Conferences: SBC/ AAC

American Athletic Conference vs Southland Conference
Text and Photos: Alfredo Vazquez
Alamodome, San Antonio TX., September 21, 2024
Version en ESPANOL/SPANISH: AQUI

UTSA QB Owen McCown threw for 3 TDs to achieve a crushing 45-7 victory over Houston Christian on Saturday, marking the first meeting between the two schools in history. The HCU boys put up a great fight during the 1st quarter, with their defense holding the Roadrunners’ offense to just 10 points.

McCown completed 18 of 25 passes for 226 yards and connected with three different receivers for touchdowns. Brandon High Jr. and Kevorian Barnes combined for 138 rushing yards and one touchdown each for UTSA (2-2), which has won 13 of its last 14 home games, though they lost to Army at the Alamodome in 2023.

HCU’s Jesse Valenzuela broke away on a 20-yard run to score a touchdown, bringing the Huskies to 17-7 with about 4 minutes left in the second quarter. As predicted, the Roadrunners did not sit back and responded decisively in their next two series: Willie McCoy caught a 59-yard touchdown pass and Robert Henry scored with a 17-yard reception, making it 31-7 at halftime.

UTSA amassed 536 yards of offense and limited Houston Christian (1-3) to 177. Eli Brickhandler and Cutter Stewart combined for 127 passing yards. Valenzuela finished with 22 rushing yards, leading the Huskies in front of a total of 20,000 attendees. It seems San Antonio is a city of very demanding fans; historically, we’ve seen that when the team has a winning streak, attendance exceeds 27,000. However, this time, with the Roadrunners coming off two consecutive losses to Texas State and the nation’s No. 1 team, the Texas Longhorns, we noticed a 26% drop in attendance at the Alamodome.

This week, rumors have started circulating that UTSA will play in the PAC-12 conference starting in 2026. I take this with caution because, amid conference realignment, speculation is often used as a bargaining chip. I would be very happy to see the Roadrunners play in such a conference, but we know that the American Athletic Association (UTSA’s current conference) will not sit idly by without doing something to retain this team.