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(Photo: Aaron Meullion, Focus Point Sports / Special To InsideRunnerSports) By JJ Perez For InsideRunnerSports.com UTSA led wire-to-wire to log their first win of the 2026 season. Here are five takeaways from the game. UTSA Takes Care of Business It was not the cleanest of starts to the season but the Roadrunners came out and handled their business to cruise to a solid win. UTRGV took the initial drive of the game down the field and were poised scored. But UTSA's defense was able to force the Vaqueros into a missed field goal attempt. After that the Roadrunners would score on four of their first five offensive possessions to essentially put the game on ice late in the second quarter. For a first game of the season, this was about as average performance. There were some really explosive and game-changing plays. But there were also some penalities, missed tackles, and missed assignments the Roadrunners will want to clean up moving forward. Overall, it was not a bad start to the 2026 season. McCown Is Back After a season 2025 that saw Owen McCown battle through injury, UTSA's QB played well out of the gate. He completed 5-of-5 passes on the Roadrunners' first offensive possession of the game capped off by a 36-yard TD pass to AJ Wilson. McCown would end the game completing 22 of 27 passes for 275 yards with three touchdowns. The game also featured the debut of new offensive coordinator Rick Bowie, who called plays from the field. The offense was somewhat similar to what we've seen in past years but had an uptempo feel with new added wrinkles. RB Will Henderson is still very explosive as he showed on his 75-yard touchdown run. And the WRs look solid. For a first game performance, McCown and the offense look solid. QB Owen McCown finds AJ Wilson for a 36-yard touchdown in the 1st quarter vs UTRGV 🎥: @aa7ron x @utsainsiders pic.twitter.com/2mZBuIGrhe — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 5, 2026 Looking For Improvement In Week 2 If you had to put a letter grad on what we saw in game one, a B- might be a fair overview. The defense gave up some yards but UTRGV had a lot of opportunities. Missed tackles were an issues as well as penalties. But we saw two huge interception plays, including a 49-yard pick-six by CB Ahamad Chapman. We saw some pressure from the front seven but not as much as you would expect. UTSA's offensive line shuffled some players around and in and out. First games are typically overly sloppy. We'll see how some of these issues are corrected from week one to week two. UTSA CB Ahamad Chapman’s interception and 49-yard return for a touchdown in the second quarter of the UTRGV game. 🎥: @aa7ron x @utsainsiders pic.twitter.com/ybnTAGzeL1 — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 5, 2026 Great Home Opening Atmosphere A crowd of 33,403 poured into the Alamodome for the season opener. Fans from both UTSA and UTRGV arrived at the Alamodome many hours ahead of kickoff. There was an excitement and buzz around and inside the building. As the game kicked off, fans from both teams were loud, making for a great atmosphere. The attendance was the 13th highest in school history and the highest against of any FCS program. That in and of itself was big win. A look around the Alamodome of UTSA’s season opening game vs UTRGV. A strong crowd today. pic.twitter.com/4k6p8shUCz — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 5, 2026 Game of the Year on Deck After the win we saw a toned-down Jeff Traylor address questions from media. UTSA faces rival Texas State this week in a high-stakes game for the Roadrunners. In each of the last two seasons, the Bobcats have seemed to emphasize this matchup. And that has paid dividends for them. Under Traylor, the UTSA/Texas State series is tied 2-2. But after two consecutive losses, the Roadrunners know the magnitude of this week's matchup. A win could propel UTSA forward in what could become a special season while a loss could hamper the early season momentum. Buckle up for a big rivalry week.