UTSA conquers Army in OT

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Sometime this season UTSA will be able to have a game finish before overtime. It didn't happen on Saturday afternoon. 60 minutes weren't enough to figure out a winner between the Roadrunners and the Army Black Knights at historic Michie Stadium in West Point, New York.

It was UTSA that found a way to win an overtime game on Saturday as they beat Army 41-38 to move to 1-1 on the season. It allowed UTSA to improve to 4-3 all-time in overtime games. UTSA has also now won its road opener in three straight seasons.

"I told our coaches and our players this is going to prepare us for the rest of the year," UTSA Head Coach Jeff Traylor said. "We find a way to make it a one possession game every game. You'd be amazed at how much [the players] believe."

How UTSA got to the win will be remembered for some time to come. The Roadrunners had to overcome a double-digit deficit in the third quarter and then, after claiming their first lead ever against Army, had to try and go down the field with a minute left and the game tied for a chance to win it before overtime.

The Roadrunners had moments where they looked like they could beat anybody and then there were times where they had self inflicted issues. There were things that went well, like the connection of Frank Harris and Zakhari Franklin. Franklin caught 10 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

"I was disappointed in how I played last week," Franklin said. "I came out today with a different mindset."

Harris completed 32 of his 45 pass attempts for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Josh Cephus also caught 10 passes for 112 yards. DeCorian Clark had 90 yards on seven catches and scored the game winning touchdown.

There were things for UTSA to work on as the season goes along. The Roadrunners had 10 penalties for 70 yards. The UTSA defense did a good job of keeping Army's rushing attack from really getting going but the Black Knights turned into something like an air raid offense as they threw for 304 yards against UTSA. It was Army's first game with 300 yards passing since the 2007 season.

UTSA also left 13 points on the field. The Roadrunners missed two field goals, including the one that would have won the game at the end of regulation and had a touchdown that would have tied the score at 7-7 wiped off because of a holding penalty.

"Losing that touchdown to the holding penalty was tough, Traylor said.

In the end all of that is just part of the whole story of a game that UTSA found a way to win.

Prior to Saturday afternoon UTSA had never led in any of the two previous meetings against Army. The Black Knights had opened up double digit leads in both games before UTSA ever got on the board.

The game in West Point felt different from the beginning. Neither team scored on their first drive of the game. Army struck first with a 77-yard touchdown pass from Tyhier Tyler to Ay'Jaun Marshall on their second drive with 5:24 left in the first quarter.

UTSA looked like they were about to tie the score at 7-7 on their second drive as Harris completed a 10-yard pass to Gavin Sharp in the end zone. That touchdown was waved off because of a holding penalty. Harris was then sacked on third and goal and UTSA had to try a 48-yard field goal. It was no good.

The Black Knights next drive ended when Trevor Harmanson forced a fumble and Rashad Wisdom recovered. UTSA was unable to take advantage of the fumble and had to punt the ball away. That was when the Roadrunners got their first bit of good fortune. Army's punt returner lost the ball in the sun and it bounced off his leg at the Army 7. UTSA recovered at the Army one yard line.

Trelon Smith took the carry on first and goal from the one and went untouched into the end zone. There was 7:58 left in the second quarter and the game was tied at 7-7.

Army drove down the field on their next drive and retook the lead, 14-7, with 4:45 left in the second quarter.

UTSA answered on their next drive by going 75 yards in 10 plays. The 10th play of the drive was a 29-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Franklin to tie the score at 14 with 1:29 left to play before halftime.

The Black Knights went on a quick drive and scored a touchdown on a Jakobi Buchanan one-yard run with three seconds left in the quarter to go up 21-14 at halftime.

Army got the ball to start the third quarter and went on a drive that took 8:11 off the third quarter clock and ended with Tyler Tyhier scoring on a 16-yard run with 6:49 left in the third quarter.

Halfway through the third quarter the Roadrunners trailed 28-14. There was no panic on the Roadrunner sidelines. These Roadrunners had been down this road before.

"We'd been here before last year when we were down 21 points at Memphis," Harris said. "We're prepared for these moments, we just keep trusting the triangle and trusting the coaches."

Harris led the Roadrunners 84 yards down the field in 13 plays and connected with Franklin for a nine yard touchdown pass. Sackett added the extra point and UTSA cut the deficit to 28-21 with 2:02 left in the third quarter.

After the Roadrunner defense forced Army to punt for the first time in the game, Harris and the offense returned to the field early in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners then drove down the field and tied the game at 28-28 with 9:49 to play when Brendan Brady scored on a one yard touchdown run.

Things got better for UTSA. Army went three and out on their next possession. The Roadrunners took over at their own 46 after the punt. It took just four plays for UTSA to drive those 54 yards. Once again Brendan Brady punched it in from one yard out and with 7:11 left in the fourth quarter UTSA had a 35-28 lead.

The 21 unanswered points for UTSA were not a surprise to Coach Traylor or any of the Roadrunners on the sideline

"Make the next play, control the controllable, let it go," Traylor said of the Roadrunners resiliency. "I'm really proud of how our kids just hung in there."

That would be tested in the final 7:11 of regulation. Army finally snapped out of their offensive doldrums and went on a drive that took 6:08 off the clock. The final play of that drive was a 42-yard pass from Cade Ballard to Tyrell Robinson. Army tied the game at 35-35 with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter.

UTSA went on one of its patented last minute drives and got to within field goal range for Sackett. As time expired Sackett's game winning attempt went wide right. The Roadrunners had to prepare themselves for a second straight game going to overtime.

"We have a lot of faith in Sackett," Harris said. "You saw what he did last week, I know he missed two today but we love him and we appreciate him."

After Army had to settle for a field goal in the first overtime UTSA went onto the field knowing a touchdown would win it. On the second play of the Roadrunners drive Harris completed the game winner to Clark in the corner of the end zone.

The Roadrunners (1-1) will now be able to turn their attention to next week's trip to face the Texas Longhorns in Austin. They might not admit it but if they play a third straight overtime game next week in Austin this will go down as quite a stretch of games for UTSA.

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