MOBILE, Ala. — UTSA kicker Sean Ianno made a 51-yard field goal with 16 seconds left Saturday to give the Roadrunners a 33-31 win over South Alabama in the season opener at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
South Alabama committed four turnovers, and UTSA scored after each of them. The victory was the first road win in UTSA’s history, coming in the program’s second season, and avenged a 30-27 double-overtime loss to South Alabama last season in which Ianno’s potential game-winning field goal was blocked. The loss was South Alabama’s second straight at home and the second home loss in program history.
Turnovers Fuel UTSA
South Alabama opened with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by Demetre Baker’s 11-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
The Jaguars drove deep into UTSA territory on their next possession, but C.J. Bennett was intercepted in the end zone. UTSA answered with an 80-yard touchdown drive to tie the game. T.J. Glover then returned the ensuing kickoff from near the goal line past midfield before fumbling, and UTSA recovered and scored again for a 14-7 lead.
UTSA added second-quarter field goals of 47 and 32 yards to go ahead 20-7. South Alabama responded late in the half, scoring on a play-action pass to running back Desmond Jones with 20 seconds left to make it 20-14 at the break.
Back-and-Forth Second Half
Michel Chapuseaux kicked a 43-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Kendall Houston scored on a 1-yard run early in the fourth to give South Alabama a 24-20 lead.
UTSA regained the lead at 27-24 with a 34-yard touchdown on fourth down. On South Alabama’s next possession, Baker inadvertently knocked the ball out of Bennett’s hands as Bennett prepared to throw, and UTSA recovered at the Jaguar 21. The defense held the Roadrunners to a field goal for a 30-24 lead.
South Alabama went back in front when Bennett found Jereme Jones open down the left side for a 34-yard touchdown pass, making it 31-30 with 2:46 to play.
“We had to find the right time to run the play,” South Alabama coach Joey Jones said. “We got in the formation and they ran what we expected them to. Everyone did their job and we executed. We saw a mismatch with Jeremé. We had been waiting to call that play, and we found the right spot.”
The Winning Drive
UTSA returned the ensuing kickoff to its 31, and a personal foul on South Alabama’s Tyrome Bivins moved the ball to the 46. A UTSA false start gave five yards back. After an incompletion and a five-yard run by Okotcha, Soza converted third-and-10 with a 15-yard pass to Armstrong at the Jaguar 39. Three more plays moved the ball to the 34, and UTSA used its final timeout to send out Ianno, who made the 51-yarder.
Glover returned the final kickoff to the Jaguar 29, and Terrance Timmons gained seven yards on the last play but could not get out of bounds before time expired.
By the Numbers
UTSA outgained South Alabama 398-308, with a 183-126 advantage on the ground and a 215-182 edge through the air. South Alabama had more first downs, 18-16. UTSA held the ball for 33:07 to 26:53. The Jaguars fumbled three times and lost all three. UTSA was penalized 11 times for 114 yards; South Alabama was flagged seven times for 80 yards.
- Bennett completed 15 of 24 passes for 182 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and was sacked once. He also ran nine times for 12 yards. Ross Metheny was 0-for-2.
- Baker led the rushing attack with 63 yards on 12 carries. Houston had 43 yards on 11 carries, and Timmons ran four times for 20 yards.
- Jereme Jones caught three passes for 51 yards. Corey Besteda had three catches for 40 yards, and Greg Hollinger had two for 42.
- Glover had a game-high 145 all-purpose yards: 25 receiving, 95 on kickoff returns and 37 on punt returns, with minus-12 on a reverse.
- Jake Johnson and Enrique Williams each had eight tackles. Alonzo Long added seven, and Darrius Morrow and Tyrell Pearson had five each. Pearson intercepted a Soza pass and returned it 28 yards.
Jones: ‘Turnovers and Key Penalties’
“First of all I want to congratulate UTSA. I thought they played a great game, and my hat’s off to them,” Jones said. “They played us into double overtime last year, and we knew they had a good football team. They have a lot of good players. They didn’t do anything any different. We obviously turned the ball over too many times. I think it came down to turnovers and key penalties at the wrong time.”
“The offense showed a little fight. We teach ball security, and today we got away from that,” Jones said. “Turning the ball over is something you can’t do in a close game, and they really came back to bite us in the end. The good thing is all these mistakes are correctable.”
