For the first time in its shared collegiate football history, UTSA lost 49-10 to I-35 rival Texas State on Saturday at UFCU Stadium. Wile E. Coyote may not have been able to catch the Road Runner, but the Bobcats sank their claws into them.
UTSA (1-1) has not suffered this big of a loss to another Texas-based college football team since losing to Baylor in 2019, where the Roadrunners trailed the Bears by 49 points with a final score of 63-14. UTSA trailed Texas State (2-0) by 39 points.
The ‘Runners finally caught a break in the third quarter. After subbing out starting quarterback Owen McCown, Eddie Lee Marburger ran onto the field following halftime. Marburger fumbled the ball but tight end Patrick Overmyer recovered it and was able to produce a first down. Marburger and the offensive line couldn’t score during their second or third down but they went for a fourth down anyway.
With two seconds left in the third quarter, Marburger was forced to run backwards to avoid Texas State rushers. After giving himself that space to search for an open receiver, Marburger found wide receiver Willie McCoy and the two connected for two yards to score UTSA’s first and only touchdown of the game.
Coach Jeff Traylor and Texas State head coach GJ Kinne have a history with one another that dates back nearly 19 years. From head coach and student-athlete at Gilmer High School to working alongside each other on coaching staffs at both Southern Methodist University and University of Arkansas to becoming head coaches at opposing rivalry schools. Yet, this was the first time Kinne has beat his former coach and coworker.
“I’m very happy for GJ and his family,” Traylor said “What he’s done here, he has resurrected the university and to have what they had tonight was really special. I’m extremely happy for him and his staff.”
“They were really good, they played very good,” Traylor said about his former student-athlete’s team. “I thought our defense would be able to hold for us a little bit, but our offense is a little young and inexperienced. We knew we struggled a little bit there. I think the most shocking part was how easily they scored on our defense. I thought we were good enough on defense to stay in the game but now I understand offensively we didn’t do near enough to help them.”
UTSA could not find a way to break through Texas State’s defense in the first half and their only scoring drive resulted in a field goal during the first quarter. Owen McCown found wide receiver Devin McCuin at the 25-yard line and executed UTSA’s biggest play of the first quarter to get a first down right outside the redzone.
The Roadrunners went from a previous 5-yard drive to a 69-yard drive. McCown rushed the ball within the 5-yard line to bring the Roadrunners back to a first down. He attempted a pass to McCuin and tight end Patrick Overmyer, but ultimately had to settle for a field goal made by Chase Allen.
Safety Ken Robinson proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Between last week’s game against Kennesaw State and Saturday’s game against the Bobcats, Robinson averaged seven tackles a game.
UTSA will head back on the road next week when they take on University of Texas at 6 p.m. Saturday at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
