UTSA quarterback Frank Harris accounted for a program-record 523 yards of total offense and six touchdowns in a Senior Night victory over South Florida. UTSA will play Tulane on Friday, and the winner will earn a spot in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.
NOVEMBER 21, 2023 — An opportunity to beat a Top 25 opponent: Check.
A highly-anticipated showdown nationally televised on ABC: Check.
A chance to earn a trip to the American Athletic Conference Championship Game: Check.
The biggest regular season game in program history: Super-quadruple-mega-check.
The stakes have arguably never been higher for the UTSA Roadrunners, who are aiming to hoist the American Athletic Conference championship trophy in their inaugural season in the league. But to guarantee itself a spot in the conference championship game, UTSA must first defeat Tulane at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans in the regular season finale. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, November 24, and will be broadcast on ABC and the ESPN app.
Tulane is the defending American Athletic Conference champion and widely believed to be the best team amongst the so-called “Group of Five” conferences. One season after going 12-2 and unforgettably defeating USC in the Cotton Bowl, the Green Wave have looked equally impressive in 2023. Tulane boasts a 10-1 overall record, is currently ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25 and has won 14 of its last 15 games.
The Roadrunners, meanwhile, are on a red-hot streak of their own. After a 1-3 start in non-conference games, UTSA has won all seven of its conference matchups. Perhaps no victory this season was more impressive than UTSA’s 49-21 shellacking of South Florida last Friday.
Playing in his final regular season home game in a Roadrunners uniform, senior quarterback Frank Harris crafted what ESPN2 broadcaster Anish Shroff described as his “magnum opus.” Harris scored a mind-blowing six touchdowns — three through the air and three on the ground — and accounted for a program-record 523 yards of total offense before getting some much-deserved rest and signing autographs for the front row in the fourth quarter. In recognition of his masterful performance, Harris was named The American’s Offensive Player of the Week.
Harris, however, wasn’t the only one breaking records on Friday night. Senior wide receiver Joshua Cephus became UTSA’s all-time leader in receiving yards with a stellar 163-yard performance of his own. It was his second major milestone of the 2023 season. Cephus had already broken the UTSA record for career receptions in October.
After a successful Senior Night, the Roadrunners now have their eyes focused on the prize. UTSA, Tulane and SMU all have perfect 7-0 records in conference play and are the league’s only remaining teams who can still reach the American Athletic Conference Championship Game on Saturday, December 2.
Usually, when two teams have identical conference records at the season’s end, the winner of the head-to-head matchup earns the tiebreaker. But because SMU plays neither Tulane nor UTSA this season, the tiebreaker will be determined by a composite of computer rankings that were formerly used to determine the participants in the Bowl Championship Series. Unfortunately for UTSA, these computer rankings heavily favor a team’s overall record. Tulane is 10-1, SMU is 9-2 and UTSA is 8-3. Thus, the composite currently ranks Tulane around No. 16 in the nation, SMU at No. 47 and UTSA at No. 59.
If you’re not following, don’t worry. Things are about to clear up. The participants in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game essentially boil down to two games this weekend: UTSA at Tulane on Friday and Navy at SMU, which is airing at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 25, on ESPN2. Here are the outcomes UTSA fans should be rooting for, from most favorable to what can only be described as gut-wrenching:
Now that you know your rooting interests, be sure to rock your blue and orange gear on Friday — and maybe even some navy blue and gold duds on Saturday. If you’re thinking about making the trip to the Big Easy to cheer on the Roadrunners, there are lots of very affordable tickets still available for Friday’s game. (Oh, and here’s a Booking.com list of the 10 best hotels near Yulman Stadium. It might come in handy. You never know.)
For those staying in San Antonio over the holiday weekend, don’t miss the free Forever Rowdy Watch Party hosted by the UTSA Alumni Association at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Alamo Beer Company (202 Lamar St.). The event will feature exclusive merch, special pricing on drinks, kids’ games and indoor/outdoor viewing options. Plus, the Alamo Beer Company is pet-friendly, so feel free to bring along those pups. The first 50 UTSA alumni to attend will get a free drink, so get there early.
Roadrunner fans are encouraged to share their gameday pics from New Orleans, San Antonio and everywhere in between by using the hashtags #UTSA, #BirdsUp and #LetsGo210. Your photos may even be featured on UTSA’s Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram channels.
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This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
