The Roadrunners and Panthers, 2-2 in head-to-head matchups all-time, meet Friday evening in Dallas. Here’s what to know.
SAN ANTONIO — Two football programs that trended in different directions this year will meet when the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl kicks off Friday evening in Dallas.
UTSA is gunning for a third straight bowl victory after an up-and-down season that has the Roadrunners sitting at 6-6. For a second consecutive year, the ‘Runners are looking to avoid their first sub-.500 season in the Jeff Traylor era, having finished sixth in the American Athletic Conference.
Florida International University, meanwhile, arrives in Dallas with a 7-5 mark and hopes punctuate its best season since 2018, also the last time they won a bowl game.
This will be the fifth time the Roadrunners and Panthers battle on the gridiron, with the all-time record tied. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, located on SMU campus in Dallas.
Here’s what to know beforehand.
How can you watch?
The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. You’ll also be able to catch the action via the UTSA Sports Media Network and AM 760 The Ticket.
Want to watch alongside other UTSA fans? The school’s official watch party is being hosted by Little Woodrow’s (9840 W. Loop 1604 North).
How did they get here?
There were no three-game winning or losing streaks for UTSA this season, which struggled to maintain momentum week to week in their efforts to return to double-digit wins for the first time since 2022.
They remained strong at home, going 4-2 at the Alamodome, while sporting a 2-4 road mark. They were stronger on the offensive side of the bowl, scoring 33.8 points per game (third in the AAC) while giving up 29.7 (ninth in the AAC).
Here’s how they fared this season (bold denotes conference matchup):
- At Texas A&M: L, 24-42
- Versus Texas State: L, 36-43
- Versus UIW: W, 48-20
- At Colorado State: W, 17-16
- At Temple: L, 21-27
- Versus Rice: W, 61-13
- At North Texas: L, 17-55
- Versus Tulane: W, 48-26
- At South Florida: L, 23-55
- At Charlotte: W, 28-7
- Versus East Carolina: W, 58-24
- Versus Army: L, 27-24
FIU has gotten better as the season has gone on.
After starting off 3-5, the Panthers reeled off four straight wins to finish tied for third in Conference USA. They scored at least 27 games in those four victories, including two performances where they rattled opponents for 56 points.
FIU’s 29.3 points per game was second in CUSA this year, while the 27.8 points per game given up the Panthers defense ranked seventh.
Here’s how they streaky season went (bold denotes conference matchup):
- Versus Bethune-Cookman: W, 42-9
- At Penn State: L, 0-34
- Versus Florida Atlantic: W, 38-28
- Versus Delaware: L, 16-38
- At UConn: L, 10-51
- At Western Kentucky: W, 25-6
- Versus Kennesaw State: L, 26-45
- At Missouri State: L, 21-28
- At Middle Tennessee: W, 56-30
- Versus Liberty: W, 34-27
- Versus Jacksonville State: W, 27-21
- At Sam Houston: W, 56-16
What are the teams’ bowl histories?
This will mark UTSA’s seventh bowl game trip, and second to the First Responder Bowl after losing in 2020.
The ‘Runners sport a 2-4 record in bowl game matchups but have worked to get to .500, having won the Frisco and Myrtle Beach bowl games in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Last year’s was a strong effort that saw Traylor’s squad beat Coastal Carolina, 44-15—setting a new program record for scoring in a bowl game in the process.
FIU, meanwhile, hasn’t been to this stage since 2019, when they lost the Camellia Bowl to Arkansas State. The Panthers are 2-3 in bowl games overall, but are guaranteed an above-.500 record for the first time under head coach Mike Macintyre after finishing 4-8 in each of the last three seasons.
Who are the players to watch?
- Owen McCown, junior QB: 27 passing touchdowns (third in AAC), 2,700 passing yards
- Robert Henry Jr., senior RB: Nine rushing touchdowns, 1,045 rushing yards (fifth in AAC)
- Shad Banks Jr., senior LB: 53 solo tackles (fifth in AAC), three interceptions (tied for third in AAC), 84 total tackles
- Kejon Owens, senior RB: 11 rushing touchdowns (third in CUSA), 1,298 rushing yards (third in CUSA)
- Alex Perry, junior WR: Nine receiving touchdowns (tied for first in CUSA), 816 receiving yards (fifth in CUSA)
- Johnny Chaney Jr., senior LB: 99 total tackles (tied for fifth in CUSA), 60 solo tackles (fourth in CUSA)
- Keegan Davis, senior DL: 5.5 sacks (tied for third in CUSA)