Roadrunners take on South Florida in important Senior Night showdown

NOVEMBER 16, 2023 — And then there were four. With two weeks left in the regular season, only four teams remain in the hunt for the American Athletic Conference Championship Game: UTSA, Tulane and SMU all with a 6-0 conference record and Memphis lurking just behind at 5-1.

As the competition tightens at the top, UTSA will likely need to reach 8-0 in conference play to earn a spot in the title game — and that’s why Friday night’s matchup will be a crucial one for the Roadrunners. First-place UTSA will take on fifth-place South Florida at 8 p.m. on Friday, November 17, at the Alamodome. This key conference battle will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

Whether you’re a lifelong Roadrunners fan or simply someone who’s come to enjoy UTSA Football at any point over the last four seasons, Friday night’s game is one you absolutely won’t want to miss. UTSA’s illustrious senior class will be individually honored in a ceremony before the game.

For some of these prolific Roadrunners who were fundamental to the program’s rise — such as quarterback Frank Harris, tight end Oscar Cardenas, safeties Rashad Wisdom and Kelechi Nwachuku, wide receivers Joshua Cephus and Tykee Ogle-Kellogg, defensive lineman Brandon Matterson and punter Lucas Dean — Friday may very well be the last time they appear in a UTSA uniform in the Alamo City.

UTSA (7-3 overall; 6-0 in conference play) posted an impressive showing last Saturday, defeating Rice by the score of 34-14. The UTSA defense stifled the Owls all night long, holding them to only 229 total yards and sacking Rice quarterback AJ Padgett six times.

In particular, linebacker Trey Moore was a nightmare for the Owls to stop. He drew double-team blocks throughout the game and still managed to notch two sacks. Moore currently leads the nation with 13 sacks this year and needs only one more to break the American Athletic Conference record for sacks by an individual in a single season. After stacking up tremendous performances one after another, Moore has emerged as a front-runner for the American’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

He’ll certainly be getting some extra attention this week from South Florida’s coaches and offensive line. The Bulls (5-5 overall; 3-3 in conference play) have been through a roller coaster of a season. South Florida put a scare into mighty Alabama in September and nearly toppled Memphis earlier this month, but has also endured blowout losses to UAB and Florida Atlantic. That said, the Bulls are fresh off a solid 27-23 win over Temple that have put them one victory away from bowl eligibility, which means they’ll be highly motivated to upset the Roadrunners in San Antonio on Friday night.

That task will be a tall one. Since the arrival of head coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA has a perfect 17-0 record against conference foes at the Alamodome (including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA championship games). The Roadrunners are hoping a loud, electric crowd on Friday will power them to another victory and keep their conference championship hopes alive.

UTSA will be giving away free, commemorative posters inspired by “Friday Night Lights” to the first 5,000 fans to enter the Alamodome. These will be available at both the north and south entrances once doors open at 6:30 p.m. There is a limit of one poster per person.

Note: The team will not be conducting a postgame autograph session following Friday’s game as it has done in previous seasons on Senior Day. This year’s meet-and-greet event was held in August at the Convocation Center, where players and coaches signed autographs and interacted with fans. To ensure the safety of the UTSA and South Florida football teams, fans are instructed to stay off the field following the conclusion of Friday’s game.

Roadrunner Nation is invited to show its school spirit on Friday at the following family-friendly events:

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PRE-GAME

Fan Zone
5 p.m., H-E-B Plaza (north side of the Alamodome)

Roadrunner fans of all ages can take part in free pre-game festivities at the Fan Zone, including an inflatable obstacle course for kids, free frozen custard samples from Shake Shack and free UTSA gear and prizes. The Animal Defense League of Texas will also be at the Fan Zone to introduce visitors to dogs that are available for adoption.

UTSA Alumni Association’s Forever Rowdy Tailgate
5 p.m., Hoefgen Lot (499 Hoefgen Ave.)

The UTSA Alumni Association invites fans to experience the final Forever Rowdy Tailgate of the regular season. Entry to the tailgate area is free for everyone. Rowdy Bucks will be available for guests to purchase to enjoy food and drinks from various vendors, including La Gloria and the 210-famous Alumni Grill Team. This game’s featured items are the Albondigas Meatballs, the La Gloria Blue Margarita and Mexican Hot Chocolate. Special guests to the tailgate will include the Spirit of San Antonio Marching Band, UTSA Cheer and Rowdy the Roadrunner.

Visitors may buy 10 Rowdy Bucks for $10. Alumni Association members, as well as UTSA faculty and staff, will receive five free Rowdy Bucks with a minimum purchase of 10.

Spirit Walk
5:45 p.m., Alamodome, Roadrunner Alley (between Lots B and C)

This exciting tradition gets Roadrunner fans and the UTSA team pumped up for the game. Join Rowdy, the Spirit of San Antonio Marching Band and UTSA spirit squads as they accompany the team down Roadrunner Alley and into the Alamodome approximately two hours and 15 minutes before each home game. Fans can line the walkway between the Alamodome parking lots B and C to cheer on the team.

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GOING TO THE GAME

Tickets

Tickets are on sale by calling or texting 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting ticketmaster.com. UTSA has transitioned to digital tickets through Account Manager. For more information, please visit goutsa.com/tickets.

All students currently enrolled at UTSA are eligible for free admission to all home football games. UTSA students may purchase up to four guest tickets for student-section seating.

For walk-up sales, the Alamodome’s southwest box office will open at 10 a.m. Friday and all other Alamodome box offices will open at 5:30 p.m. Customer service windows are located at the northeast and southeast box offices.

Parking

Parking in Alamodome Lots A, B and C, as well as in the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) lots, is limited to fans who already have purchased permits. Alamodome Lots A, B and C will open at 1:30 p.m. and the ITC lots will open at 5 p.m. for those who have valid parking passes. Please do NOT enter the lots prior to the scheduled opening time or staff will ask you to vacate your spot(s) and re-enter once the lots are open.

Limited ADA parking spots are available in Lot A on a first-come, first-served basis. By state law, veterans with Disabled Veteran plates that do NOT have a valid state-issued disability placard are not permitted to park in ADA accessible spaces. The Disabled Veteran and ADA state-issued accessibility placard are two separate designations. 

There are also several paid public parking lots in the general vicinity of the Alamodome.

Tailgating

Alamodome parking lots will open at 1:30 p.m. for tailgating and close one hour after the conclusion of the game on Friday. Tailgating is not permitted in the ITC parking lots. Visit UTSA Athletics online for more information and City of San Antonio tailgating guidelines.

Getting to the game

Students and their guests may park at the UTSA Main Campus and catch a UTSA shuttle to the game at the North Paseo Bus Oval, just outside of the North Paseo Building. Shuttles will begin service to the Alamodome at 5 p.m. The last shuttle to the game will depart campus at 7:30 p.m. To avoid possible delays, students and their guests are encouraged to catch a shuttle early in the departure window. Students will be dropped off and picked up at the Robert Thompson Transit Station at the Alamodome. Buses will begin return service back to UTSA at the start of the fourth quarter and the last shuttle bus from the Alamodome will depart one hour after the end of the game.  

VIA will serve UTSA’s 2023 home football games. VIA’s Park & Ride Service offers roundtrip travel to the Alamodome for just $2.60. Service to all UTSA home games will be provided from the Crossroads Park & Ride, beginning three hours before game time, and return service will run for one hour after the conclusion of each game. The Park & Ride fare is $1.30 each way with discounted fares available for children, seniors, students and active-duty military. Pre-purchase tickets on VIA’s goMobile+ app, available to download free on Apple and Android devices. Cash and credit cards are accepted on game day at the Crossroads Park & Ride location.

UTSA students can use their U-Pass for service to the game. VIAtrans customers and children under age 5 ride free. VIA bus passes are not valid for this service. VIA’s day pass, 7-day pass, and 31-day pass are valid for special event service.

The drop-off and pick-up location for rideshare users is located in Parking Lot D next to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center at the corner of Montana Street and Tower of Americas Way. From there, fans may take the walkway across Interstate 37 to the Alamodome.

Alamodome entry

Please enter the stadium early to avoid long lines. Doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m. Fans should read the Alamodome clear bag policy before entering the stadium, including the list of approved bags. Speed lanes will be available at security checkpoints for those with no bags. Please have your keys, phone and wallet out before getting to the scanners. Please have your tickets out or loaded on your phone with the screen brightness turned all the way up before reaching the doors.

Student seating

Student seating is general admission within sections 122-131. To accommodate increased student attendance, sections 220-226 on the Club Level will also be open for student general admission seating. The Spirit of San Antonio band will occupy sections 127-128.

UTSA gear

Fans can buy the latest UTSA apparel and accessories from the Rowdy Campus Store, which will be set up adjacent to Roadrunner Alley, which is located between Lots B and C. Merchandise sales counters are also located inside the Alamodome on the Plaza Level concourses near section 106 and 118.   

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WATCH. TWEET. CELEBRATE.

Television and radio broadcasts

Friday’s broadcast will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and will also be available on WatchESPN and the ESPN app for Apple and Android. Anish Shroff will provide play-by-play commentary alongside analyst Andre Ware. Paul Carcaterra will be reporting from the sidelines.

The radio broadcast will air live in the San Antonio area on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket, online at Ticket760.com, via the free iHeartRadio app and on SiriusXM channel 392. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (reporter) will call the action. The pregame show will begin at 6 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show.

Game day traditions and social media

First, get into game mode by brushing up on UTSA’s traditions including the fight song and alma mater. Then, stay engaged with fellow Roadrunners by sharing your UTSA game day experiences on social media using the hashtags #UTSA, #LetsGo210 and #BirdsUp. All Roadrunner fans are encouraged to follow UTSA Football and UTSA Athletics on X (Twitter) and UTSA on X, Instagram and Facebook.

Campus experience

During the football season, the Monument lights and Student Union Tower lights will glow blue and orange during home game weeks. After a UTSA win, the lights turn orange in celebration for the rest of the weekend.

— Shea Conner

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