For the first time ever the UTSA Roadrunners are 6-0 after they held on for a 52-46 win over Western Kentucky.
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There is a new height for future Roadrunner teams to climb for. The 2021 Roadrunners became the first UTSA team to start a football season 6-0 when they defeated Western Kentucky 52-46 in Bowling Green on Saturday night.
In the final few minutes of the game it looked like the Hilltoppers might prevent UTSA from reaching 6-0. The hosts from Bowling Green were driving in the final minute of the game with the ball inside the UTSA 15.
The Hilltoppers were threatening to score a touchdown that likely would have won the game. On third and goal from the UTSA 15, Clarence Hicks intercepted a Bailey Zappe pass with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
UTSA was able to run out the final 43 seconds and leave Bowling Green with their record still boasting a zero in the loss column.
It is October 9 and the Roadrunners have already reached bowl eligibility. That is the obviously the earliest any Roadrunner team has reached the plateau of bowl eligibility. This version of the Roadrunners has higher peaks to try and climb in the second half of the season.
If they put the numbers up that they did on Saturday night there isn't a lot of teams left on their schedule that can match it. The Roadrunners went toe-to-toe with the air-raid offense of Western Kentucky and came away with what might be the best victory so far this season.
You like record breaking games. This one was it. Early in the game Sincere McCormick became the first Roadrunner to reach 3,000 career rushing yards. McCormick would finish the night with 120 yards rushing on 23 carries.
The star of the night for UTSA was undoubtedly Frank Harris. Harris matched the Hilltoppers highly touted Bailey Zappe blow for blow. Harris set a new school record with six passing touchdowns. Harris completed 28 of his 38 passing attempts for 349 yards. Harris also caught one touchdown pass on a trick play where he pitched it to Joshua Cephus who then threw it back to Harris.
Harris threw one interception but he forced a fumble on that interception and UTSA recovered. UTSA later scored a touchdown off of the fumble recovery.
De'Corian Clark set a new school record with three receiving touchdowns. Clark caught seven passes for 160 yards. Joshua Cephus and Zakhari Franklin had the team lead with eight catches. Cephus racked up 83 yards and Franklin had 50 yards receiving.
The Roadrunners needed every one of those touchdowns as Western Kentucky's offense was as advertised. The Hilltoppers even had their best rushing game of the season. Western Kentucky finished with 670 yards of offense. Zappe and the air attack accounted for 523 of those yards and the Hilltoppers gained 147 yards on the ground.
UTSA's offense put up 564 yards of offense. The Roadrunners got 372 yards through the air and 192 yards on the ground.
A game to build on going forward
In the early going UTSA looked like they would be on their way to 6-0. The Roadrunners scored just 53 seconds into the game and on their third play of the game when Harris connected with Clark for 30-yard touchdown.
Western Kentucky settled for a field goal on their first drive to cut the deficit to 7-3 at the 10:11 mark of the first quarter. UTSA answered with a longer drive on their second drive.
The Roadrunners pushed their lead to 14-3 with 5:03 left in the quarter when Harris threw a touchdown to Tykee Ogle-Kellogg from 15 yards out.
WKU scored their first touchdown of the night when Zappe threw a three-yard screen to Jerreth Sterns to cut UTSA's lead to 14-10 with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Hilltoppers took their first lead of the night, 17-14, at the 11:22 mark of the second quarter with a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
UTSA retook the lead on their next drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Cephus. Duplessis added the extra point to push UTSA ahead 21-17 with 8:25 left in the second quarter.
After WKU went ahead 24-21 on their next possession things got interesting when UTSA got the ball back.
Harris threw an interception at the WKU 27 but while the Hilltopper was returning it Harris punched the ball out. Zakhari Franklin fell on the ball to get the ball back for UTSA. Three plays later Harris threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Oscar Cardenas to put UTSA up 28-24. That would remain the score at halftime after WKU missed a 55-yard field goal at the end of the second quarter.
The third quarter was marked by continuing lead changes. Western Kentucky went up 31-28 with a touchdown on their second drive of the quarter after UTSA had muffed a punt that technically ended the Hilltoppers first drive. The Roadrunners first official possession of the third quarter ended with UTSA retaking the lead, 35-31, when Harris and Clark connected for a second time.
UTSA pushed their lead to 11 points for the second time when Harris and Cephus connected on a three yard touchdown with 6:06 left in the third.
The Roadrunner lead of 42-31 lasted until Western Kentucky scored with 50 seconds left in the third quarter. The Hilltoppers went for two but Zappe was sacked on the attempt and the score sat at 42-37 going into the fourth quarter.
Hunter Duplessis added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to put UTSA up 45-37. Western Kentucky answered with a touchdown on their next drive but again couldn't convert a two-point conversion and had to settle for a 45-43 deficit with 8:04 to play.
UTSA scored their final touchdown of the night with 6:39 remaining when Harris and Clark connected on a 43-yard touchdown to push UTSA up to a 52-43 lead.
Western Kentucky kicked a field goal with 4:22 left to play and then forced UTSA to punt with over three minutes to play. The Hilltoppers then drove to the UTSA 15 before their drive ended with 43 seconds left when Clarence Hicks won the game for UTSA with an interception.
The Roadrunners will bring their 6-0 record back home where next week the Rice Owls will visit for Homecoming. For now 6-0 is the best start by a Roadrunner team ever but that could grow with a win next week. A win next week and its another mountain top conquered by the Roadrunners.
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