UTSA sophomore B.J. Daniels rushed for a game-high 90 yards, but it was not enough in a 37-20 setback to Baylor in the home opener on Saturday night in front of 42,071 fans at the Alamodome.
Daniels carried 16 times for a career-best 90 yards and a touchdown to pace the offense. The Melbourne, Fla., native had a career-long 36-yard dash in the first quarter and his 2-yard TD plunge late in the second stanza helped pull UTSA (0-2) to within 20-13 at halftime.
Junior quarterback Cordale Grundy completed 18-of-33 passes for 157 yards and his first career touchdown pass, a 10-yard strike to Blaze Moorhead early in the fourth that made it a 27-20 contest.
The Bears (2-0) responded with 10 unanswered points on a 38-yard field goal by Connor Martin and a 1-yard plunge by JaMycal Hasty with 1:29 left to close out the 17-point win and even the all-time series at one apiece.
Charlie Brewer passed for 328 yards and three TDs, while Jalen Hurd (136) and Denzel Mims (133) both topped the 100-yard receiving mark for Baylor.
The attendance figure marked the second-largest home crowd in UTSA history behind the 56,743 fans who watched the inaugural game on Sept. 3, 2011.
The Bears got on the board first when Hasty hauled in a 3-yard pass in the flat from Brewer and dashed into the end zone untouched with 8:48 left in the first quarter.
Baylor increased its lead to 10-0 when Martin drilled a 47-yard field goal a little more than a minute later.
Jared Sackett provided the first points of the day for the Roadrunners when he split the uprights from 47 yards - a career long - with 5:07 remaining in the opening frame.
The sophomore place-kicker pulled the home team to within 10-6 when he connected from 46 yards midway through the second quarter.
The Bears answered with a 22-yard TD pass from Brewer to Mims, and a 32-yard field goal by Martin pushed the visitors' lead to 20-6 with just under two minutes to play until halftime.
UTSA shifted momentum just before halftime when Lorenzo Dantzler sacked Baylor quarterback Jalan McClendon and forced a fumble that was recovered by King Newton at the Bears' 35-yard line. Grundy completed passes to Greg Campbell Jr. for 22 yards and Tykee Ogle-Kellogg for 11, setting up a 2-yard TD rush by Daniels with nine seconds on the clock. Sackett's extra point pulled the Birds to within 20-13.
Brewer found Hurd for a 7-yard TD pass with 3:42 left in the third quarter to push the Bears' advantage to 27-13.
Campbell led UTSA's receiving corps with four catches for 62 yards, while Moorhead hauled in four passes for 35 yards and his first career score.
Clayton Johnson posted seven tackles (six solos) and a pass breakup to lead the defense, while Brenndan Johnson and Darryl Godfrey added six stops each.
The Roadrunners will travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 15. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
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