San Antonio, TX—-Army shattered UTSA’s Senior Day celebration and ended one of the nation’s longest conference home winning streaks, storming back from a 10–0 deficit to defeat the Roadrunners 27–24 Saturday night inside the Alamodome. The victory not only made the Black Knights bowl-eligible, but also extended their all-time series advantage over UTSA to 5–1.
The loss marked UTSA’s first home conference defeat under head coach Jeff Traylor, who entered the game with a remarkable 25–0 league home record since taking over in December 2019. Three of the Roadrunners’ five total home losses during his tenure have now come at the hands of Army.
Both teams are already bowl-bound — UTSA for a sixth straight season, Army for the 12th time — but Saturday’s clash added new momentum for the Black Knights as the postseason approaches.
Army Takes Control Late
UTSA (6–6, 4–4) had one last chance after trailing 27–24 with 2:49 remaining. But the Roadrunners’ final drive unraveled after a promising start. A quick 11-yard completion to tight end Patrick Overmeyer briefly ignited the home crowd before quarterback Owen McCown was sacked on second down. Facing 4th-and-4 near midfield, McCown fired a pass to Overmeyer that was broken up by Collin Matteson, giving Army the ball with 1:20 left and sealing the Roadrunners’ fate.
Roadrunners Strike First
UTSA opened strong. In the first quarter, McCown connected with David Amador II and Devin McCuin on gains of 9 and 36 yards, setting up a trick-play score. McCown tossed a lateral to Amador II, who delivered a perfectly placed pass to Overmeyer in the back corner of the end zone for a 7–0 lead.
A fourth-down stop by Shad Banks Jr. and Jakevian Rodgers set up a 32-yard field goal, pushing the Roadrunners ahead 10–0.
Army’s Momentum Surge
Army’s answer came early in the second quarter when Noah Short exploded down the left sideline for an 81-yard touchdown run, igniting the Black Knights (6–5, 4–4).
After adding a field goal to make it 10–10, Army took full control when Jaydan Mayes intercepted a pass that bounced off Amador’s hands and raced 73 yards for a pick-six. Dawson Jones drilled a 36-yard field goal moments later, giving Army 20 unanswered points and a 20–10 advantage.
UTSA Regains the Lead
The Roadrunners finally broke through early in the fourth quarter and mounted a go-ahead drive minutes later. Freshman running back Will Henderson III sparked the offense with three runs for 50 yards, including a 41-yard burst that set up a perfectly threaded 7-yard touchdown pass from McCown to Jamel Hardy. The score reclaimed a 24–20 lead for UTSA.
McCown finished the night with 266 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Final Answer From the Black Knights
Army refused to let the game slip away. Quarterback Cale Hellums, who had been steady all night, delivered his biggest moments on the final drive. He rushed for 37 yards and threw for 28 more before firing a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Parker Poloskey in the right side of the end zone, giving Army a 27–24 lead with 2:49 to play.
Hellums closed the game with 90 rushing yards, 38 passing yards, and two total touchdowns.
Senior Day Stings
The loss hit UTSA’s senior class particularly hard.
“They’re crushed. Not the way they visualized going out,” said head coach Jeff Traylor.
“It hurts to send the seniors out like this,” added Overmeyer.
Redshirt sophomore safety Jimmy Wyrick echoed the sentiment:
“It is heartbreaking, because we had multiple opportunities to stop them, but couldn’t get the job done. But I’m proud of the seniors and proud of the offense.”
Despite the disappointment, Wyrick also offered perspective:
“I think this team will be fine. We’ll go to the bowl game happy and enjoy the moment together, because that will be our last game of the year.”
