Battle of I-35: UTSA meets UT Longhorns for the first time

A week after beating Army in overtime on the banks of the Hudson River, the UTSA Roadrunners are back on the road this week. But it will be a much shorter trip up to Austin, where they will take on a Texas Longhorns team that moved into the Associated Press poll at No. 21 after coming close to knocking off top-ranked Alabama last week. Saturday’s game marks the first ever meeting between the two sister schools in the University of Texas system. UTSA and Texas, where Roadrunners Coach Jeff Traylor served as an assistant in 2015 and 2016, are scheduled to meet again in Austin in 2024.

UTSA Roadrunners (1-1) vs. No. 21 Texas Longhorns (1-1):

Last week: 

In its second consecutive overtime game, UTSA overcame a 28-14 deficit against Army last week and led 35-28 late in the fourth quarter before Army tied the score at 35. The Roadrunners had a chance to win in regulation but missed what would have been the game-winning field goal. UTSA eventually won 41-38 in overtime. 

As Texas welcomed the Alabama Crimson Tide to the Forty Acres, the teams exchanged the lead a few times. Texas led 19-17 with 1:29 left to play but was unable to hold on as Alabama won 20-19 on a field goal with 10 seconds left to play. 

What they’re saying:

UTSA running back Brenden Brady on playing the Longhorns: “It’s going to be a good challenge and a great atmosphere. Our fans will be able to go and the place will be packed. We’re excited to play against that team.” 

​​Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian: “We’ve got a great opponent this week. UTSA has really good players. They are well-coached and they play well in all three phases. A big challenge ahead of us.” 

Key stats:

UTSA will play its ninth game all-time against Big 12 opponents on Saturday night. UTSA is 1-7 all-time against Big 12 teams, with the only win coming Sept. 9, 2017, at Baylor. UTSA is also 27-18 all-time against teams from the state of Texas. 

Texas will be going for its 930th win as a program and 390th win at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Longhorns will play UTSA for the first time on Saturday but are 6-0 all-time against fellow UT-system school UTEP. 

Players to watch:

UTSA quarterback Frank Harris has gotten off to a hot start this season, averaging 348 yards passing with six touchdowns. After throwing for three scores and helping rally the Roadrunners against Army, he was named the Conference USA offensive player of the week for the second straight week. Whether Harris and the Roadrunners’ offense are able to move the ball against the Longhorns will go a long way to deciding how close the game might be and whether the Roadrunners have a chance to pull an upset. 

The Longhorns will be without their top quarterback — Quinn Ewers sprained his clavicle against Alabama — and backup Hudson Card is nursing an ankle injury. Texas likely will call on running back Bijan Robinson to test the Roadrunners’ run defense. Robinson ran for 57 yards in 21 rushing attempts against Alabama and was listed as day-to-day this week due to a sore shoulder.