UTSA Edges Navy 38-34 and Clinches Bowl Eligibility on an Emotional Night at the Alamodome
Same script, different week. For the second straight game, Owen McCown led a game-winning drive in the final minutes, and his 41-yard touchdown pass to A’Marion Peterson with 2:24 left lifted the Roadrunners past Navy 38-34 Saturday night at the Alamodome. UTSA is now 6-1 and 3-0 in the American, and it’s the first team in the league to become bowl eligible this season, the seventh straight bowl-eligible year under Jeff Traylor (UTSA Athletics; American Conference).
Before any of that, though, the night started with heartbreak.
A night bigger than football
Shortly before the scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff, during a pregame rappelling demonstration for UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces & Veterans game, one of four service members descending from the Alamodome rafters fell to the turf. Medical personnel treated him on the field, and the San Antonio Fire Department took him to a hospital with a life-threatening injury. Nellis Air Force Base later confirmed that the service member, assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, died from his injuries. Detachment 2 operates out of Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis. The Air Force has not released his name, and the incident is under investigation (Task & Purpose; KSAT 12).
“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game,” UT San Antonio said in a statement. “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues.” The university is offering crisis and counseling support to students and employees. Students can reach the university crisis line 24/7 at 210-458-4140 (KSAT 12).
Kickoff came at 7:10 p.m., according to the official game book. Traylor said afterward that all he knew going in was that there had been an incident and that the game would be delayed. “You could just tell the energy was just gone,” he said. “I’ve never had to deal with anything like that before. It just puts things into perspective. It really does.” McCown opened his postgame press conference by sending “thoughts and prayers with that family,” and later added, “It’s obviously bigger than football” (UTSA postgame quotes).
Everyone at SA Snap Count sends our deepest condolences to his family, his unit and San Antonio’s military community.
How UTSA got to 3-0
For the second straight league game, UTSA fell behind 14-0. Navy took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards, and Jackson Gutierrez, a San Antonio native, ran in from 2 yards out. After a UTSA three-and-out, Gutierrez capped a 10-play, 92-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter (official game book; Navy Athletics).
Then UTSA scored 21 points in less than 10 minutes. McCown hit Mekhi Anderson for a 46-yard touchdown to finish a three-play drive. The Roadrunners went 87 yards in 11 plays after that, and tight end Brandon Young Jr. hurdled a defender at the goal line on a 14-yard touchdown catch to tie it. Traylor then called an onside kick. Freshman Braydon Doane’s kick was recovered by Jamel Hardy Jr. near midfield, the first time UTSA had recovered its own onside kick since Nov. 15, 2024, against North Texas. David Amador II’s 36-yard catch set up a 1-yard Peterson touchdown run, and UTSA led 21-14 (UTSA Athletics; UTSA postgame notes).
“I didn’t feel good about stopping them a lot. I just wanted to get a possession,” Traylor said of the onside call. “I don’t do it unless it’s there. I don’t just randomly do stuff, believe it or not.” He added that the kick was “well executed by our freshman” (UTSA postgame quotes).
Navy answered with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Gutierrez to tight end Jordan Collins just before halftime, but the extra point hit the right upright, so UTSA led 21-20 at the break. Michael Petro’s 36-yard field goal was the only score of the third quarter. It capped a 15-play, 63-yard drive that took 6:53 off the clock and included a fourth-and-3 conversion to Anderson and a 19-yard catch by Hardy on third-and-14 (official game book).
Four lead changes in the fourth quarter
The fourth quarter was wild. Navy needed just two plays to retake the lead: Gutierrez found Collins over the middle for a school-record 92-yard touchdown pass, and the Midshipmen led 27-24 with 12:47 left (Navy Athletics). UTSA answered with a 75-yard drive of its own. McCown scrambled for 16 yards on third-and-11, then Traylor went for it on fourth-and-3 from his own 47, and McCown hit AJ Wilson deep down the left side for 22 yards. On the very next play, Will Henderson III went 31 yards up the middle and down the right sideline for a touchdown, and UTSA led 31-27 with 8:17 left (official game book).
Navy came right back. Braxton Woodson, in his first real action since an ankle injury in September, threw a 63-yard pass to Gutierrez that set the Mids up at the UTSA 1. Navy needed four more snaps, with an illegal substitution and a false start pushing it back, before Woodson ran in from 7 yards on third-and-goal, and Navy led 34-31 with 4:50 left (Navy Athletics; game book).
That was plenty of time for McCown. UTSA went 75 yards in six plays. Amador caught a 12-yard pass, Peterson converted a third-and-1 and DJ Allen Jr. caught an 11-yarder to the Navy 41. Then McCown dumped a short pass to Peterson, and Peterson took it down the right sideline for the 41-yard go-ahead score. It was UTSA’s third game-winning touchdown drive of the season, after Texas State and South Florida (game book; UTSA postgame notes).
Then the defense, which had been gashed all night, got the stops it needed. A holding penalty and a false start backed Navy up to second-and-25. Owen Pewee dropped Gutierrez for a 2-yard loss on third down and then pressured him into an incompletion on fourth-and-16. UTSA ran the clock down to eight seconds before turning it over on downs at the Navy 10, and Zach Morris broke up Gutierrez’s last deep pass as time expired (UTSA Athletics; game book).
“We were hoping we could bat .500 on defense,” Traylor said. “… When they don’t turn it over, they’re a nightmare, so we wanted to bat .500, and we batted .500. We hoped our offense would bat .550 and the field goal was nice and put us over the top” (UTSA postgame quotes).
By the numbers
- McCown: 28 of 38 for a season-high 359 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, throwing to 10 different receivers. The 359 yards tie Frank Harris for the 10th-most in a game in UTSA history, and McCown now has four of the top 10. It’s the Roadrunners’ most passing yards since 391 against Tulane on Oct. 30, 2025 (UTSA postgame notes).
- Peterson: two catches for 53 yards and the game-winner, plus the 1-yard touchdown run. He has seven touchdowns in his last four games and a team-high nine total touchdowns this season.
- Receivers: Amador caught seven passes for 71 yards (52 after the catch), Allen had six for 56 and Anderson had three for 68 and a touchdown.
- Henderson: 16 carries for 78 yards and the 31-yard touchdown. UTSA ran for just 110 yards as a team. “We had 22 yards at halftime,” Traylor said. “We thought our matchup was better in the back end.”
- Defense: Darion White led the team with nine tackles, Brandon Tucker Jr. had seven and Bryce Grays had six tackles and forced a fumble. UTSA has held its last three opponents under 200 passing yards, though Navy got 183 on just four completions.
- Special teams: Caile Hogan punted five times for a 42.8-yard average and pinned three inside the 10. Petro made his only field goal and all five extra points.
- Clean game: Neither team turned the ball over for the second straight UTSA game. UTSA went 2-for-3 on fourth down and won the time of possession battle, 31:45 to 28:15 (box score).
- Crowd: 23,297, the second-largest home crowd of the season behind the opener. UTSA is averaging 22,860 at the Alamodome this year (UTSA postgame notes; season results).
Navy deserves credit too. Gutierrez ran 21 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 120 yards and two more. Collins caught two passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, both career highs, and the Mids piled up 477 yards, including 294 rushing. It was Navy’s fifth straight one-score game; the Mids are 1-4 in those games after going 5-0 in one-score games last season (Navy Athletics). “He’s a freaking stud,” Traylor said of Gutierrez. “He’s competitive. He’s a winner.”
Watch the highlights
Official American Conference highlights on YouTube. ESPN also has the full highlights.
What they said
Traylor on McCown, who got hit hard early: “The dude is John Wayne. He just John Wayne, rub some dirt on it, put some tobacco on it and let’s ride.” And on his fourth-down calls: “You let athletes be athletes. I’m letting Owen McCown win the game for me. End of story” (UTSA postgame quotes).
Traylor on how his team handles these finishes: “I know I answer the same way every week. We just don’t go away. We don’t blink. We just don’t.”
McCown on getting bowl eligible: “Feels super nice to kind of get that bowl eligibility this early in the season. I think obviously we have bigger goals, and that’s to go win a conference championship. We did get one step closer tonight by doing that.”
White on what keeps this team together in close games: “Ubuntu. I am because we are. We are a team. We always know that as long as there’s time on that clock, we have the ability to make a play, to come back and win the game.”
Around the American: Week 7
UTSA is the only team in the league at 3-0, and North Texas (2-0) is the only other team still unbeaten in conference play. Memphis lost for the first time in league play. Here’s the rest of the week, per the American Conference postgame notebook:
- Thu., Oct. 15: UAB 30, East Carolina 17 (OT). The Blazers didn’t lead until overtime. They tied it with 35 seconds left in regulation, Ryder Burton hit Rod Robinson II for the go-ahead score in OT and Delvon Gulley sealed it with an 80-yard interception return.
- Fri., Oct. 16: Tulane 31, Memphis 17. The Green Wave forced six turnovers and had seven sacks. Kevin Adams III had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, and TJ Smith returned a pick 76 yards for a touchdown.
- Sat., Oct. 17: Army 56, Florida Atlantic 24. Cale Hellums ran for 195 yards and five touchdowns, and Army completed just one pass.
- Sat., Oct. 17: Charlotte 38, Temple 31. The 49ers ended a 15-game losing streak and earned coach Tim Albin his first American Conference win. Temple’s Peter Clarke became the program’s all-time touchdown leader at tight end.
- Sat., Oct. 17: Tulsa 38, Rice 17. Baylor Hayes threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns.
- Sat., Oct. 17: South Florida 29, Kent State 2 (nonconference). CJ Hicks returned a fumble 96 yards for a touchdown.
- Sat., Oct. 17: UTSA 38, Navy 34.
Standings after Week 7
League record first (American Conference):
| Team | American | Overall | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTSA | 3-0 | 6-1 | W4 |
| North Texas | 2-0 | 4-2 | W3 |
| Army | 3-1 | 4-2 | W2 |
| Memphis | 2-1 | 5-2 | L1 |
| UAB | 2-1 | 4-3 | W1 |
| Florida Atlantic | 1-1 | 4-2 | L1 |
| East Carolina | 1-1 | 3-3 | L1 |
| Tulane | 1-1 | 3-3 | W1 |
| South Florida | 1-2 | 5-2 | W1 |
| Tulsa | 1-2 | 4-3 | W1 |
| Temple | 1-2 | 2-5 | L2 |
| Charlotte | 1-2 | 1-6 | W1 |
| Navy | 1-3 | 2-4 | L1 |
| Rice | 0-3 | 1-6 | L6 |
Up next: A trip to New Orleans
UTSA leaves Texas for the first time this season next Saturday, Oct. 24, when it plays Tulane (3-3, 1-1) at Yulman Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. CT on ESPNU (UTSA Athletics; UTSA schedule). The Green Wave are coming off that six-takeaway win over Memphis and are 30-4 in American regular-season games since 2022, according to the league (American Conference).
“New Orleans is a hard place to win,” Traylor said. “They’ve been in the championship game the last four years… They just beat Memphis. They’re going to give us heck.” He also said his team is “physically beat up” with no bye coming soon: “We’re going to just have to man up” (UTSA postgame quotes).
Also this week, UTSA’s offensive line was one of 25 units named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll. Semifinalists will be announced Nov. 11 (UTSA Athletics).
The rest of the Week 8 slate, in Central time:
- Thu., Oct. 22: East Carolina at Memphis, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
- Fri., Oct. 23: Army at Tulsa, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
- Sat., Oct. 24: Rice at Florida Atlantic, 11 a.m., ESPNU
- Sat., Oct. 24: North Texas at Navy, 2:30 p.m., CBSSN
- Sat., Oct. 24: UTSA at Tulane, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Catch up on the last UTSA comeback in our Week 6 recap.
Links and sources
- UTSA Athletics: Roadrunners remain undefeated in league play with 38-34 victory over Navy
- UTSA Athletics: Official box score, Navy vs. UTSA
- UTSA Athletics: Official final book (scoring summary, stats, play-by-play, PDF)
- UTSA Athletics: Postgame notes (PDF)
- UTSA Athletics: Postgame quotes from Jeff Traylor, Owen McCown and Darion White (PDF)
- UTSA Athletics: 2026 season stats and results (PDF)
- Navy Athletics: Navy falls to UTSA in 38-34 thriller
- American Conference: Week Seven Football Postgame Notebook (results, standings, Week 8 schedule)
- Task & Purpose: Airman dies after rappelling accident at UTSA-Navy football game
- KSAT 12: Soldier falls while rappelling from ceiling before UTSA football game at Alamodome
- UTSA Athletics: Offensive line named to Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll
- American Conference on YouTube: Navy vs. UTSA highlights
- ESPN: Navy vs. UTSA full highlights
- SA Snap Count: AAC Week 6 recap
Bowl eligible and headed to the Big Easy. Want more Roadrunners coverage all the way to Tulane? Follow @SASnapcount210 on X.