The 10 Greatest Games: Game #9
As the Roadrunners prepare to finish their 10th season of football we look back at the top 10 games in the first 10 seasons. Today the 9th best game, the first ever football contest between UTSA and Texas State
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EDITORS NOTE: This is the third in a series counting down the top 10 games of the first 10 seasons of Roadrunner football. The series will run between now and New Years Eve.
Previously in the Top 10 Greatest Games Series: Honorable Mention Games | Greatest Game #10
This Saturday the Roadrunners will finish their 10th season of football when they play in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas. Where the Roadrunners' second bowl game ranks on the list of great games remains to be seen.
Today in our series counting down the top 10 games in program history we look at the ninth best game in UTSA history. It was the day UTSA met their I-35 Rivals Texas State for the first time on a football field.
For the 39,032 in attendance at the Alamodome that day, it was a game they wouldn't forget.
The Leadup to the Game
Aside from the inaugural game in 2011 there wasn't another game in the early years of UTSA football that was as highly anticipated as the first game between the Roadrunners and their rivals Texas State.
Both UTSA and Texas State were in their first and only season in the Western Athletic Conference. The conference schedule makers smartly put the game on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. For UTSA it would be the season finale. Texas State would play their final game a week later.
As the season progressed it was clear that there was some difference between the two rivals. UTSA started the season 5-0 before losing four in a row. Entering the game with Texas State the Roadrunners were on a two-game winning streak to push their record to 7-4. The week before UTSA had won 34-27 at Idaho. The Roadrunners were 2-3 in WAC play with the win over Idaho and a win over New Mexico State in the conference opener. The three conference losses came in a row against San Jose State, Utah State and Louisiana Tech.
The Bobcats entered the game 3-7 overall and 1-3 in WAC play. Texas State had beaten Idaho in their conference opener and then lost to San Jose State, Utah State and Louisiana Tech.
What happened in the game
The Roadrunners got off to a fast start against Texas State. UTSA drove down on the first drive of the game and came away with a Sean Ianno 35-yard Field Goal to lead 3-0 with 11:00 left in the first quarter.
Texas State went three and out on their first drive of the afternoon. The Bobcats punt was fielded by Kenny Harrison at the UTSA 21 and returned 79 yards for a touchdown to put the Roadrunners ahead 10-0 at the 8:41 mark of the opening quarter.
The Bobcats got on the board on their next drive with a 57 yard touchdown pass to cut the Roadrunner deficit to 10-7 with 6:24 remaining in the first quarter. UTSA was quick to push the advantage back up to 10 points when Eric Soza and Cole Hubble connected for a 29 yard touchdown pass at the 3:18 mark of the first quarter.
The score remained 17-7 until the 2:46 mark of the second quarter when Texas State scored a touchdown to get within three points again. It didn't stay a three-point difference for long as Soza led the Roadrunners on another touchdown drive, this time finding Kenny BIas for a five yard touchdown to push UTSA up 24-14 with 0:29 left in the first half.
In the second half Texas State fumbled on their first drive and UTSA recovered to set up the offense at the Bobcat 30. Soza scored from two yards out on the fourth play of the drive to put UTSA ahead 31-14 with 12:42 left in the third quarter.
Texas State added a field goal and a touchdown in the third quarter to cut the Roadrunner deficit to 31-24 going into the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners added their final touchdown just 23 seconds into the fourth quarter when Soza threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Moeller. UTSA would hold the 38-24 lead for much of the rest of the fourth quarter. Texas State was unable to score again until the final two minutes of the game.
What happened after the game
For UTSA the win over Texas State was a great ending for the 2012 season. It allowed UTSA to finish 8-4 and 3-3 in the WAC. The Roadrunners would move into Conference USA with a little bit of a confidence boost after beating the I-35 rivals.
The game against Texas State would be the last time UTSA played a game that wasn't televised or streamed. The Roadrunners streak of televised games will move to 97-straight games with the First Responder Bowl on Saturday.
Texas State finished their season a week later with a win over New Mexico State to finish their only season in the WAC 4-8 and 2-4 in conference.
UTSA and Texas State would have to wait until 2017 for the second football game. That one was played in San Marcos and UTSA would come away 44-14 winners. Since that 2017 contest the two most recent get-togethers in 2018 and 2020 have been close contests with UTSA coming away victorious in both.
What makes this a top 10 game
There were many factors that led to the first meeting with Texas State being one of the 10 best. For one the anticipation leading up to the game was higher than possibly any game to that point for UTSA. The rivalry that had been so heated in other sports quickly carried over to the football field.
The way the game played out was memorable. UTSA never trailed but they never could pull completely away either. It was a classic rivalry game with hard hits on both sides. In addition there was the knowledge that this might be the last meeting between the two for some time as they were headed to separate conferences in 2013.
All of those things made for a special day and a game that remains among the 10 greatest in UTSA football history.
TOMORROW: Game Number 8: UTSA sets all kind of records in the inaugural game.
FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way