Dallas, TX — UTSA shook off an early deficit and turned the First Responder Bowl into a showcase of offensive firepower, rolling past Florida International 57–20 on Friday night.
After spotting FIU a 14–0 lead, the Roadrunners unleashed a 38-point surge that flipped the game before halftime and never looked back. Quarterback Owen McCown engineered the comeback with three touchdown passes, while Will Henderson III delivered a dominant performance, accounting for three touchdowns of his own.
UTSA (7–6), appearing in a bowl game for the sixth straight season and the seventh time overall, capped the year with its third consecutive postseason victory. FIU (7–6) was making its first bowl appearance since 2019 but couldn’t sustain its fast start.
The Panthers struck first when Joe Pesansky threw a touchdown pass on their opening drive, then extended the advantage on Maguire Anderson’s electrifying 97-yard punt return. From there, momentum swung sharply in UTSA’s favor.
Henderson jump-started the Roadrunners with a short touchdown run before hauling in a 40-yard scoring strike from McCown to even the score. A field goal gave UTSA the lead, and McCown followed by hitting Devin McCuin on a 23-yard touchdown pass. A’Marion Peterson added a 10-yard rushing score late in the second quarter, sending UTSA into halftime ahead 31–14.
By the break, UTSA had completely seized control, piling up 310 yards of offense while limiting FIU to just 93. The Panthers’ lone sustained drive of the half ended empty-handed on a fourth-down sack.
The Roadrunners kept pressing in the third quarter as Henderson scored again on a five-yard run. FIU briefly answered with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Pesansky to Dallas Payne, but a failed two-point attempt turned disastrous when UTSA’s Ahamad Chapman intercepted the pass and returned it for two points, pushing the margin to 40–20.
UTSA closed the night with authority, tacking on another McCown touchdown pass, a field goal, and a late rushing score from Bryson Donnell in the fourth quarter.
McCown finished 18 of 28 for 295 yards, efficiently directing an offense that totaled 481 yards. FIU managed 255 yards, with Pesansky completing 11 of 31 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
In the end, UTSA’s balance, depth, and explosive response to early adversity proved far too much, sending the Roadrunners home from Dallas with another bowl trophy in hand.
