UTSA lost 56-7 to the University of Texas on Saturday night at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.
“We’ve got to be better offensively,” coach Jeff Traylor said on the loss. “We saw some good things, some of these guys have improved since last week, we’re just not where we need to be yet.”
The Roadrunners (1-2) earned 14 first downs compared to the Longhorns’ (3-0) 25, rushed for 128 yards opposed to 187 and passed for 132 yards against Texas’ 427 passing yards.
Texas routed UTSA’s defense and averaged two successful scoring drives per quarter. Ahead of this game, the ‘Runners suffered a blowout loss after not scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. Conversely, the Longhorn football team has won 15 straight games after leading in the first quarter. UTSA did not take a single trip into the end zone until the second quarter.
Despite being subbed out during the Roadrunners’ loss to Texas State last Saturday, redshirt sophomore Owen McCown was yet again Traylor’s starting quarterback.
In a second-quarter play, McCown completed a pass for his first successful scoring drive since playing against Kennesaw State two weeks ago. He searched for an open receiver and launched the ball up the center of the field once he spotted senior running back Robert Henry Jr. The Mississippi native outran Texas’s defensive line and carried the ball straight into the endzone for a 53-yard touchdown, the ‘Runners first and only touchdown of the game.
“What I’m really proud of more than anything was his pocket awareness,” Traylor said of his quarterback. “He came out, got a first down, but I’m disappointed he took the sack. That’s uncharacteristic of him, he knows when it’s out of the pocket, he knows when to let the ball go. He was very efficient, didn’t have a lot of help but he played very good.”
Before this game, McCown had completed 38 passes and attempted to rush the ball 12 times in three games, making him a leader in attempted rushes. McCown is only second to Henry Jr., who made 15 attempts ahead of this game. After Henry Jr.’s touchdown, the pair have both scored this season.
After UTSA failed to score in the first quarter, redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning was brought in to replace Quinn Ewers, who had been injured. Following the ‘Runners touchdown, Manning, son of Cooper Manning and nephew to Super Bowl champions Peyton and Eli Manning, quickly responded with a 67-yard touchdown carry of his own.
This game against the Longhorns posed as UTSA’s second loss to Texas, the program’s second 49-point loss to a Texas-based university and its 15th matchup against a ranked opponent in its short history. However, this did not beat the ‘Runners worst loss against a ranked opponent. The Roadrunners suffered a 55-point deficit against Oklahoma State in 2015, only four years after the San Antonio-based university added a football team to its athletic program.
“We’ve got to grow up some guys quickly,” Traylor said of his young offensive line. “Next week we’ve got Houston Christian and then we start conference play against East Carolina. This game against Texas is really gonna help us, we’ve just got to keep getting better.”
UTSA will return home for its fourth game of the season to play against Houston Christian University at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Alamodome.
