Roadrunners Surge to Victory, Overwhelm HCU Huskies

© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The UTSA Roadrunners (2-2) dominated the Houston Christian Huskies (1-3) with a 45-7 victory on Sept. 21 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. UTSA set a school record with 35 first downs and 536 yards of total offense. The offensive attack was almost perfectly balanced with 267 passing yards and 269 rushing yards.

Game Summary

UTSA scored on its first two drives to take a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. The opening drive ended with a 26-yard field goal by Chase Allen, while the second concluded with a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Owen McCown to wide receiver Devin McCuin.

After cornerback Denver Harris blocked a field goal, UTSA took over at midfield and scored on a 9-yard touchdown run by running back Brandon High. HCU responded with a 20-yard touchdown run by Jesse Valenzuela to close the gap to 17-7. The Roadrunners ended the half with two TD passes from McCown: a 59-yard strike to wide receiver Willie McCoy and a 17-yard pass to running back Robert Henry. UTSA dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Huskies 21-7 and outgaining them 188-101 in total yards.

The second half continued UTSA's dominance, with the Roadrunners reaching the end zone twice more for a final score of 45-7.

The first score came on an 8-yard touchdown run by running back Kevorian Barnes, followed by a 5-yard TD reception by wide receiver Jamel Hardy from quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger.

Turning Point for Roadrunners

Trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, HCU drove to the UTSA 9-yard line before successfully making a 26-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 10-3. However, a holding penalty pushed the Huskies back, forcing them to try a 36-yard kick. Cornerback Denver Harris blocked the attempt, giving UTSA's offense possession at midfield. Seven plays later, the Roadrunners scored on an 8-yard TD run by Brandon High to extend the lead to 17-0 and the rout was on.

What it Means

UTSA capitalized on its "get right" game, improving to 2-2 after back-to-back blowout losses to Texas and Texas State. With American Athletic Conference play starting next week at East Carolina, the Roadrunners have some positives to build on. But penalties remain a major issue. Head coach Jeff Traylor's team can get away with eight penalties for 85 yards against a weaker opponent like HCU, but such mistakes will prove costly in conference play if they continue. At the postgame press conference, Traylor cautioned against focusing on the penalties too much as it could make the players less aggressive. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff approaches this issue in their game prep for East Carolina.

Like UTSA’s trip to Austin last week, HCU made this trip for the guaranteed payout of $350,000—cash the check and move on to the next game.