USF Looks to Rebound Against UTSA in Thursday Night Road Test

The South Florida Bulls (4-1) will head to the Alamodome on Thursday night to play the UTSA Roadrunners (4-1) with a chance to sulk or scrap.

USF heads into the game coming off the first loss of Brian Hartline’s tenure. Thursday night will break a streak of five straight Saturday games for the Bulls.

“The challenge is getting the amount of work in that you need to compete in a game, but also to recover,” Hartline said about the challenges of a short week at Monday’s press conference. “We’re definitely trying to take it off them physically and put it on them mentally.”

The Bulls will play a UTSA team having its best start to a season since 2021, a year in which the Roadrunners finished the season 12-2 and won the Conference USA title.

UTSA has thrived at home under head coach Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners are 33-5 overall and 25-1 against conference foes in Traylor’s five-plus seasons as the team’s head coach.

Hartline is ready to take on the challenge of the Alamodome.

“I love the us-against-the-world mentality,” Hartline said about playing on the road. “It’s definitely a tall feat. They are very successful in their space, but we look forward to the opportunity.”

Hartline also made headlines for his comments about the Alamodome’s noise level compared to the attendance levels.

“I’ve heard that it’s really loud there. I’m trying to figure out what the population size is. I don’t know how it gets so loud if there’s not a lot of people there,” Hartline said before taking a big swig of water to almost punctuate his statement.

Hartline’s not-so-subtle dig caught traction on social media and even led the UTSA athletic department to offer $9 tickets to all fans up until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. The ticket deal is labeled the “Brian Hartline Special,” with the nine being a nod to Hartline’s number during his playing days.

The ticket special is a part of the larger spectacle that will be Thursday night’s game. The Roadrunners are marketing this game as a “blackout.” ESPN’s “SportsCenter on Campus” will be broadcast on UTSA’s campus at 4 p.m. on game day.

The heightened expectations for the game are warranted. According to ESPN’s FPI, UTSA and USF have the third- and fifth-best chances to win the American Conference this season.

Setting the stage for UTSA

The Roadrunners have a 57-27 record overall under Traylor. UTSA is 27-17 since joining the American Conference before the 2023 season. They hold a 16-9 record against American foes.

While the Roadrunners did lose 23 players to the transfer portal last offseason, their early-season success has been spearheaded by two returners in the offensive backfield.

Senior Owen McCown is in the midst of his third straight season as UTSA’s starting quarterback. This season, McCown has averaged gaudy numbers for efficiency, averaging 202 passing yards per game after averaging 263.4 in 2024 and 230.4 last season. However, he has a career-high 68.2 completion percentage and a 1.3% interception rate.

Sophomore running back Will Henderson III is one of three players in the American Conference to average more than 6 yards per carry with 65 carries on the season. Overall, he’s averaging 79.6 yards per game with three touchdowns this season.

UTSA is averaging 173.8 rushing yards per game on 5.1 yards per rush. The Roadrunners rank in the 81st percentile in explosive rushing play rate. They have three players with more than 25 carries this season who are averaging more than 5 yards per carry.

This season, UTSA is scoring 31.4 points per game, which ranks fifth in the American Conference. However, they have drastic road-vs.-home scoring splits, averaging 52 points per game in their home games against UT Rio Grande and Colorado State, as opposed to 17 points per game in their road games against Texas State, Texas and Rice.

Last week’s 16-point performance against the Owls was specifically surprising considering Rice currently ranks 105th in the country in scoring defense.

UTSA has four receivers with 16 or more catches this season. Senior D.J. Allen Jr. leads the Roadrunners with 269 receiving yards on 14.9 yards per catch. UTSA receivers haul in 72.4% of their targets this season.

Defensively, the Roadrunners rank 10th in the American Conference and 96th in the country, allowing their opponents to score an average of 26.2 points per game.

UTSA ranks last in the American Conference, allowing opponents to rush for 198.8 yards per game. However, last week they held Rice to 3.1 yards per carry using some scheme adjustments in which they added an extra interior defensive lineman to mitigate Rice’s unorthodox triple-option attack.

The Roadrunners are holding opponents to 208.2 passing yards per game and have the highest passing defense efficiency in the American Conference. In Week 3, the Roadrunners’ defense held Texas quarterback Arch Manning to just 161 passing yards and a 50% completion rate.

Senior linebacker Brandon Tucker leads the Roadrunners with 44 tackles and has added two tackles for loss, a sack and two pass breakups this season. Senior linebacker Darion White leads the team with three tackles for loss and 10 quarterback pressures this season.

Setting the stage for USF

The Bulls’ offense has been scuffling, failing to hit 20 points in back-to-back contests and, in total, averaging just 18.5 points per game against FBS teams this season. USF ranks 110th in the country in total offense this season.

Junior quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. is averaging 179.2 passing yards per game this season. He has the 23rd-best passing grade this season among quarterbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. Van Buren Jr. is one of just 20 FBS quarterbacks to play at least five games and have zero interceptions.

The Bulls’ rushing attack is led by graduate running back D.J. Crowther. He has 393 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry this season. Crowther has forced 40 missed tackles in 2026, the most of any player in college football this season.

Overall, the Bulls rank 10th in the American in rushing offense and 67th in the country, averaging 160.8 rushing yards per game this season. USF has averaged less than 4 yards per carry in three of its five games this season.

USF’s offense has struggled to create explosive plays this season, ranking in the negative 1st percentile in explosive play rate and negative third percentile in explosive passing play rate this season.

On defense, USF has the American’s top-ranked scoring defense, allowing opponents to score an average of 14.6 points per game.

The Bulls have done it using the best third-down defense in the American. They are holding opponents to a 32.8% conversion rate. UTSA is only converting 32.8% of its third downs on offense.

Their defense ranks second in the American Conference, allowing just 178.6 passing yards per game. They have held opposing passers to under 125 yards in each of their last two games.

USF ranks 19th in the FBS, averaging 7.4 tackles for loss per game. The Bulls have five players with 2.5 tackles for loss or more this season.

Sophomore linebacker Sam Robinson and senior defensive back Tayvion Beasley lead the Bulls with 3.5 tackles for loss this season.

Senior safety Ayden Jackson leads USF with 29 tackles this season, but he missed last Saturday’s game against Temple with an injury. His status will be a story to watch in Thursday night’s game.

Keys to the game

A strong start will be key for USF in a hostile road environment. The Bulls are averaging 4 points per first half against FBS opponents, and they have found themselves in halftime holes in three of their last four games.

Establishing the run game will also be crucial for the Bulls. They will need to make the Roadrunner defense look like the one that was allowing over 200 rushing yards per game in its first four games, not the one that held Rice to 3.1 yards per carry last week.

The Bulls will also need to get a pass game going that has struggled in recent weeks, posting just 257 yards and zero passing touchdowns combined against Bowling Green and Temple.

For UTSA’s offense, it will be key to create explosive plays against the vaunted USF defense. The Bulls rank in the 85th percentile in explosive-play defense, while the Roadrunners rank in the 76th percentile in explosive-play offense.

Both teams have taken good care of the ball this season, with UTSA turning the ball over three times and USF four times in the 2026 season.

The Roadrunners’ defense has caused some chaos this season, recording five interceptions. UTSA’s opponents have fumbled 10 times this season, but the Roadrunners have only recovered two of them. The Bulls’ defense has six takeaways of its own this season.

The only other time the Bulls have played in the Alamodome was a 49-21 loss in 2023. Last season, the two teams met at Raymond James Stadium, with USF winning 55-23.

Thursday night’s game could end up being one of the biggest deciders in the American Conference championship game race.

The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.