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(Photo: JJ Perez, InsideRunnerSports.com) By JJ Perez For InsideRunnerSports.com UTSA had a gritty performance Saturday night in Austin as they fell to the no. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns 30-6. Here are five thoughts on the game. A For Effort There are no moral victories in college football. But what UTSA did against the consensus top team in the nation was more than admirable. In front of more than 100,000 fans on a warm Texas evening, UTSA punched well above their weight class. It wasn't the cleanest of game for the Roadrunners. But the effort and competitiveness were off the charts. The defense was great. The special teams were great. But the offense struggled against an extremely stout Longhorn defense. In the end, the Roadrunners fell by 24 points. But for most of the contest, UTSA was right there with Texas. That's certainly not a win, but it's not nothing. “I came here to win championships and change kids’ lives” - Jeff Traylor pic.twitter.com/4FacHzM28u — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 20, 2026 Defensive Improvement The biggest development coming out of week three is the play of the defense. The Roadrunners stepped up and played smart, physical, and disciplined. After two weeks of struggling with tackling, the Roadrunners were much better in this aspect of the game. On several occasions, UTSA defenders were able to put pressure and deliver big hits on Longhorns QB Arch Manning. LB Darion White's collision with Manning may go down as one of the signature moments of the season. And the pass coverage against what is considered one of the most prolific offenses in the country was exceptional. In the second half, the Roadrunners came up with stop after stop. Every time it seemed like Texas was going to put the game out of hand, UTSA would deliver a key stop to keep the game in the balance. The Roadrunner defense could not have played any better. More from Jeff Traylor on the play of UTSA’s defense against Texas: “We were fighting. We were in the thing.” pic.twitter.com/KrjxKS6Mpj — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 20, 2026 Offensive Woes Despite having an interception on the first play of the game, UTSA was able to look pretty good on offense for most of the first quarter. But after that, the Longhorn defense settled in and imposed their will on the Roadrunners. Physically, Texas' defense simply outmatch UTSA's offense. There were few rushing lanes and Roadrunner QB Owen McCown struggling to get into a flow as blocking issues led him to be under considerable pressure. UTSA did not help themselves offensively as they were flagged way too many times. But it's important to note that at least half of those calls were very questionable. Ultimately, most of the struggles of the offense were directly tied to talent disparity of the two units. A Payday Worth It Headed into this nonconference matchup, Head Coach Jeff Traylor said he didn't think his team should play games against the upper echelon of Power Four Conference schools. While Traylor is right that there may more opponents that could provide equal or greater value to the nonconference portion of the schedule, this year's P4 matchup was worth it. Not only did UTSA receive a school record $1.7 million payout, they seemed to have gotten out without any significant injury. And unlike most previous contests against P4 schools, UTSA leaves this week with a sense of confidence. It's not a win in the standings, but it was a matchup worth it this year. Feeling Okay Headed to Week 4 College football is strange sometimes. Last week UTSA beat Texas State but there were reasons to have caution leaving that game. This week against an opponent with much more talent, the Roadrunners have more reason to have optimism in several aspects of the game. Headed into week four of the season, UTSA has some confidence. Sitting at 2-1 with nonconference game remaining next week vs Colorado State, every goal the Roadrunners have are very much alive. Confidence at this stage of the season is exciting. UTSA has a big opportunity to build some significant momentum starting in week four. Jeff Traylor: “This reminds me of the old days” pic.twitter.com/Qt9gbaXKUS — JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) September 20, 2026 View this post on Instagram A post shared by JJ Perez (@thejjperez)