Hometown Showdown presented by H-E-B

UTSA Roadrunners (0-0) vs. UIW Cardinals (0-0)

5 p.m. | Aug. 31, 2019

Alamodome (36,582) | San Antonio, Texas

TV: ESPN3

Radio: Ticket 760 AM



UTSA Football Media Guide | UTSA Game Notes | UTSA Depth Chart | Digital Game Program | UIW Game Notes

Opening drive

• UTSA and UIW will meet for the first time on the gridiron in the Hometown Showdown on Saturday.

• The Roadrunners are 6-2 all-time in season openers, including 2-0 at home.

• UTSA is 4-4 all-time in home openers.

• The Roadrunners are 2-0 vs. FCS teams under Frank Wilson .

• Saturday's game will air on ESPN3, marking the 73rd straight UTSA game to be broadcast.

Setting the scene

UTSA will host UIW in the season opener for both teams on Saturday, Aug.31, in the Hometown Showdown presented by H-E-B at the Alamodome. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN3 and Ticket 760 AM in San Antonio. The Roadrunners and the Cardinals, an FCS member of the Southland Conference, will meet for the first time on the gridiron. UTSA is 6-2 all-time in season openers, including a perfect 2-0 record at home.

Tuning in

The game will air on ESPN3, which can be viewed on the ESPN app or online at watchespn.com (cable/satellite provider credentials are required). Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), LaDarrin McLane (color analyst) and Brooke Shoemaker (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 Ticket 760 AM. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (sideline reporter) will call all the action. The pregame show will begin at 3 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online at goUTSA.com and ticket760.com and via the free iHeartRadio app, as well as SiriusXM Internet channel 978.

Game 95

Saturday's season opener against UIW will mark the 95th game in UTSA football history and its 48th home contest. Now in their ninth year of play, the Roadrunners are 41-53 overall and 24-23 at the Alamodome.

Season-opening success

UTSA has won six of its eight previous season openers dating back to the inaugural 2011 campaign. UTSA won each of its first four lid-lifters before suffering a 42-32 defeat at Arizona in 2015. The Roadrunners rebounded to win the 2016 opener against Alabama State, 26-13, in the debut of head coach Frank Wilson before making it back-to-back season-opening wins with a 17-10 road triumph against Baylor a year later. The Roadrunners downed Northeastern State at the Alamodome by a score of 31-3 in the program's inaugural game on Sept. 3, 2011, and the next three years saw them open the fall on the road. UTSA picked up its first-ever Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and road victory with a come-from-behind 33-31 victory at South Alabama on Sept. 1, 2012. The Birds then outlasted New Mexico by a 21-13 count on Aug. 31 in their 2013 opener and the following year saw the Roadrunners stun Houston, 27-7, on Aug. 29 in the first-ever game at TDECU Stadium. UTSA dropped a 49-7 decision to Arizona State in last year's season opener in Tempe.

Wilson in fourth year at helm

Frank Wilson is in his fourth season as UTSA head coach. The New Orleans native has coached 19 All-Conference USA selections and a pair of Freshman All-Americans during his tenure. He has twice guided UTSA to bowl eligibility, 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. 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 more than 40 individuals who have made it to the NFL, including 2018 NFL First Round Draft pick Marcus Davenport of the Saints.

Scouting UIW

The Cardinals welcome back 49 letterwinners, including 17 starters, from last year's 6-5 team that shared the Southland Conference regular season title with a 6-2 record. Head coach Eric Morris guided UIW and its high-scoring offense to the first round of the FCS playoffs in his first season at the helm. Sophomore quarterback Jon Copeland headlines the list of returnees on offense after throwing for a school-record 2,984 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2018. Senior linebacker Mar'kel Cooks is the top returning tackler after posting 72 last fall.

Series history

Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between UTSA and UIW. The Roadrunners have faced two other teams from the Southland Conference, splitting a home-and-home with McNeese State in 2011-12 and dropping a road contest at then-No. 16 Sam Houston State in 2011.

Similar startups

UTSA and UIW share more in common than being located in San Antonio. Both football programs are recent startups, as UIW kicked off in 2009, while UTSA followed with its inaugural season two years later. The Cardinals have been members of the Southland Conference since 2013 when they began a four-year transition from NCAA Division II, and they played their first Southland schedule in football in 2014. The Roadrunners were part of the Southland from 1992 to 2012 except in football, as UTSA started as an FCS Independent in 2011 before making the moving to the Western Athletic Conference for the 2012 season.



Pair garners preseason all-conference recognition

Seniors Josh Dunlop and Brett Winnegan were named to the Preseason All-Conference USA Team as voted upon by the league's head coaches. Dunlop was chosen as one of five offensive lineman on the squad, while Winnegan received the nod at kickoff returner. A versatile offensive lineman who has logged time at both guard and tackle, the Zionsville, Ind., native has appeared in 23 career games and has drawn 19 starts, including all 12 games a year ago. Meanwhile, Winnegan holds UTSA career records for kickoff returns (62) and kickoff return yardage (1,360) and he has averaged 21.94 yards per return. The Pearland Dawson High School product, who missed all of the 2018 season due to injury, has appeared in 32 career contests, primarily as a returner and running back, and is making the move to wide receiver this season.

UTSA picked fifth in C-USA West Division

UTSA was picked to finish fifth in the Conference USA West Division in in a preseason vote conducted by a panel of media members that cover C-USA schools. North Texas was the preseason favorite in the West, while Marshall received the nod for the East Division.



C-USA MEDIA MEMBERS PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

EAST DIVISION

1. Marshall (14)

2. FIU (9)

3. Florida Atlantic (3)

4. Middle Tennessee

5. WKU

6. Old Dominion

7. Charlotte

WEST DIVISION

1. North Texas (20)

2. Southern Miss (4)

3. Louisiana Tech

4. UAB (2)

5. UTSA

6. Rice

7. UTEP

(first place votes in parentheses)

Roadrunners on national award watch lists

A pair of Roadrunners have earned their way onto national award watch lists. Senior linebacker Andrew Martel is a member of the preseason watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Fellow senior Grant Merka , a second-team All-Conference USA pick in 2018, is one of 25 players chosen for the inaugural Patrick Mannelly Award watch list for the nation's top long snapper.

Experience up front

UTSA boasts one of the most-experienced offensive lines in the nation entering the 2019 campaign. The Roadrunners return a combined 46 starts from the 2018 season, which ranks 14th among FBS teams. Three of the returnees started all 12 contests last fall: Kevin Davis at center, Josh Dunlop at right guard and right tackle and Trevion Shannon at left tackle. Additionally, Conference USA All-Freshman Team honoree Spencer Burford made starts at left guard in all 10 games he was cleared to play, while Jalyn Galmore drew the starting assignment at right tackle in the first five contests before suffering a season-ending injury. Jacob Graner also is back after starting three games at guard. The experience up front is part of nine total offensive starters back this fall, which is tied for fourth among all FBS teams.

Veteran D-line boasts depth, experience

Much like the offensive side of the ball, big men lead the defense. UTSA has 11 defensive linemen back this season who have seen previous action for the Roadrunners, including a combined 65 starts. Leading the way with 26 starts in 33 games played is senior defensive tackle Baylen Baker , who enters his final campaign with 57 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for his career. Fellow senior Jarrod Carter-McLin started all 12 contests at defensive end last fall and totes 43 stops, 5.5 TFL and a sack in his time as a Roadrunner. The senior duo of end Eric Banks and tackle King Newton has played in 36 and 32 career contests, respectively, giving that senior quartet a combined 136 games of experience. Junior Lorenzo Dantzler made an immediate impact in his UTSA debut, registering 27 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, while fellow junior end DeQuarius Henry turned in 24 stops, including four sacks in 2018. Yet another junior d-lineman, 2017 Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection Jaylon Haynes , had 18 stops and a sack from his tackle position as a sophomore, while junior end Solomon Wise has caught the coaching staff's eyes in spring and fall camps after recording 10 tackles and a pair for loss in his first two seasons.

UTSA quartet has NFL ties

Four UTSA players have significant family ties when it comes to relatives who have played in the National Football League. Senior defensive tackle King Newton is the son of Nate Newton, who was a three-time Super Bowl Champion (1992-93, '95) and six-time Pro Bowl offensive guard (1992-96, '98) for the Cowboys. Junior defensive end Solomon Wise is the son of Deatrich Wise, a defensive lineman for the Seahawks and Saints, and his brothers Deatrich Jr. (Patriots) and Daniel (Cowboys) currently play in the NFL. Senior fullback Halen Steward is the younger brother of Tony Steward, a linebacker who logged time for the Bills and Saints, while sophomore cornerback Corey Mayfield Jr.'s father was a defensive lineman for the 49ers, Buccaneers and Jaguars.

Roadrunners roster makeup

UTSA's 109-man roster features 24 seniors, 26 juniors, 28 sophomores and 31 redshirt or true freshmen. The roster lists 73 players who hail from the state of Texas, while the next-closest state is Louisiana with nine. There are six players from Mississippi, five from California and Florida, three from Tennessee and a pair from Oklahoma. UTSA has one player each from Georgia, Hawai'I, Indiana, Massachusetts and Michigan, while freshman punter Lucas Dean is the first Roadrunner from Australia.

Degree in hand

Thirteen current Roadrunners already have earned their undergraduate degree, the 10th-most number of graduates among all FBS rosters. That list includes Carl Austin III , Baylen Baker , Matthew Cluck , Brandon Garza , Nick Locken , Andrew Martel , Grant Merka , Blaze Moorhead , Antonio Parks , Dominic Sheppard , Halen Steward , Carlos Strickland II and Brett Winnegan .



TV birds

Eleven of UTSA's 12 regular season games this fall have been selected for broadcast and the Nov. 2 contest at Texas A&M is expected to picked up for television later this year. The Roadrunners, who have seen their last 72 outings appear over the airwaves, likely will make it 84 straight televised/streamed appearances by the end of the regular season.

Filling seats

UTSA has made a name for drawing big crowds for its home games at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners set an NCAA modern startup program record for inaugural game attendance when 56,743 fans watched a 31-3 victory over Northeastern State on Sept. 3, 2011. UTSA also established a startup standard by averaging 35,521 for home attendance that season. The Roadrunners have drawn more than 1.2 million fans to the Alamodome for its first eight seasons. Last fall, UTSA led Conference USA in home attendance with an average of 24,710 and drew 42,071 fans for the home contest against Baylor, marking the largest home crowd in the league last season and the No. 2 all-time home crowd in program history.

Few can call a dome home

The Roadrunners are one of only two FBS teams to play their home games indoors. UTSA, which boasts a 24-23 all-time mark inside the Alamodome, joins Syracuse (Carrier Dome) as the only FBS programs to play in enclosed facilities.

Up next

UTSA will make the drive north on I-35 to Waco to face Baylor on Saturday, Sept. 7. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at McLane Stadium and the game will be televised on Fox Sports Networks.

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