All 136 teams at the FBS level have a home, whether it’s on-campus, off-campus, or shared with a professional team.
UTSA’s home venue of the Alamodome is different. Nobody in the program can truly explain
it, but its supernatural powers are understood. When UTSA suits up in the dome at 100 Montana Street in downtown San Antonio, there is a mystifying aura that energizes the Roadrunners to a level opponents cannot overcome.
Thursday night in its beloved sanctuary, UTSA improved to 22-0 under head coach Jeff Traylor in conference matchups at the Alamodome, handing Tulane its second blemish of the year and first conference loss in lopsided 48-26 fashion.
Tulane won 25 of its previous 27 regular season American matchups while qualifying for three-straight conference championships. Out of the gate, Jon Sumrall’s team looked poised to sustain the trend. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff broke into a 39-yard sprint on the opening play of the contest. Six plays later, the Green Wave invaded the end zone on a Retzlaff QB sneak — his ninth rushing score of the season. But instead of kicking the extra point, Tulane audibled into an unorthodox formation for an ambitious 2-point attempt. UTSA stuffed it, forever shifting the momentum Thursday night.
From there, UTSA fully unleashed its Alamodome magic. The Roadrunners piled 31 unanswered points on Tulane, demonstrating flawless execution on both sides of the ball. At the center of it all was quarterback Owen McCown who enjoyed his strongest showing of the year and completed a school-record 16 consecutive passes out of the gate. McCown recorded a season-high 370 yards on a 31-of-33 overall showing, delivering four passing touchdowns in a near-immaculate performance. His only two incompletions were a drop and a throwaway.
McCown launched the night in spectacular fashion with a 42-yard bomb to tight end Patrick Overmyer and the barrage continued from there. The lefty fired two touchdowns to David Amador II, one to Devin McCuin, and another to running back Will Henderson III while tying his career-high with four end zone strikes.
Even when McCown wasn’t dropping back to sling it, the Roadrunner offense thrived in other ways. The nation’s third-leading rusher Robert Henry Jr. chipped in 87 yards on the ground with several breakaway scampers. UTSA even cashed in on a wide receiver-led trick play where David Amador II (10 receptions, 113 receiving yards) fielded a handoff and launched a 21-yard touchdown pass to Devin McCuin (8 receptions, 96 receiving yards).
While McCown and the Roadrunner offense dominated under the Alamodome lights, the defense asserted its will on the Green Wave. Tulane only punted once on its first nine drives, but UTSA found other ways to stymie the Green Wave. Jimmy Wyrick recovered a fumble on Tulane’s second possession of the game and his Roadrunners cashed in with a short field goal. The UTSA defense, which entered the matchup intercepting four passes all season, picked off Retzlaff twice. Cornerback Ahamad Chapman snatched a deep ball in the second quarter and Jermarius Lewis denied a promising Tulane possession in the middle of the third.
It wasn’t just turnovers for Tulane, which came up empty-handed in a multitude of methods in a night of immense struggle. Trailing 10-6 in the first quarter, the Green Wave failed a fourth down attempt at the UTSA 39-yard line on an errant pass. Early in the second while down 17-6, Tulane failed to slice the deficit to one score on a missed 23-yard chip shot by Patrick Durkin — who entered the night 14-of-14 on field goals all year.
After surrendering 31-straight, the Green Wave finally concluded their nightmare stretch with a touchdown seven seconds before halftime. However, UTSA answered the bell with an early third quarter score, eradicating all hope of a Tulane comeback in San Antonio.
Tulane (6-2, 3-1 American) is no longer unblemished in conference play, leaving Navy as the only team still spotless in the American. The Green Wave are still in a crowded title race, but another primetime road challenge looms. Next Friday, they’re on the road at Memphis, looking to avenge the 2024 Thanksgiving loss which derailed their College Football Playoff hopes.
UTSA (4-4, 2-2 American) remains perfect in conference matchups under Traylor at the Alamodome, extending its streak to 22 (24 if you count the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games won in the building). Another streak UTSA aims to sustain is its winning season streak under Traylor. A test lies ahead next Thursday at South Florida as UTSA hopes its Alamodome magic travels to Raymond James Stadium.
