SAN ANTONIO – It’s officially the halfway point of the college football season, and UTSA (2-4) finds itself in a challenging spot as the Roadrunners are off to a 0-2 start in American Athletic Conference play.
The fashion in which UTSA lost its last outing against Rice was a punch to the mouth, as the Roadrunners felt like they made enough plays to win.
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While outgaining the Owls in total yards 394-389, the Roadrunners were a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone as redshirt sophomore Owen McCown passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
The Roadrunners’ run defense had another effective performance, holding Rice to 42 yards on the ground. UTSA now has held four opponents to 51 or fewer yards on the ground.
However, with the game on the line, Owls’ wide receiver Matt Sykes made a miraculous catch in the end zone on an 18-yard pass from quarterback E.J. Warner to eventually defeat UTSA 29-27.
Rice received some help from UTSA on that game-winning drive when the Roadrunners’ defense was called for pass interference to set up the Owls on UTSA’s 17-yard line.
UTSA was flagged 16 times for 146 yards in the ball game. The Roadrunners fault a lack of mental toughness for the flurry of penalties.
“It’s just crazy because looking at the film, I’m not really paying attention to when a referee throws a flag or anything like that or when penalties happen,” said UTSA senior safety Ken Robinson. “I’m just looking at how the game played out. Physically, it does not look like that we lost. It does not look like that with how we played. It just goes to show how big having mental toughness is on defense and how big penalties are, honestly.”
The Roadrunners will next face Florida Atlantic, which head coach Jeff Traylor believes is the best AAC team UTSA will face thus far.
UTSA, now more than ever, is looking to toughen up mentally.
“It’s a perfect week for [mental toughness],” said Traylor. “We’ve got to embrace all of this. You’ve got to find the good somehow in all of this. Coach [Nick] Graham — to the team today — did a fantastic job talking about embracing challenges and celebrating small victories.”
During the low points of a season, you’ll often hear coaches preach the value of embracing adversity.
Traylor’s group has bought into that message, and whether or not the Roadrunner faithful believe the team can turn things around, UTSA remains optimistic.
“We’re still the same locker room,” said UTSA wide receiver Chris Carpenter. “We still have a positive mindset. It’s just guys are just frustrated, and it’s overwhelming because we know the potential of our team, and we know we have the talent to do what it takes to win. So, it’s just frustrating.”
“I’d say optimistic for real,” Robinson said of how UTSA is feeling right now. “Definitely disappointed record-wise, but just optimistic for the future because we still have yet to play our best game [as a team]. I know that at some point, it’s going to have to come out during the season. We’re optimistic that is going to happen. That just starts with attacking each day like it’s your last.”
UTSA also acknowledges how injuries have held the offense back. Wide receivers De’Corian Clark and Jaren Randle are still rehabbing knee and leg injuries, respectively.
Despite the injury woes at the receiver position, Traylor is pleased with how McCown is performing in his first year starting at quarterback.
“You’re seeing a young quarterback grow up right in front of your eyes. He’s really playing well,” said Traylor of McCown’s play. “He’s not perfect, but six games into a season, you see improvement every week. I feel strongly that if we’d had our pieces around him, you’d see even a better one.”
The Roadrunners will look to rebound in front of their home fans on Saturday inside the Alamodome when FAU visits for a 2:30 p.m. kick-off.
UTSA is 0-4 on the road but a perfect 2-0 at home.
