UTSA’s Jarrod Carter-McLin and Andrew Martel posted 10 tackles apiece, but Army rushed for 340 yards in a 31-13 victory on Saturday afternoon in front of 30,718 fans at the Alamodome.
The Black Knights (2-1) completed the only two passes they attempted for just 18 yards and rode their ground game, which tallied 197 yards after halftime, in downing the Roadrunners (1-2) in the first meeting between the two programs.
Army quarterback Jabari Laws led the rushing attack with 137 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, while Kell Walker added 80 yards on five rushes and Connor Slomka rushed for 58 on 17 totes.
UTSA quarterback Frank Harris threw for 187 yards on 23 of 31 passing, while Carlos Strickland II and Blaze Moorhead caught four passes apiece for 38 and 20 yards, respectively.
Meanwhile, Carter-McLin posted five solo tackles and 1.5 behind the line of scrimmage as part of the senior defensive end’s career-best total to help pace the Roadrunners defense. Martel, a senior linebacker, tallied eight solo stops in his second career double-digit tackle game, while defensive tackles Baylen Baker and Jaylon Haynes each registered seven tackles.
Army stormed out to a 10-0 lead after two possessions.
The Black Knights needed just three plays to put points on the board, as a 34-yard scamper by Laws and a personal-foul penalty set up a 15-yard TD dash around right end by Walker.
Army forced and recovered a UTSA fumble at the 39-yard line on the Roadrunners’ first drive. Five plays later, David Cooper split the uprights from 40 yards out with 10:41 left in the opening stanza to give the visitors a two-score advantage.
UTSA threatened to get on the board late in the second quarter after Eric Banks forced a fumble that was recovered by De’Marco Guidry at the Army 23. However, the Black Knights used a pair of sacks to make the Roadrunners settle for a 42-yard field-goal attempt that sailed wide right.
The Roadrunners took the opening possession of the second half and marched all the way to paydirt thanks in large part to a key fourth-down conversion in Army territory. Harris found sophomore tight end Gavin Sharp over the middle for 12 yards to convert a fourth-and-eight play to the 21-yard line.
Two plays later, the Schertz Clemens High School product hit Strickland on a pass play down the left sideline that originally was ruled a touchdown but later spotted at the two after an official’s review. On second-and-goal to go, Lowell Narcisse plunged into the end zone on a quarterback keeper and Hunter Duplessis’ extra point made it 10-7.
Army answered later in the third quarter after a fumble recovery set up Laws for a 41-yard keeper down the sideline. Cooper’s PAT pushed the lead back to 10.
The Black Knights tacked on another touchdown early in the fourth to go up 24-7. Walker took a pitch around right end for 16 yards to the end zone to cap a nine-play, 70-drive.
Brett Winnegan returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards, the third-longest kickoff return in program history, to set up the Roadrunners at the Army 32. An eight-yard dash by Sincere McCormick and three straight completions by Harris took the ball to the seven. From there, McCormick spun to break a tackle and scooted into the end zone with 8:50 remaining. A bad snap on the extra-point attempt left the score at 24-13.
Army responded with a 13-play, 70-yard march that ended in a 3-yard TD run by Slomka with 1:23 left on the clock to ice the game.
The Roadrunners will open Conference USA play next Saturday, Sept. 21, when they travel to Denton to face North Texas (1-2). Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Apogee Stadium.
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