UTSA commits to 'keep shooting,' sparking offense vs. Colorado State
· Yahoo Sports
Facing a 14-point deficit less than two minutes into Saturday's matchup against Colorado State, UTSA coach Jeff Traylor borrowed his quarterback's mantra.
Roadrunners' signal-caller Owen McCown has set "keep shooting" as his guiding principle in tough times this year, paying a nod to his background on the basketball court. And in the face of an early hole Saturday, Traylor said UTSA's staff was committed to "keep shooting" with this week's game plan, not allowing panic to shift the Roadrunners off course.
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McCown, aiming to rebound from one of UTSA's worst offensive showings in last week's loss to Texas, pledged to "keep shooting," too, trusting that the Roadrunners would respond from a slow start Saturday.
Patching up issues with penalties and third downs that had plagued the team early in the year, UTSA delivered one of the most prolific offensive performances in program history, pushing past Colorado State 59-45 on Saturday in the Alamodome.
"We're just getting after it and having that confidence in our preparation, and letting it loose on Saturdays," receiver Mekhi Anderson said. "That's what showed up today."
UTSA's 59 points were the second-most in program history, sitting just two away from the record of 61 set on Oct. 11, 2025, against Rice.
One week after being held without a touchdown for the first time since 2020 in the 30-6 loss to Texas and posting just 142 yards to mark the lowest total of Traylor's tenure, UTSA exploded for 349 yards in the first half alone. The outburst represented the highest total in a half since Nov. 15, 2024, and the Roadrunners finished with 542 yards of offense.
UTSA ripped off five straight touchdown drives in less than 20 minutes of game time, flipping the 14-point deficit into a 21-point lead midway through the second quarter.
"Offensively, about as good as we could have played in the first half," Traylor said.
UTSA Roadrunners quarterback Owen McCown (2) reacts after handing the ball off for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Colorado State Rams in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Sept., 26, 2026. (Zach Del Bello/San Antonio Express-News)Through the first three games of the year, UTSA led the country in penalty yardage at 115 per game, and the Roadrunners ranked next-to-last in the country by converting just 20% of third downs.
UTSA went 9 for 16 on third downs Saturday, and two of those failures were kneels by McCown to end each half. Six of the conversions came on third-and-4 or less, as the Roadrunners avoided penalties to stay ahead of the sticks.
After being whistled for nine offensive penalties totaling 79 yards against Texas, the Roadrunners' offense was flagged for just two 15-yard penalties against the Rams.
"We were really rolling," McCown said. "I think just staying ahead of the chains on early downs and limiting penalties, those are really the big ones."
Six UTSA players reached the end zone, as Brandon High, Will Henderson and A'Marion Peterson posted rushing touchdowns, while David Amador, DJ Allen and Anderson hauled in scoring passes.
Traylor said having so many players who want a share of offensive touches can create "a nightmare handling all those personalities."
"It's a nightmare, but it's a joy," Traylor said. "There's so many good players on our team, and as much as they want the ball, they block for each other incredibly well."
McCown said he was thinking about that balance when he took the field with the Roadrunners nursing a seven-point lead and about 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Receiver AJ Wilson, McCown's roommate in the team hotel, had two catches to that point in the game, and McCown could tell Wilson wanted to be more involved.
"I just told him, ‘Stay in it. Stay in it. You're about to make a big play,'" McCown said.
At risk of a three-and-out with the Roadrunners facing third-and-6, McCown was pressured out of the pocket, rolling toward the left sideline. As he scanned back across the field, he saw Wilson deep down the middle and decided to take a shot, figuring the worst-case scenario of an interception would be about the same as a punt.
Even with Colorado State's Elijah Brown pushing him backward and drawing a flag for pass interference, Wilson reached down with just his right hand and plucked a one-handed grab out of the air just about a foot off the Alamodome turf, securing a 40-yard gain.
"One of the best catches you'll see in a very clutch situation," Traylor said. "It was very similar to Texas State, when Owen just said, ‘We're going to win.' And he did it again."
McCown also credited a strong performance from an offensive line group that he said appeared "motivated after last week."
Through three games, the Roadrunners as a team posted the worst pass blocking grade in the country at 26.3, per Pro Football Focus. But with left tackle A'marion Breland and right tackle Deandre Marshall playing nearly every snap after some early shuffles at those positions, the Roadrunners allowed just one sack and ran for 239 yards Saturday.
"We were really good up front," Traylor said. "We're going to keep getting better, because we're getting healthier. We're still not all the way healthy, but we're getting closer."
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