The Alamodome Drive

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UTSA continues to reign over Conference USA thanks to 10-yard touchdown pass from Frank Harris to JT Clark with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It was the final play of what can only be called "The Alamodome Drive" as Harris and the Roadrunners drove 75 yards in one minute and 23 seconds with no timeouts to stun the North Texas Mean Green, 31-27. Included in that winning drive was a fourth down conversion that kept the drive going.

"The play call was designed to throw in the outside lanes, I seen a one-on-one with JT," Harris said. "So I throw it, give him a chance. Kind of like a redo from the Army game. JT likes to go out there and make me right. He's a great football player."

It was eerily similar to how North Texas won the game in Denton in 2017 with a last minute drive with no timeouts. That year the Mean Green also converted a fourth down to keep their drive alive and stunned UTSA with 10 seconds left.

Now the Mean Green know what it feels like to have a victory snatched away in the final seconds on the road.

Few of the 27,122 who made it into the Alamodome could have imagined the game would turn out the way it did. UTSA entered riding a four game winning streak this season. North Texas had not lost a conference game since last October, their eight game conference streak was tied for the third longest in the country.

The Mean Green entered Saturday fresh off a day last week when they set a program record with 475 rushing yards against Louisiana Tech.

It was a different story against the Roadrunners. The Mean Green didn't get above double digit rushing yards until the third quarter as UTSA stymied their running game. By the time the clock struck zero UTSA had outgained North Texas 257-22 on the ground.

"Coach Loepp and his staff had a great plan. Our kids played their tails off," UTSA Head Coach Jeff Traylor said. "Man, those kids are different, man. I can't explain it. I really can't. I can't explain it. It's like magic. I don't know. They just get it done."

UTSA outperformed North Texas in most of the statistical categories. The Roadrunners had 495 yards of total offense to the Mean Green's 347. UTSA had the ball for 38 minutes and 20 seconds. North Texas had the ball for 21 minutes and 40 seconds. UTSA ran 94 plays. North Texas ran 52 plays. In the red zone UTSA was five-for-six. North Texas was two-for-two.

The two teams each had one takeaway on defense. North Texas got an interception in the first quarter that set up their first field goal. Corey Mayfield intercepted an Austin Aune pass in the third quarter to set up UTSA's first lead of the afternoon.

"Man, it's a big win for us. We was very excited. Man, it just feels good," Mayfield said. "It just feels good getting this win, man. It really does. It was good, good emotions in the locker room."

Unless you were related to the kickers, the first half was not much to write home about. North Texas got two field goals in the first quarter to go up 6-0.

UTSA made one of two field goal attempts in the first half to cut the deficit to 6-3 at halftime. The Roadrunners were not given a chance to try a field goal at the end of the half after an inadvertent stoppage of the clock at eight seconds left led to the refs deciding to run the remaining eight seconds off the clock.

"I still don't understand it. I was just trying to beg for common sense. He says by rule, he had to enforce it that way. I was just begging for common sense," Traylor said. "We clearly caught the ball at 8. We know we would spike the ball in less than five seconds. By rule, that means there would be three. You can clock the ball as long as you're on 3."

The second half, especially the fourth quarter, made up for the lack of offense in the first half.

North Texas appeared to fumble to opening kickoff of the third quarter but a video review showed the returner was down before fumbling. Instead of the Roadrunners getting the ball the Mean Green retained possession.

It wasn't long before UTSA was back in possession of the ball after Aune's pass on third down was intercepted by Mayfield at the UNT 38.

UTSA scored nine plays later on a three yard run by Brendan Brady to go in front 10-6. There was 9:26 left in the third quarter.

North Texas retook the lead on their next drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Aune to Jake Roberts with 8:06 left in the third quarter. The Mean Green held onto that 13-10 lead into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter would see the lead change hands five times. There were three lead changes in the final two and a half minutes. Only two drives, one for each team, ended in punts. The Roadrunners outscored North Texas 21-14 in the final 15 minutes of the game.

"Tough teams win championships," Traylor said. "We're tough."

The biggest drive of the quarter was the Roadrunners final drive. It began with 1:38 left in the quarter after North Texas had scored on a one-yard pass from Aune to Isaiah Johnson to retake a 27-24 lead.

Harris and the Roadrunner offense took the field at their own 25 with no timeouts. The first play of the drive saw Harris run for 22 yards on a designed run to the UTSA 47. After a three yard run by Harris moved the ball to the 50 the Roadrunners picked up five more on a pass from Harris to Cephus. An incomplete pass on third and 2 set up a fourth down and two that the Roadrunners needed to get.

Harris threw to Franklin and Franklin stretched for the first down. It was so close that North Texas players stormed the field as though they had just won the game. Their celebrations were premature. After video review the Roadrunners first down was confirmed and UTSA was given new hope at the UNT 43.

The Roadrunners took advantage of that hope as Harris threw a pass to Oscar Cardenas that Cardenas caught with one hand. Cardenas leapt over one defender but was brought down at the UNT 10.

Cardenas catch set up the final pass of the game. Harris's fade to Clark in the corner of the end zone. There was 15 seconds on the clock. UTSA led 31-27.

A squib kick by UTSA followed. The Roadrunners were able to recover and as the clock struck zeroes the Roadrunners were the players storming the field in celebration.

UTSA now goes into the much needed bye week. The Roadrunners are 6-2 overall and 4-0 in Conference USA. Next up will be a trip to UAB on Nov. 5. For now though the blue and orange of San Antonio will celebrate the Alamodome Drive and getting to hold bragging rights on North Texas, perhaps for a year, or perhaps until they meet again in the Alamodome in December.

FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way