Top Traylor Games: Game 9

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EDITORS NOTE: This is the third 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

The ninth-best game in the Rivals countdown of Jeff Traylor's 10 best games at UTSA is the game that started it all. On September 12, 2020, UTSA began the Jeff Traylor era with a visit to I-35 rivals Texas State. It was a game of ups and downs but the Roadrunners were able to start the Traylor era as they had each of the previous two coaches eras, with a win.

UTSA was not originally scheduled to open the Jeff Traylor era against Texas State. The Roadrunners original season opener in 2020 was to be at the defending national champion LSU Tigers a week before the Texas State game. The COVID-19 pandemic caused schedule changes around the country and the UTSA at LSU game never came to be after the SEC went to a conference-only schedule in 2020.

It might have been a blessing in disguise for Traylor that his UTSA tenure did not begin in Baton Rouge. Instead, the Roadrunners got an extra week to prepare for their rivals up the road in San Marcos. Texas State kept its season opener against SMU on the schedule and lost 31-24 to the Mustangs in San Marcos.

On September 12, 2020, the Roadrunners traveled to San Marcos to face the Bobcats. It was the fourth all-time meeting on the football field between UTSA and San Marcos and the first since the 2018 season in the Alamodome. UTSA had won all three of the previous games against Texas State and outscored the Bobcats 107-66 in those games. The last game between the two in San Marcos had been in 2017 and UTSA won that one 44-14.

Owing to a lack of other football going on at the time the game earned the 2:30 p.m. time slot on ESPN2. The national audience found themselves in for a wild game that went beyond regulation.

Texas State received the opening kickoff to start the game and promptly scored on their third play of the drive when Tyler Vitt and Brock Sturges connected on a 66-yard touchdown pass with 13:48 left in the first quarter. It was the first time in the history of the I-35 football series that Texas State had a lead over UTSA.

The Bobcats lead lasted just 25 seconds. On UTSA's first play of offense Sincere McCormick broke through the Bobcat defense for a 58-yard run, his first of two runs of that distance on an afternoon that saw McCormick run for a then-school record of 197 yards. McCormick's big run set up a 17-yard touchdown run from Frank Harris, in just his fifth start at quarterback for UTSA, that tied the score at 7-7 with 13:23 left in the first quarter.

Harris's touchdown was the last score of any kind in the first quarter. The second quarter belonged to the Roadrunners as UTSA scored 17 points from a Hunter Duplessis field goal and touchdown runs from Harris and McCormick to take a 24-7 lead into halftime.

A WILD SECOND HALF

After UTSA went three and out to open the third quarter, Texas State cut the deficit to 24-14 on its first drive of the third quarter. The Bobcats second touchdown came on a 31-yard pass from Vitt to Jah'Marae Sheread with 11:28 left in the third quarter.

Harris answered with his third rushing touchdown of the day to give UTSA a 31-14 lead with 9:48 left in the third quarter. Texas State scored a touchdown before the end of the third quarter and another early in the fourth quarter to cut UTSA's lead to 31-28.

UTSA pushed its lead to 34-28 with a Duplessis field goal at the 7:26 mark of the fourth quarter. Four minutes later Rashad Wisdom intercepted a Vitt pass and returned it 81 yards for a pick-six to give UTSA a 41-28 lead. It appeared to both fanbases that history was about to repeat itself and UTSA would escape with the win.

The Bobcats didn't get that memo. Vitt cut the Roadrunner deficit to 41-35 on a 20-yard pass to Marcell Barbee with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter. UTSA got the ball back with a chance to run out the clock but was unable to. The Roadrunners punted with a little over a minute left. The Bobcats Jeremiah Haydel fielded the punt at his nine-yard line and proceeded to run the ball back for a 91-yard touchdown to tie the score at 41-41 with 1:16 left in the fourth quarter. Texas State had a chance to take the lead but kicker Alan Orona missed the extra point.

UTSA was pinned deep in its side of the field on the kickoff and Traylor elected to take the game to overtime. It was the Roadrunners first overtime game since the 2016 season when the Roadrunners and UTEP played five overtimes in the Alamodome.

In the first overtime, the Roadrunners had the ball first. On third and 10 from the 25 Harris threw to the endzone where Josh Cephus made a diving catch to give UTSA a 48-41 lead. Texas State answered to keep the game going with a four-yard pass from Vitt to Barbee.

The second overtime began with Texas State in possession of the ball. The Bobcats got to a first and goal at the UTSA 8 but in the next three plays only managed five yards and sent Orona out for a 20-yard field goal attempt. For the second time on the afternoon, Orona missed from extra-point distance. UTSA took over knowing a field goal would win the game and keep the win streak alive against Texas State.

UTSA opted to hand the ball off to McCormick on four straight plays and McCormick eventually got the ball to the Texas State 12. Then Duplessis came on for the 29-yard field goal attempt. Duplessis's kick was true, his 12th consecutive field goal, and UTSA players streamed onto the field to celebrate another win over the rivals from up the road.

It was a sign of things to come. The Roadrunners win springboarded them to a 3-0 start and Traylor went on to become the first coach in program history to start his tenure 3-0. A year later in 2021, the Roadrunners did even better with an 11-0 start to the season.

UTSA and Texas State met again in 2023 in the Alamodome with the Roadrunners winning that one as well. The 2020 game remains the greatest game in that rivalry series and is the ninth-best game of the Traylor era.

Next Week: Top Traylor Game Number 8

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