The First Season: Part 3

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EDITORS NOTE: This is the third installment of a story series looking back at the 2011 football season.

PREVIOUSLY IN THE FIRST SEASON SERIES: PART 1 | PART 2

Through the first 10 seasons of UTSA football the Roadrunners have played 59 games away from the Alamodome, including one neutral site game. Back in September 2011 those games were all yet to be played.

On September 17, 2011 the Roadrunners packed their away uniforms and hit the road for the first time in school history. They were headed to Cedar City, Utah. There the Southern Utah Thunderbirds and their 1-1 record were waiting.

UTSA was also 1-1 after suffering the first loss in program history in shocking fashion to McMurry on September 10. The loss to McMurry had stolen some of the thunder that had reverberated through the UTSA fanbase after the highs of the inaugural game. McMurry had been a game UTSA was supposed to win. What made the loss to McMurry even worse was it had been televised on the Longhorn Network, the first of the five UTSA home games televised by that network.

Now fans would have to settle in next to their radios if they wanted to follow the Roadrunners first road game.

The Roadrunners seemed ready to move on to their first road game even as they spoke with the media following the loss against McMurry.

"This is the first road game (out of Texas) that most of these guys have ever taken," UTSA Head Coach Larry Coker said on September 10 of the trip looming a week later. "We are going to play a better team. I think that is going to help us focus right there."

UTSA represented the opponent for Southern Utah's 2011 homecoming game. The Thunderbirds, members of the Big Sky Conference, had an opposite beginning to their 2011 season compared to UTSA. Southern Utah had lost at South Dakota, 29-28, on September 3 and beat Sacramento State, 35-14, at home on September 10.

UTSA's game at Southern Utah marked not only the first road game in program history but also the Roadrunners first game played at night. The Roadrunners and Thunderbirds opened the game at 6:05 p.m. Mountain Time (7:05 p.m. back in San Antonio).

Southern Utah won the coin toss and elected to defer their option to the second half. UTSA chose to receive the opening kickoff. Kam Jones took control of the kickoff at the UTSA eight yard line and made it back to the UTSA 24. Eric Soza and the offense then took the field looking to start faster than they had the week before.

The Roadrunners certainly got off to a fast start. Soza and the offense drove 76 yards in 12 plays. Soza connected with David Morgan for a 10-yard touchdown pass on the 12th play of the drive. Sean Ianno added the extra point. There was 8:43 left in the first quarter. UTSA was leading 7-0 in their first ever road game.

The joy of the lead in hostile territory was short lived. Southern Utah put on their own lengthy drive. The Thunderbirds went 80 yards in 11 plays and scored their first touchdown with 3:20 left in the quarter. It was a tough touchdown to give up as it came on third and goal from the UTSA 26 yard line. Southern Utah added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7.

UTSA was unable to replicate their first drive as the Roadrunners only managed 15 yards on four plays, going from their own 23 to their own 38. Josh Ward came on for his first punt of the evening and booted it 42 yards down the field. Unfortunately for the Roadrunners the Thunderbirds returned the punt 62 yards to the UTSA 18.

Two plays later the Thunderbirds led 14-7 with 1:08 left in the quarter after Austin Minefee scored on a 14-yard touchdown run.

On the ensuing kickoff the Roadrunners' Brandon Armstrong fumbled on the return and Southern Utah recovered at the UTSA 19. It seemed as though the wheels were about to fall off the Roadrunner wagon. That was until the Thunderbirds fumbled at the UTSA 10 and Nic Johnston recovered for UTSA.

UTSA nearly gave the ball away again right before the end of the quarter but Soza was able to recover his own fumble. By the time the first quarter ended UTSA trailed 14-7.

The deficit only grew in the second quarter. UTSA had to punt on its first two drives of the second quarter and only had 11 seconds to work with on its final drive of the quarter.

Southern Utah pushed ahead even further, 21-7, with 6:38 left in the quarter when Minefee scored from one yard out after the hosts had gone 84 yards in 12 plays. The Thunderbirds then upped their lead to 28-7 with 16 seconds left in the second quarter.

The second half began with Southern Utah receiving the ball. Hopes of the Roadrunner fans were bouyed when UTSA forced the Thunderbirds to punt on their opening possession of the third quarter.

It didn't take long for those hopes to be dashed. On first down from the UTSA 28, Soza's five yard pass attempt was intercepted at the UTSA 33 by Dion Turner. Turner had only open field in front of him and quickly reached the endzone. With 12:48 left in the third quarter the Thunderbirds lead had grown to 35-7.

UTSA went three and out on their next offensive possession. Southern Utah returned the punt 40 yards to the UTSA 23-yard line. It looked as though the Thunderbirds might add another touchdown.

The Roadrunner defense had other ideas as they limited Southern Utah to a 36-yard field goal. The Thunderbird kick sailed through the uprights with 10:32 left in the third quarter. Southern Utah had scored 38 unanswered points since UTSA scored on the opening drive of the game. The wheels had certainly fallen off the Roadrunner wagon.

UTSA stopped the run of unanswered points by going 73 yards on 10 plays in the next 3:43 of game action. David Glasco II scored the Roadrunners second touchdown of the evening when he hit the endzone from eight yards out. Ianno added the extra point. The Roadrunners had cut the deficit to 38-14 with 6:41 left in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter the Roadrunners got to with 16 points of the Thunderbirds. With 9:46 on the clock, Tevin Williams scored on a nine-yard run. Soza then connected with Brandon Freeman on the two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 38-22.

Southern Utah pushed its lead back into the 20+ point range on the next drive with a 24-yard touchdown pass. That score came with 4:55 left in the game. The score remained 45-22 in favor of the Thunderbirds as the clock ran out.

"They're a good football team," Coker said after the game. "We knew we'd have issues with them, but we just got beat by a better team."

UTSA fell to 1-2 on their inaugural season. As the Roadrunners returned to San Antonio they were learning the ups and downs of a college football season. Hopes of a first road win would have to wait another two weeks.

The task at hand was returning home for the homecoming game on September 24. It would be the first chance to take the Alamodome field since the McMurry loss. After having lost two in a row it was important for the Roadrunners to win their third home game of the season.

NEXT WEEK: The Roadrunners host a homecoming football game

FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way