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EDITORS NOTE: This is the ninth story in a series of stories counting down the best games in the Jeff Traylor era at UTSA

Previously in the Series: HONORABLE MENTION GAMES | GAME 10 | GAME 9 | GAME 8 | GAME 7 | GAME 6 | GAME 5 | GAME 4 | GAME 3

The second-best game in the Jeff Traylor era at UTSA came on the second Saturday of October in 2021 when the Roadrunners went into Bowling Green, Kentucky, and held off the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to improve to 6-0 for the first time in program history.

UTSA was 5-0 for the second time in program history as it traveled to Bowling Green. The other Roadrunner team to start 5-0 had been the 2012 squad who lost the sixth game of that season at Rice. That team finished 8-4 which in October 2021 was still the high-water mark for wins in UTSA history.

The 2021 team was well on their way to pushing for that mark of eight wins after starting the season 5-0 with wins over Illinois, Lamar, Middle Tennessee, Memphis and UNLV. Now the Roadrunners were heading to a place they'd only played once before. In 2014 the Roadrunners had gone to Western Kentucky and lost 45-7.

By 2021 Western Kentucky was still one of the better teams in Conference USA with a high powered offense although their record didn't show it. The Hilltoppers welcomed UTSA while sporting a 1-3 record and in the midst of a three-game losing streak with losses to Army, Indiana and Michigan State.

Few would have guessed how the game would unfold and that it was a preview of a later rematch in the conference championship game a few months down the road.

UTSA began the game with the ball after Western Kentucky won the toss and elected to defer their option to the second half. The Roadrunners started at their own 25 and gave the ball to Sincere McCormick for a five yard run on the first play of the drive. Harris then completed a 40-yard pass to Joshua Cephus and a 30-yard touchdown pass to DeCorian Clark to give UTSA a 7-0 lead with 14:13 left in the first quarter.

Western Kentucky answered on their next drive but had to settle for a 34-yard Brayden Narveson field goal with 10:11 left in the quarter to cut UTSA's lead to 7-3.

The Roadrunners next drive went 75 yards in 14 plays with Harris connecting on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tykee Ogle-Kellogg to cap of the drive. Hunter Duplessis added the extra point and UTSA led 14-3 with 5:03 left on the first quarter clock.

As they did after UTSA's first drive, the Hilltoppers answered the Roadrunners second drive. This time the Hilltoppers collected a touchdown when Bailey Zappe threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Jerreth Sterns. Narveson added the extra point and UTSA's lead was trimmed to 14-10 with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.

UTSA's next drive ended early in the second quarter with a punt. Western Kentucky's third drive of the night ended with the Hilltoppers up 17-14 after Adam Cofield scored on a 10-yard run with 11:22 left in the second quarter.

Trailing for the first time, Harris and the Roadrunners went 75 yards in eight plays to retake the lead 21-17 when on a trick play, Harris caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Cephus at the 8:25 mark.

Western Kentucky needed just three and a half minutes and a nine-play 82 yard drive to retake the lead. The Hilltoppers went back in front 24-21 when Zappe threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Dalvin Smith with 4:47 left in the second quarter.

The game probably turned on UTSA's next drive. With the ball at the WKU 26 and UTSA faced with second and one, Frank Harris threw a pass that was intercepted by WKU's A.J. Brathwaite. Brathwaite began to return the interception but before he could get past Harris, Harris was able to force the ball out.

Zakhari Franklin recovered the fumble for UTSA at the WKU 32. The change of possession gave UTSA a fresh set of downs. Three plays later Harris threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Oscar Cardenas to give UTSA a 28-24 lead with 40 seconds left in the second quarter. Western Kentucky's high powered offense was still able to get them into field goal range before the end of the half but the 55-yard field goal attempt was missed on the final play of the half.

UTSA comes out on top after a wild second half

Western Kentucky opened the second half with the ball, but the first drive ended in a punt. After Sheldon Jones muffed the punt for UTSA, the Hilltoppers recovered at the UTSA 24. It took three plays for the Hilltoppers to retake the lead, 31-28, on a 24-yard pass from Zappe to Malachi Corley with 12:46 left in the third quarter.

UTSA retook the lead less than two minutes later when Harris connected with Clark for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 10:38 on the clock. Duplessis added the extra point and UTSA led 35-31.

After WKU had to punt on its next drive Jones made up for his previous error by returning the punt 38 yards to set UTSA up at its own 43. Harris and the Roadrunners needed just seven plays to cover the 57 yards with the final play resulting in a three-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Cephus. That score gave UTSA a 42-31 lead with 6:06 left in the third quarter.

The Hilltoppers cut UTSA's lead to 42-37 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter when Zappe threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Tinsley. WKU tried to go for two but was unsuccessful in the attempt.

UTSA had to settle for a 35-yard field goal from Duplessis on the next drive to take a 45-37 lead with 10:01 left in the fourth quarter.

WKU responded with a touchdown in less than two minutes when Zappe threw a 20-yard pass to Sterns to cut UTSA's lead to 45-43 with 8:04 on the clock. The Hilltoppers again went for two but were unsuccessful.

In need of a touchdown, UTSA got what it needed on the next drive when Harris set a new school record with his sixth touchdown pass, this one a 43-yard score to Clark. Duplessis added the extra point and UTSA led 52-43 with 6:39 to play.

WKU didn't go away but was unable to get a touchdown on the next drive. The Hilltoppers settled for a 27-yard field goal from Narveson with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter to cut UTSA's lead to 52-46.

UTSA was unable to run out the clock on its next drive but did force WKU to use two of its timeouts. The Hilltoppers got the ball back at their own 30 with 3:21 on the clock and opted for a methodical drive that if successful would leave UTSA with very little time to respond.

It looked like it might work as the Hilltoppers got to first and goal at the UTSA 5 with 1:45 on the clock. The Roadrunners were helped by an illegal block penalty against WKU that backed the Hilltoppers to the UTSA 20. WKU eventually found its way to a third and goal from the UTSA 15. Zappe dropped back with about 45 seconds left and threw toward the end zone. Clarence Hicks jumped the route and dove to make the interception at the UTSA three-yard line.

UTSA was able to run out the remaining 43 seconds and escape Bowling Green with a 52-46 win. It helped keep UTSA's perfect season alive, a run that got to 11-0. The loss to UTSA also springboarded WKU as they went on a 7-game winning streak to earn a spot in the conference championship game where they would have another late drive ended in an interception to help UTSA hang on in early December.

All of that was to be revealed in the coming weeks. All that mattered on October 9, 2021, was that the Roadrunners were 6-0 for the first time and had reached bowl eligibility earlier than any other team in school history. The magical run of 2021 was still going.

Next Week: Top Traylor Game Number 1

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