Texas Longhorns mascot HookEm stands for the national anthem before the game against Alabama at Royal Memorial Stadium on Sep. 10, 2022.

Aem Texas Vs Alabama 32

No. 21 Texas nursing injuries against UT-San Antonio

No. 21 Texas will look to build on a close-but-no-cigar loss to top-ranked Alabama when it hosts gritty Texas-San Antonio on Saturday in the first-ever game between the programs.

If UTSA was looking for a perfect scenario to help it pull off an upset against Texas in Austin, the cards may have fallen into place for the Roadrunners.

The Longhorns (1-1) ascended into the Associated Press Top 25 after a 20-19 loss at home to the Crimson Tide on Saturday. Texas took a huge step forward against Alabama but came up short after producing just one touchdown in five trips to the red zone and surrendering a long scoring drive in the final minute that produced the deciding field goal.

“We’ve got to be careful of the rat poison telling us how good we are,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. “Our players played really hard (against Alabama). They played tough — not only they were physically tough, but they were tough-minded in fighting through some adversity.”

Texas was forced to play three quarters of that loss without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who suffered a shoulder sprain. Ewers, along with backup quarterback Hudson Card (ankle), preseason All-America running back Bijan Robinson (shoulder), and cornerback D’Shawn Jamison (ankle) all were called “day-to-day” by Sarkisian on Monday.

“The beauty of it for all for these guys — it’s nothing structural, it’s not surgery driven, it’s not broken, it’s not ligament damage,” Sarkisian said. “So the point being, we’ve just got to monitor them day-to-day and we’ll see who we can get back and when we can get them back.”

Ewers is likely to miss anywhere from two-to-six weeks with his injury, which occurred after he completed 9 of 12 passes for 134 yards. Card’s ankle injury is also considered significant, despite the fact he hobbled through the second half against Alabama.

“No one likes losing their starting quarterback in the first quarter,” Sarkisian said. “Nobody likes having your backup get injured in the second quarter and then having him try to fight through. But that’s football.”

It’s possible that the Longhorns will start the UTSA game with third-stringer Charles Wright at quarterback and use plenty of the Wildcat formation with running back (and former quarterback) Roschon Johnson behind center.

UTSA (1-1), the reigning Conference USA champion, heads up I-35 for a much-anticipated battle with their big brothers on the heels of a 41-38 overtime win against Army over the weekend. Roadrunners quarterback Frank Harris passed for 359 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner to De’Corian Clark in overtime.

The Roadrunners rallied from a 14-point deficit to win at West Point and have played extra football in both their games this year, losing to then-No. 24 Houston 37-35 at home in triple overtime on Sept. 3.

UTSA coach Jeff Traylor was asked Monday about his team being near two-touchdown underdogs to Texas.

“That’s it?” Traylor said. “We know we are going into a matchup with players that are gifted, but we feel like we have good players, too. We want to represent our brand, and as long as we do that, we will be fine.”

Traylor said the expectation from his fan base is for his team to compete with and even beat the Longhorns.

“When you win 12 games like we did last year, our fans think we should win every week,” he said. “The upgrade of the talent of Texas is noticeable on film. They just look bigger, thicker, faster and you can tell they are older. Defensively, Texas is much more physical. “

–Field Level Media

Nov 13, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA;  UTSA Roadrunners running back Sincere McCormick (3) fends off Southern Miss Golden Eagles linebacker Hayes Maples (32) in the first quarter at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

No. 23 UTSA escapes Southern Miss’ upset bid, remains unbeaten

Hunter Duplessis kicked a 24-yard tie-breaking field goal with 4:39 remaining and No. 23 Texas-San Antonio added a clinching touchdown three plays later Saturday to enable the undefeated Roadrunners to hold off Southern Mississippi, 27-17, in San Antonio.

UTSA (10-0, 6-0 Conference USA) is one of three remaining unbeaten teams in FBS, with only No. 1 Georgia and No. 5 Cincinnati.

UTSA, which is ranked 23rd by the College Football Playoff committee and 15th by AP, didn’t lead until Duplessis’ kick. It was set up by Jahmal Sam’s recovery of an Antavious Willis fumble at the Golden Eagles’ 35-yard-line. Willis, playing as a wildcat quarterback, was stripped of the ball by Jaylon Haynes.

First-year Southern Miss coach Will Hall surprised UTSA by utilizing Willis and running back Frank Gore Jr. as wildcat quarterbacks throughout the game.

Gore and Willis attempted only seven passes between them, completing four for Southern Miss (1-9, 0-6). Gore rushed for 123 yards on 20 carries. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Lange, who had started the previous four games, did not play.

On the Golden Eagles’ first play from scrimmage following Duplessis’ field goal, Willis was victimized by Corey Mayfield’s strip sack. Charles Wiley picked up the loose ball and returned it 8 yards to the Southern Miss 9.

Sincere McCormick ran it in on the next play to seal the outcome.

After Duplessis opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal for the Roadrunners, Southern Miss shockingly grabbed a 7-3 lead with 10:32 left in the second quarter when Gore scored on a 9-yard run on fourth-and-1, again from a direct snap.

After Bourgeois connected from 36 yards with 2:19 remaining in the half, it took the Roadrunners only four plays to go 75 yards to tie it at 10. Harris hit Joshua Cephus with a short pass on the left sideline and Cephus cut back and weaved his way for a 40-yard catch-and-run score.

UTSA quarterback Frank Harris, who had thrown only three interceptions prior to Saturday, was picked off twice. His second interception gave Southern Miss a 17-10 lead on the second play of the third quarter. Natrone Brooks stepped in front of a Harris pass intended for Zakhari Franklin, picked it off and raced 34 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

But Harris’ second touchdown pass of the game, a 24-yarder to Leroy Watson on the final play of the third quarter, tied the score at 17. Harris was 17-for-30 for 227 yards and two touchdowns with the two interceptions.

–Field Level Media