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(Photo: JJ Perez, InsideRunnerSports.com) By JJ Perez For InsideRunnerSports.com It was the worst of times. And then it was the best of times. That was the vibe on Saturday afternoon in San Marcos as UTSA rallied to beat Texas State 31-26. The win pushes the Roadrunners' record to 2-0 to start the 2026 season. Here are five takeaways from the game. A Rivalry Win After losing the last two matchups to Texas State, UTSA faced a must win situation in the 2026 game with the Bobcats. In was turned out to be a very mucked up contest by both teams, it was the Roadrunners who would outscore the Bobcats 24-9 in the second half to log a much-need victory. The game was beyond perfect. In fact there were moments early on that were rough. But in the end, UTSA made just enough plays to log an absolutely huge win on the road against a heated rival. Head Coach Jeff Traylor says the 31-26 victory over TXST was a gritty win. Traylor says it was a total team effort from top to bottom. pic.twitter.com/MmqPVuLyot — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 13, 2026 Owen Delivers UTSA's game-winning fourth quarter drive will go down as one of the clutch moments in the history of Roadrunner football. After spending most of the game under pressure, McCown and the offense found some flow in the second half. Trailing by 10 points coming out of halftime, McCown and the Roadrunner offense put together back-to-back scoring drives. After trading the lead, UTSA took possession on the final drive with just over four minutes to play. What we saw was 14-play, 82-yard drive that ate up more than 4 minutes of game clock. The drive featured two massive fourth down conversions. The game winning play came as RB Brandon High broke free for a 25-yard touchdown run. That final drive featured two must-have fourth down conversions and a third-down conversion. McCown came through in the clutch and was as big a part of the overall offensive success than anyone. It was a legacy moment for McCown and the Roadrunners. Don't also forgot the contribution of David Amador. In one of the key moments of the game, Amador connected on a 44-yard WR pass in the third quarter. The passing production wasn't great. But key second half plays were very important in the Roadrunners coming away with the victory. UTSA QB Owen McCown says he felt the weight of the last two losses to TXST. He calls the 31-26 win big time. pic.twitter.com/Z0kn8akFF4 — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 13, 2026 Run Game Comes Alive For much of the game UTSA's offense struggled to get into a rhythm. The reason for that was because Texas State's defensive line appeared to win the battle in the trenches. But in the second half, things were different. Especially in the fourth quarter. After being held to limited production, RB Will Henderson broke free a few times for several big runs to help setup scores. And RB Brandon High was the one who closed the game. Credit to UTSA's offensive line is it seemed like they wore down the Texas State defensive line late in the game. Also credit to the Roadrunner offensive staff for not giving up on the rushing game. After a very slow start, 147 yards on 31 carries is pretty decent production. Brandon High. To. The. House. pic.twitter.com/mYm03HmoD0 — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 12, 2026 Solid Second Half Defense UTSA's defense struggled in different parts of the game. The Bobcats found success on the ground and had several explosive plays in the air. And while things like missed tackles and penalties reared its head, in the end the defense made enough plays to help preserve the win. In four second half offensive possessions, the Bobcats were only able to muster 9 points. UTSA came up with a key interception and turnover on downs in the third quarter to allow their offense to get into a flow. The two interceptions and fumble recovery were all key plays that impacted the outcome. But the biggest number was the 9 second half points. If an opposing offense is going to score 26 points while committing three turnovers, it's likely that UTSA is going to win those games more times than not. View this post on Instagram A post shared by JJ Perez (@thejjperez) Feeling Good At 2-0 There is no denying how important this win is for the Roadrunners. Yes getting the monkey off the back in terms of beating Texas State and winning on the road is much needed. But even more crucial is the momentum surrounding the program following this win. Starting a season 2-0 and winning while having areas to still improve on is a tremendous positive. With two games left in the non-conference schedule with matchups at Texas and vs Colorado State, UTSA can really pick up steam when conference play kicks off in a few weeks. The last time the Roadrunners start 2-0 was the 2021 season. That year they won 12 games including the Conference USA. If the 2026 season is going to be a special, you can look back at this week two victory as one of the key moments of the year. It's headed back to San Antonio. pic.twitter.com/Z9FPe3BMIO — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 13, 2026 Fast Thoughts Video Game Winning TD & Postgame Celebration Video