of 2022, the Roadrunners defeated North Texas 48-27 to capture their second straight Conference USA championship in front of 41,412 fans, now ranking fourth on the list of largest home crowds. That number surpassed the 41,148 fans who watched UTSA defeat WKU 49-41 in the 2021 CUSA Championship Game, now the fifth-largest home attendance. The 2022 season opener against 24th-ranked Houston drew 37,526 fans, eighth all-time, just ahead of the thrilling triumph over UAB that drew 35,147 fans in 2021. UTSA led CUSA in average home attendance in consecutive seasons. averaged 28,917 per game in 2022 and 26,643 last year. Since returning from COVID-19 protocols for the 2021 season, a total of 609,062 fans have gathered at the Alamodome to watch the Roadrunners. In the 2024 season opener against Kennesaw State, the broadcast surpassed the two million mark as 2,035,315 fans watched the Roadrunners at the Alamodome. UTSA set NCAA modern startup program records in its first season by drawing 56,743 fans to its opening game against Northeastern State on September 3, 2011, and averaged 35,521 fans over six home games.

UTSA’s Top 10 Home Crowd

SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Owls fell to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in American Athletic Conference play with a 41-37 home loss to North Texas on Saturday night. Florida Atlantic is averaging 24.5 points and 374.0 yards per game while allowing 26.5 points and 378.0 yards per contest. Cam Fancher has completed 91 of 145 passes for 1,058 yards and five touchdowns and his biggest target is Omari Hayes, who has 24 catches for 371 yards and two touchdowns. CJ Campbell Jr. is the leading rusher with 381 yards and six scores on 77 attempts. Defensively, CJ Heard dominated the Owls with 42 tackles, while Phillip Dunnam and Kahzir Brown each had two interceptions. Tom Herman, who was the head coach at Texas (2017-20) and Houston (2015-16), is 6-12 in his second season at the helm.

HISTORY OF THE SERIES
Saturday marks the fifth meeting between UTSA and Florida Atlantic. The Owls lead the all-time series 3-1. The Roadrunners scored a 36-10 road win in their last meeting on October 21, 2023 in Boca Raton. FAU won its only matchup to date at the Alamodome on November 23, 2019, 40:26.

History of the UTSA/FAU Series

LAST MEETING
UTSA held Florida Atlantic to 162 yards of offense and the Roadrunners totaled 437 yards in a 36-10 victory on Oct. 21, 2023, in American Athletic Conference play at FAU Stadium. The Roadrunners gave up just 20 yards on the ground and registered 13 tackles for loss, including five sacks. Jamal Ligon made five tackles, including 1.5 for loss, while Ken Robinson also tallied five tackles on the night. Trey Moore logged 1.5 sacks, while Joe Evans, Ronald Triplette and Tai Leonard each posted a sack. Offensively, Frank Harris completed 26 of 35 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Joshua Cephus, who had seven throws for 57 yards, while Devin McCuin had five throws for 64 yards. Kevorian Barnes, Rocko Griffin and Robert Henry combined for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Barnes carried 10 carries for 56 yards, Henry had 53 yards and a score on 10 attempts and Griffin ran 16 times for 53 yards and a touchdown. UTSA trailed 10-7 after the first quarter but scored 29 unanswered points, including a safety from Evans, en route to its first win against FAU.

WHO COUNTS?
Now in their 14th season, the Roadrunners will play the 166th game in program history on Saturday when they take on Florida Atlantic. UTSA is 86-79 (.521) all-time and 51-30 (.630) at the Alamodome.

SIMILAR START-UPS
Saturday’s matchup between UTSA and Florida Atlantic will feature two similar startup programs. The Roadrunners started their program from the ground up, opening play in 2011 under former Miami (Florida) head coach Larry Coker. A decade ahead of UTSA, Florida Atlantic also started its program from scratch under a former Miami head coach, the late Howard Schnellenberger in 2001.

NEXT
The Roadrunners will face Tulsa on Saturday, October 26th. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at HA Chapman Stadium and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.

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