11 a.m. | ESPN
Brooks Stadium Conway, South Carolina
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will mark the first meeting between UTSA and Coastal Carolina, a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Myrtle Beach Bowl also will mark the Roadrunners’ first visit to the state of South Carolina.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Notes
Bowl Notes Unavailable.
Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners Notes
OPENING DRIVE
• UTSA will make its fifth straight and sixth overall bowl appearance on Monday in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. • This will mark the first meeting between the Roadrunners and Coastal Carolina. • UTSA is 1-4 all-time in bowl games after defeating Marshall, 35-17, in the 2023 Frisco Bowl. • The Roadrunners are the designated home team for the game that will be played at the Chanticleers’ home stadium. • UTSA will play in a bowl game outside the state of Texas for the third time and first since a trip to Orlando for the 2022 Cure Bowl. • Fifth-year head coach Jeff Traylor boasts a 45-20 overall record at UTSA, the most wins and best winning percentage (.692) in program history. • UTSA is 11-7 in weekday games but has yet to play a game on a Monday in its 14-year history. • The Roadrunners are riding a streak of 22 consecutive games with both a takeaway and a sack • UTSA is averaging 41.7 points and 495.5 yards per game over the past six contests.
SETTING THE SCENE
Victorious in three of its last four games, UTSA will meet Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday, Dec. 23. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. CT at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The Roadrunners will play in their fifth straight and sixth overall bowl game when they meet the Chanticleers for the first time on the gridiron. UTSA also is seeking its second consecutive bowl win after registering the program’s first with a 35-17 victory over Marshall in the 2023 Frisco Bowl. The Roadrunners are the designated home team for the matchup in Coastal Carolina’s home stadium.
GOING BOWLING
Following the 51-27 home victory over Temple on Nov. 22, the Roadrunners became bowl eligible for the fifth year in a row under head coach Jeff Traylor. UTSA has played in a bowl game in each of the past four seasons, capped by a 35-17 victory over Marshall in the 2023 Frisco Bowl for the program’s first bowl win. The Roadrunners competed in their first bowl game in 2016, a 23-20 setback to New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque which saw UTSA also designated as the home team for a bowl game in the opposing team’s stadium.
UTSA IN WEEKDAY GAMES
With the Myrtle Beach Bowl falling on a Monday, UTSA will play on a weekday for the third time this season and 13th time under fifth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. This will mark the first Monday game for the Roadrunners, who have played 18 non-Saturday games in their 14-year history and tote an 11-7 record in such contests. UTSA has played in a weekday bowl game in each of the past three seasons.
ON EASTERN TIME
The Roadrunners are set to play their second straight and third overall game in the Eastern time zone this season when they face Coastal Carolina on Monday in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. UTSA, which dropped a 30-20 decision at East Carolina on Sept. 28 and a 29-24 heartbreak to No. 22 Army on Nov. 30, is 7-10 all-time in games played in the Eastern time zone with road wins against Georgia State in 2012, Charlotte in 2015, Old Dominion in 2019, Army West Point and FIU in 2022 and Temple and Florida Atlantic last season.
EARLY KICKS
With Monday’s kickoff versus Coastal Carolina scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern/10 a.m. CT, UTSA will be competing in a game that begins at noon or earlier local time for the third time since the beginning of November. The Roadrunners defeated No. 25 Memphis, 44-36, on Nov. 2 in a home contest that began at 11 a.m. at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners dropped a 29-24 heartbreaker to No. 22 Army on Nov. 30 in a game that kicked off at noon Eastern (11 a.m. CT).
SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA
The Chanticleers improved to 6-6 on the season with a 48-27 victory over Georgia State on Nov. 30 in the regular season finale. Coastal Carolina and UTSA have one common opponent this season in Temple, which the Chanticleers defeated, 28-20, on Sept. 14. Coastal Carolina is averaging 29.8 points and 382.3 yards of offense per game while allowing 30.6 points and 405.6 yards per contest. Ethan Vasko has completed 148 of 271 passes for 2,110 yards and 14 touchdowns. Braydon Bennett is the top rusher with 727 yards and 11 TDs on 112 attempts. Jameson Tucker has a team-high 31 receptions for 540 yards and six scores. Defensively, Shane Bruce has registered a team-best 68 tackles, while Clev Lubin has 12 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Head coach Tim Beck is 14-11 in his second season at the helm.
SIMILAR STARTUPS
UTSA and Coastal Carolina are two of the more recent startup programs. The Roadrunners played their first season 2011 as an FCS Independent, while the Chanticleers had an eight-year head start with their inaugural game in 2003. UTSA began its transition to FBS in 2012 as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, while Coastal Carolina made the move up in 2016 and became a Sun Belt Conference member in 2017.
LAST TIME OUT
Syrus Dumas had a career-high 12 tackles and Brandon High Jr. rushed for two touchdowns, but No. 22 Army thwarted a late UTSA rally for a 29-24 decision in American Athletic Conference action on a chilly Saturday at Michie Stadium. Dumas registered three stops behind the line, as UTSA tallied seven tackles for loss on the day to push this year’s total to a school-record 104. The Roadrunners also recorded a pair of sacks and came up with their 21st takeaway of the fall to run those streaks to 21 consecutive games. Army held a 13-10 advantage at halftime, but the Roadrunners took their first lead of the day after their opening drive of the second half ended with a 23-yard touchdown reception by Devin McCuin. Army pulled to within 17-16 on the ensuing possession after a 23-yard field goal with 1:34 left in the third. The Black Knights then came up with a fourth-down stop deep in UTSA territory to open the fourth quarter. Bryson Daily added a pair of TD runs from there to push the Army lead to 29-17. UTSA cut the deficit to five on the next possession, covering 75 yards in just four plays, the last a 6-yard touchdown rush by High. The Roadrunners then forced a missed field goal with just under two minutes remaining. However, Gavin Shields iced the game for Army with an interception off a tipped ball with 1:22 left
TAKEAWAY STREAK
UTSA will enter the Myrtle Beach Bowl game riding a streak of 22 consecutive games with a takeaway, a stretch that started on Sept. 23, 2023 at No. 20 Tennessee. After going through the first three games of the 2023 season without a takeaway, the Roadrunners finished with 17 over the last 10 contests, tallying 10 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. The Roadrunners have opened 2024 with 21 takeaways — 10 INTs and 11 fumble recoveries — over the first 12 contests. Jimmy Wyrick forced a key fumble that was recovered by Syrus Dumas in the fourth quarter of the 28-16 win over Kennesaw State to start the year. On the opening possession against Texas State, Zach Morris registered the Roadrunners’ first interception of the campaign. Owen Pewee had a first-quarter interception and Brevin Randle recovered a fumble in the second half versus No. 2 Texas, while Jimmori Robinson forced a recovered a fumble in the 45-7 victory against Houston Christian. Zah Frazier picked off two passes in the second half of the East Carolina contest, becoming the fifth Roadrunner and first since Clayton Johnson in 2017 to register two interceptions in a game. Elliott Davison recovered a fumble in the first quarter of the Rice game, while Asyrus Simon had a strip-sack and recovery and Pewee picked off his second pass of the year against Florida Atlantic. Jamal Ligon recovered a fumble and Daemian Wimberly had a 28-yard fumble return for a touchdown — UTSA’s first since the 2021 season — against Tulsa, while Dumas recovered a fumble and Jermarius Lewis recorded an interception in the win over No. 25 Memphis. Frazier etched his name in the record book as the first Roadrunner to pick off two passes in multiple games when he came up with a pair of interceptions in the 48-27 victory against North Texas. Frazier repeated that feat for the third time this year with two picks in the 51-27 win against Temple, while Christian Clayton recovered a fumble versus No. 22 Army, pushing the season takeaway total to 21 and the streak to 22 games.
SACK ATTACK
UTSA has developed a reputation for a defense that racks up tackles behind the line of scrimmage. This year, the Roadrunners have broken the program record for tackles for loss in a season with 104 through 12 games, eclipsing the previous standard of 99 set in 13 games in 2023. UTSA has posted 38 sacks this fall, which is eight shy of the school mark established last year. Among FBS teams, UTSA currently leads the American Athletic Conference in both categories and ranks third in the FBS with 8.7 TFLs per game and seventh with 3.17 sacks per outing. The Roadrunners have been consistent all season, logging at least four TFLs and a sack in each contest. UTSA has turned in double-digit TFLs in five contests, paced by a school-record 16 in the 51-27 victory against Temple on Nov. 22. The Roadrunners also have matched the program record for sacks twice with seven in back-to-back games versus Florida Atlantic and Tulsa. In fact, those single-game totals rank as the second-most TFLs and fourth-most sacks posted by an FBS team this season. UTSA is riding a stretch of 22 games in a row with a sack and now has recorded double-digit TFLs nine times and registered three-or-more sacks 14 times over the past two seasons. The Roadrunners also have spread the wealth, as 26 different players own at least one TFL while an FBS-leading 17 defenders boast at least one sack. American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Jimmori Robinson paces the squad with 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, tallies that lead the league and rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in the nation.
STUFFING THE RUN
The Roadrunners have been tough to run against in 2024. UTSA is allowing only 110.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks second in the American Athletic Conference and 18th in the FBS. The Roadrunners have held eight opponents to 100 or fewer yards on the ground. UTSA opened the campaign by holding Kennesaw State to just 51 rushing yards and they allowed only 50 in the win over Houston Christian. In the first two league contests, the Roadrunners held East Carolina to 47 while Rice gained just 42, a season low rushing yardage mark for opponents. UTSA limited Tulsa to only 63 yards on the ground, Memphis to just 62 yards and Temple to 70 before holding Army to 217 rushing yards, more than 100 yards below its season average of 322.1 entering the contest.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The Roadrunners have undergone an offensive explosion over the past six games, piling up 250 points and 2,973 yards for averages of 41.7 points and 495.5 yards per contest. UTSA began that stretch by racking up 485 yards including 340 passing in a 38-24 home triumph over Florida Atlantic on Oct. 19. The Roadrunners then took down the program’s passing yardage record the following Saturday with 443 as part of a 546-yard offensive output in the 46-45 setback at Tulsa. That passing yardage total bettered the previous mark of 441 posted against Texas Southern in 2022, and it ranks as the 20th-most passing yards in the FBS this season. After passing for 307 and totaling 408 yards in the 44-36 victory over No. 25 Memphis on Nov. 2, UTSA smashed the school’s total offense record with 681 in the 48-27 win against North Texas on Nov. 15. The Roadrunners were balanced with 379 yards through the air and 302 on the ground. That total eclipsed the previous program standard of 643 set nearly a year to the day in a home win over South Florida on Nov. 17, 2023. Additionally, it stands as the second-most yards posted by an American Athletic Conference team this season and the 15th-best tally in the FBS in 2024. UTSA piled up 529 yards of offense in the 51-27 triumph over Temple, topping the 300-yard mark on the ground in back-to-back games for the first time in program annals with a season-high 309 to go with 220 through the air. The Roadrunners now have racked up 300-or-more rushing yards in a game nine times in their history, while they have surpassed 300 yards through the air five times this season and 29 times overall. The top six and nine of UTSA’s top 10 total offense games have occurred under the direction of fifth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. The top four and eight of the top 10 single-game passing yardage totals have been charted in the Jeff Traylor era, while five of the top nine rushing yardage totals have come under his watch.
