UTSA, McCown shed years of burden with late win over rival Texas State

SAN MARCOS - As UTSA quarterback Owen McCown was preparing for his final season, he felt a lingering weight on his shoulders.

He carried the burden of two straight losses to rival Texas State, of slow starts and road woes and missed opportunities in close losses. No matter what drills or exercises the Roadrunners devised, he knew he couldn't replicate those moments. He dove into the mental aspect as much as he could, searching for answers that might pay off when the situation finally arrived.

With UTSA trailing in the final two minutes against Texas State in a pivotal early season showdown Saturday in San Marcos, McCown delivered. The Roadrunners orchestrated a drive that ended in a 25-yard touchdown run by Brandon High with 14 seconds remaining, providing the final blow in a 30-26 win over the Bobcats.

"Obviously that's something we've been working on, and it showed today," McCown said. "To go out my last year against a rival here, a road win on a two-minute drill, it's big time. It says a lot about our team."

UTSA coach Jeff Traylor felt the same weight McCown did, and he had worked since January to try to alleviate it. From the "painful" decisions to make changes to his staff, reaching as high up as new offensive coordinator Rick Bowie, to a renewed focus on identity and UTSA's Triangle of Toughness culture.

The roster was built with players who offered maturity and experience rather than raw talent, and Traylor worked to help the group jell. The team's mantra this year is Ubuntu, an African philosophy meaning "I am because we are."

"This was a group that was made to win in that environment," Traylor said. "This group is wired for that."

Traylor said part of the mindset he worked to instill was being prepared and proactive in every situation, and the Roadrunners put that in action as they battled the elements Saturday.

With temperatures pushing 100 degrees, UTSA rented six cooling benches that were chilled to provide relief from head to toe. The benches were covered with sun shades and surrounded by misters, and the Roadrunners had additional misting fans that could be worn as backpacks.

Even in the locker room, the Roadrunners used portable air conditioning units connected to the ceiling vents, with extra fans to help that cool air circulate.

UTSA also dealt with electrical issues on the sideline that sometimes knocked out communication. Instead, McCown jogged to the coaches or relied on hand signals for play calls, just as the Roadrunners trained when they drilled similar situations in practice.

Traylor stressed that credit for the win was owed to all levels of the program, naming off members of the team's equipment, training and operations staffs. He also thanked UTSA's administration for spending to make everything possible.

"There was so much forward thinking put in this game, and our kids just kept playing," Traylor said. "It was a great win. Great win."

Another part of that planning for Traylor this week involved heaping praise on Texas State at every opportunity. After the Bobcats had won the past two in the series, Traylor said he "wanted them to feel that they had the weight and were supposed to win, that the torch had been passed."

He knew Texas State had established a reputation as a burgeoning program, and he heard from fans who were upset to see Bobcats ads at the airport, or on the front page of the Express-News on the Sunday entering rivalry week.

The competition for talent, resources and prestige between the two programs is far from settled, but at least on Saturday, the Roadrunners were glad to be celebrating a win.

"I was proud for my fans. That's two years they had to listen to that stuff," Traylor said. "That trophy had been in that spot in my office, and we ain't put a damn thing in that spot in two years. There's a nice little warm place for that thing when it gets back home."

Texas State led 17-7 at halftime before UTSA rallied, taking a 24-23 lead on an A'Marion Peterson touchdown run with about 12 minutes to play. After the Bobcats converted a chip shot field goal with less than five minutes to play, McCown said he took the field thinking, "Go win the game."

He converted a fourth-and-5 with a pass to David Amador, then delivered on another fourth-and-5 when he kept the ball on a run-pass option play and extended just beyond the line to gain.

The Roadrunners converted five of six attempts on fourth down, as Traylor felt confident putting the game in McCown's hands. Traylor said he's never "seen him so determined" or lead as forcefully as he did through this week's practices.

"I wasn't going home without letting him have chances," Traylor said. "I know everybody's looking at me crooked, but I was going down with him."

After four more short completions, the Roadrunners were in field goal range with less than 30 seconds to play, seemingly content to settle for a winning kick in the closing seconds.

But running back Brandon High ended the game in more emphatic fashion, rumbling around the right side of the line for a 25-yard score.

"The previous play, we kind of ran the same play, so I knew it was going to be there," High said. "When I seen the gap, I just took it."

High said the payoff was a moment two years in the making, as he entered Saturday still motivated by a 49-10 loss to the Bobcats the last time the Roadrunners visited San Marcos. UTSA now holds a 6-2 lead in the rivalry series.

The Roadrunners exorcised a few other demons on Saturday, finding a road win after going 3-10 away from the Alamodome the past two years. Following a 3-4 start in 2025 and a 2-4 mark to open 2024, the Roadrunners are 2-0 for the first time since 2021.

"It gives us a ton of momentum. Kind of lifts that road-game, two-minute-drill persona off our back a little bit," McCown said.

"For this to happen the way it did is super special."