SAN ANTONIO — UTSA (3-6, 2-3 C-USA) will host a game for the first time in nearly a month when it welcomes FIU (6-3, 4-1) to the Alamodome for a Conference USA contest on Saturday, Nov. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+ and 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull in San Antonio.

The Roadrunners are looking to snap a three-game losing skid, while the Panthers are looking to keep pace with 5-1 Middle Tennessee in the C-USA East Division.

Saturday's game will mark the third all-time meeting between the two teams. UTSA won the inaugural matchup, 16-13, on Oct. 11, 2014, at the Alamodome, while FIU scored a 14-7 home victory on Nov. 4, 2017.

UTSA Roadrunners (3-6, 2-3)

vs.

FIU Panthers (6-3, 4-1)

6 p.m. | Nov. 10, 2018

Alamodome (36,582) | San Antonio, Texas

TV: ESPN+

Radio: 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull / SiriusXM Internet 979

Opening drive

• UTSA will play a home game for the first time in nearly a month (Oct. 13).

• Saturday's game will mark the third meeting between UTSA and FIU.

• The two teams have split the first two matchups with each winning at home.

• The Panthers scored a 14-7 victory in the last meeting on Nov. 4, 2017, in Miami.

• The Roadrunners won the inaugural meeting, 16-13, on Oct. 11, 2014 at the Alamodome.

• Saturday's game will air on ESPN+, marking the 70th straight UTSA game to be broadcast.

Tuning in

The game will air on ESPN+ (subscription required). Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), LaDarrin McLane (color analyst) and Tina Nguyen (sideline reporter) have the call. The contest will air live on the Roadrunners Sports Network and can be heard in the San Antonio area on 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (sideline reporter) will call all the action. The pregame show will begin at 4 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online at goUTSA.com, thebullcountry.iheart.com and on SiriusXM Internet channel 979, as well as via the free iHeartRadio app.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is a direct-to-consumer (no cable or satellite subscription needed) streaming service that will cost $4.99 per month. As part of the launch, ESPN+ was integrated as part of a completely redesigned ESPN app (and also via http://ESPN.com). Subscribers will receive thousands of additional live events, and original shows and films, and an on-demand library, which is not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. ESPN+ is not included with your cable/satellite subscription, and ESPN+ does NOT include other ESPN content (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ESPN3, etc). It is a completely standalone subscription. For more information and to subscribe, please visit http://plus.espn.com.

Game 92

Saturday's matchup with FIU will mark the 92nd game in UTSA football history and its 46th home contest. Now in their eighth season of play, the Roadrunners are 41-50 overall and 24-21 at the Alamodome.

A look at FIU

The Panthers enter Saturday's game at 6-3 overall and 4-1 in Conference USA. FIU saw its four-game win streak snapped by Florida Atlantic in a 49-14 home setback on Saturday night. The Panthers are averaging 33.7 points and 407.9 yards per game and allowing 25.1 points and 391.7 yards per outing. Junior quarterback James Morgan leads the offense with 1,991 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. Senior running back Napoleon Maxwell and sophomore D'Vonte Price pace the ground game with 457 and 418 rushing yards, respectively, while junior receiver C.J. Worton is the top receiver with 27 catches for 518 yards and five TDs. Junior linebacker Sage Lewis leads the team in tackles with 96, while senior defensive lineman Anthony Johnson has a team-best 3.5 sacks and five quarterback hurries. Nine different Panthers have recorded an interception, led by junior cornerback Isaiah Brown's two picks. Saturday's game will feature two of the nation's top place-kickers, as sophomore Jose Borregales has made 10-of-11 field goals and 37-of-38 extra points this season to join UTSA sophomore Jared Sackett as two of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award. Head coach Butch Davis is 14-8 in his second season at the helm.

Series history

UTSA and FIU will meet for the third time on Saturday night at the Alamodome. The Panthers scored a 14-7 victory in the last meeting on Nov. 4, 2017, in Miami, Fla. The Roadrunners won the inaugural matchup, 16-13, on Oct. 11, 2014, in San Antonio.

Last meeting

Dalton Sturm had 187 yards of offense and La'Kel Bass and Marcus Davenport combined for 15 tackles, but it was not enough in a 14-7 setback to FIU on Nov. 4, 2017, at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Fla. Sturm rushed for a game-high 82 yards and added 105 through the air, as he completed 13 passes to seven different receivers, including three apiece to Josh Stewart and Kerry Thomas Jr. Meanwhile, Bass led a defense that held the Panthers to 315 yards of offense with eight tackles, including five solos and a tackle for loss. Davenport added seven stops and his third forced fumble of the season, which led to one of three FIU turnovers on the night. After a scoreless first half that saw the two teams combine for just 246 yards, FIU broke through for the game's first points with 3:40 left in the third quarter when Alex McGough hit Thomas Owens in the flat for a 13-yard touchdown pass to help put the home team up 7-0. UTSA coughed up the football on the ensuing kickoff and FIU recovered at the 15-yard line. On the next play, McGough found Shawndarrius Phillips open over the middle for his second TD pass of the night. The Roadrunners got on the board early in the final frame. Sturm completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brady Jones with 13:59 left to play, capping a 10-play, 75-yard drive. On the next possession, Austin Jupe picked off a long pass at the UTSA 31. The Roadrunners then marched all the way down to the FIU 1-yard line and threatened to tie the score but were stopped short of the end zone on fourth down with 6:44 remaining.

Last time out

UAB registered more than 600 yards of offense and held UTSA to 220 in a 52-3 victory in Conference USA action on Saturday night at Legion Field. The C-USA West Division-leading Blazers racked up 668 total yards, including 419 on the ground. They held the Roadrunners to 84 rushing yards and 136 through the air. Spencer Brown led UAB's ground game with 147 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, while James Noble added 92 yards on 11 totes. Tyler Johnston passed for 249 yards and three TDs on just 10 completions, three to Xavier Ubosi for a game-high 72 yards and two scores. Greg Campbell Jr. led UTSA's offense with six catches for 62 yards, while Brenden Brady rushed for 42 yards on eight carries. C.J. Levine paced the Roadrunners defense with 12 tackles, the third double-digit tackle game of the year for the senior safety. Meanwhile, linebackers Les Maruo and Josiah Tauaefa posted nine and eight stops, respectively, and Cassius Grady picked off his team-leading third pass of the fall.

Wilson in third year at helm

Frank Wilson is in his third season as head coach of the Roadrunners. The New Orleans native has guided UTSA to back-to-back seasons of being bowl eligible, including leading the program to its first-ever postseason appearance at the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, as UTSA tied the NCAA modern startup program by reaching a bowl game in its sixth season of play. He has coached 13 All-Conference USA selections and a pair of Freshman All-Americans in his first two years at the helm. Wilson came to San Antonio after a six-year stint as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU, where he also was the associate head coach in 2012-15. Armed with more than a decade of coaching experience in the Southeastern Conference, Wilson also has been an assistant coach at Tennessee (2009), Southern Miss (2008) and Mississippi (2005-07). He has coached or recruited 36 individuals who have made it to the NFL, including 2018 NFL First Round Draft pick Marcus Davenport of the Saints.

Youth movement

UTSA boasts a youthful team in 2018 with 66 underclassmen, which equates to 60.6 percent of its roster. The Roadrunners have 38 freshmen (21 true/17 redshirt) and 28 sophomores on the 109-man squad list. In the season opener at Arizona State, 24 players made their UTSA debut, including eight who started. There were 13 first-time starters (8 offense/5 defense), while 15 total freshmen (8 true/7 redshirt) saw action in the contest. UTSA has seen a total of 23 first-time starters and 29 debuts this season. Eighteen total freshmen have seen action this season, including 10 true freshmen. Additionally, left guard Spencer Burford is one of just 16 true freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to have started on the offensive line this season.

Tauaefa named Butkus Award semifinalist

UTSA junior Josiah Tauaefa was named on Oct. 29 one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award honoring the nation's best collegiate linebacker. He leads the Roadrunners with 77 total tackles, 49 solo stops, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles to go along with a pair of quarterback hurries this season. The Corinth, Texas, native has registered double-digit tackles three times and has tallied 34 combined stops in the last three contests. Finalists for the Butkus Award will be unveiled on Nov. 19 and the winner will be announced on or before Dec. 4.

Honors roll in for Sackett

Last week, UTSA sophomore Jared Sackett was named one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award for the second straight season and he was announced as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on. The Fort Worth native is 14-for-17 on field goals, including 9-of-12 from 40-plus yards, and he has made all 14 extra-point attempts this season.

The Power (5) open

UTSA opened the season with three consecutive games against Power 5 conference opponents. The Roadrunners debuted at Arizona State on Sept. 1 and hosted Baylor one week later before closing the stretch with a road matchup against Kansas State on Sept. 15. BYU is the only other non-Power 5 team that opened the season with three straight Power 5 opponents (at Arizona [Sept. 1], vs. California [Sept. 8], at Wisconsin [Sept. 15]). Additionally, this marks the second time in four seasons that UTSA faced three consecutive Power 5 teams to open the season, as the 2015 squad played No. 22 Arizona, Kansas State and No. 25 Oklahoma State during the first three weeks.

UTSA quartet on national award lists

Four Roadrunners have earned their way onto several national awards lists. Senior running back Jalen Rhodes appears on three different lists: Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and Wuerffel Trophy. Josiah Tauaefa was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award for the nation's best collegiate linebacker and the junior linebacker joins Rhodes on the Wuerffel Trophy watch list and also is a candidate for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award. Jared Sackett was named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist for the second straight season on Nov. 1 and the sophomore place-kicker also is a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on. Yannis Routsas was added to the Ray Guy Award watch list on Sept. 20 and he was one of 10 semifinalists for the award last season. The senior punter also was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy on Sept. 26.

Filling the turnover bucket

The UTSA defense has shown a knack for creating takeaways this season, as the Roadrunners have come up with 18 for the turnover bucket through the first nine contests. The Roadrunners lead Conference USA and rank 16th nationally in turnovers gained and they are second and 15th, respectively, in turnover margin (+7). UTSA has recovered 10 fumbles — which leads the league and stands sixth among all FBS teams — and has picked off eight passes, a figure that ranks sixth in the conference and 47th in the country. Brenndan Johnson , Andrew Martel and Les Maruo have recovered two fumbles apiece and they are in a tie for second in C-USA and 13th in the nation. Junior cornerback Cassius Grady leads all Roadrunners with three interceptions, good for third in the league and 16th in the FBS.

Dropped for a loss

The UTSA defense has continued a trend from the last two seasons of dropping opponents for a loss of yards. Through nine games, the Roadrunners have posted 62 tackles for a loss of 201 yards. Their average of 6.9 tackles for loss per game ranks fifth in Conference USA and 31st among all FBS teams. Junior linebacker Josiah Tauaefa leads the way with 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, while sophomore defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler has 6.5 and senior defensive tackle Kevin Strong Jr. and has five. In all, 22 Roadrunners have been involved in a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Of those 62 TFL, 20 have come in the form of a sack. Tauaefa paces the unit with 3.5 for 28 yards, while Dantzler and sophomore defensive end DeQuarius Henry have three apiece. Last year, UTSA posted 73 tackles for loss (6.6 TFL/game) and 23 sacks, while the 2016 squad set program records with 77 (5.9 TFL/game) and 27, respectively.

Red zone success

The UTSA offense has scored on 90 percent of its visits to the red zone this season. The Roadrunners have scored 12 touchdowns and six field goals on a total of 20 trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line through the first nine contests. UTSA, which was perfect through the first eight games and 17 trips, ranks second in Conference USA and 21st nationally in red zone offense.



Up next

UTSA will travel to Huntington, W.Va., to face Marshall (5-3, 3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 17. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT at Joan C. Edwards Stadium and the game will air on Stadium on Facebook and Ticket 760 AM in San Antonio.

-UTSA-