UTSA's Sixth Greatest Conference Game
The top 10 countdown of greatest conference games in UTSA football history moves to the sixth best game
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Previously in the series: Honorable Mention | Game 10 | Game 9 | Game 8 | Game 7
Game Number 6: UTSA v. Charlotte, Nov. 26, 2016
Prior to the 2016 season UTSA football had surpassed six wins on two occasions. In 2012 the Roadrunners went 8-4. A year later, in 2013, the Roadrunners finished 7-5. Because they were in their four-year transition period the Roadrunners were ineligible for bowl games in either of those seasons.
2015 was the first season that UTSA was free of the transition period but the Roadrunners missed bowl eligibility by three games when they went 3-9. The Larry Coker era came to an end after that season.
In 2016, with Frank Wilson leading the program, UTSA began the year with fresh hope to reach bowl eligibility for the first time ever. The 2016 Roadrunners started the season with a win over Alabama State before losing three in a row. UTSA then won four of their next five (the lone loss was the 5-OT game vs. UTEP) to head into the final three games with a 5-4 record.
UTSA lost at Louisiana Tech on November 12. A week later, on November 19, The Roadrunners fell at the Texas A&M Aggies, 23-10. Texas A&M was limited to their second fewest points in a game during the 2016 season by UTSA. Only against Alabama did the Aggies score less points than they did against the Roadrunners.
The Roadrunners returned home to face Charlotte on November 26 with a 5-6 record. UTSA needed to win to reach bowl eligibility and hope a bowl spot would be open when the season ended. Charlotte entered the game with a 4-7 record on the season and hoped to stop the Roadrunners from reaching a sixth win.
A CLOSE GAME EARLY
UTSA's final chance at the sixth win in 2016 started six minutes after 6 p.m. before a crowd of 23,807. Included in that crowd was the one millionth fan to enter the Alamodome for a UTSA football game. Through their first 36 home games (including the Charlotte game) from 2011 to 2016 the Roadrunners had welcomed 1,005,495 fans into the Alamodome.
Charlotte won the coin toss and deferred their choice to the third quarter. The Roadrunners returned the opening kick to their own 20 but a holding penalty caused them to start at their own 10 yard line. In the first two plays of the drive UTSA reached the Roadrunner 27 yard line. On second and nine from the 27, Dalton Sturm threw a pass to Kerry Thomas Jr. that resulted in a 73-yard touchdown. Victor Falcon added the extra point and UTSA led 7-0 with 13:36 left in the first quarter.
The lead didn't last long. Charlotte began at their own 25 after Daniel Portillo's kickoff went for a touchback. The 49ers threw an incompletion and lost a yard on their first two plays. On the third play, of the drive Charlotte threw a 76-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good and with 12:58 to play in the first quarter.
UTSA was able to break the tie nearly 10 minutes later. The Roadrunners went on a 15-play, 74 yard drive that took 7:45 off the clock but stalled at the Charlotte three yard line. Falcon came on and kicked a 21-yard field goal to give UTSA a 10-7 lead with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter.
The Roadrunners increased their lead to 17-7 with 3:03 left in the second quarter when Sturm connected with Brady Jones for a 13-yard touchdown.
THE ROADRUNNERS PULL AWAY LATE
It took the two teams some time to get going in the third quarter. UTSA looked to be headed to a larger lead on their second drive of the quarter. The Roadrunners reached the Charlotte nine yard line but were unable to cross the goal line. A 26-yard field goal from Falcon gave UTSA a 20-7 lead with 4:41 left in the third quarter.
Charlotte got a chance at new life just six seconds into the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners were on to punt but a bad snap at the UTSA goal line resulted in Charlotte getting a fumble recovery for a touchdown. The 49ers added the extra point and cut the UTSA lead to 20-14 with 14:54 left in the fourth quarter.
UTSA was able to increase their lead to 26-14 with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners touchdown came on a 20-yard pass from Jared Johnson to Marquez McNair.
The Roadrunners scored the final touchdown of the night at the 4:29 mark of the fourth quarter when Jalen Rhodes crossed the goal line from two yards out. Falcon made the extra point to give UTSA a 33-14 lead.
UTSA had a chance to increase their lead two minutes later but Falcon missed a 35-yard field goal attempt with 2:14 left to play. By then it didn't matter. The Roadrunners were headed to their sixth win.
WAITING A WEEK TO FIND OUT BOWL DESTINATION
After the clock struck zeros confetti fell from the rafters of the Alamodome, the crowd erupted and Wilson was bathed in Gatorade by the Roadrunners. It looked like Fiesta had come early to San Antonio. The Roadrunners had reached the six wins needed for bowl eligibility but a bowl trip wouldn't be known until Sunday December 4.
When the musical chairs of bowl selection stopped on December 4, 2016 the Roadrunners found one of two chairs in the New Mexico Bowl. The other chair would be occupied by the University of New Mexico Lobos. That soiree would happen on December 17 in the Lobos home stadium.
It was all made possible by the win over Charlotte on the night of November 26, 2016 when the Roadrunners got to six wins for the third time in program history and the first time as a fully-fledged member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
NEXT WEEK: The fifth greatest conference game in UTSA football history
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