The I-35 rivalry, named after the interstate highway that runs through San Marcos and San Antonio, first began in 2012. At the inaugural game, located at the Alamodome, the Roadrunners held their own and beat the Bobcats 38-31.
After five years without a scheduled matchup, the rivalry was brought back to life in 2017 with the roadrunners dominating 44-14. While the rivalry may seem one-sided, the third and fourth matchups in 2018 and 2020 brought high tensions with close ending scores of 25-21 and 51-48. Most recently, in 2023, UTSA beat Texas State once again to bring their rivalry record to 5-0.
Although the Roadrunners have had a great history of defeating the Bobcats, the fears and nerves of the 2024 matchup seemed to be justified as at halftime in the UFCU stadium, the Roadrunners were down 32 points, and ultimately took the loss, 49-10.
The rivalry will continue to grow with set dates every year until 2031. The location alternates in between the cities and the amount of fans in attendance increases each year as well. The game in 2023 brought in over 49,000 fans, which was the Alamodome’s second largest crowd to date.
