Frisco, TX – UTSA’s head coach, Jeff Traylor, may never look at coffee the same way again after Tuesday night’s 35-17 Frisco Bowl win over Marshall. It was the Roadrunner’s first NCAA bowl win in school history, a program that was 0-4 in bowl games. They rallied down double digits for the first time this season, overcame their starting quarterback, Frank Harris, who didn’t play due to a shoulder injury and played through multiple in-game injuries, especially on the defense. It was an unforgettable night where one would feel like a tub of coffee pours on you.
Tuesday’s matchup featured two teams who recently moved out of Conference USA. UTSA (8-4) and Marshall (6-6) were in-conference opponents for nine years until the Thundering Herd moved to the Sun Belt in 2022 following UTSA’s move to the American Athletic Conference the following year. It’s the fourth meeting between these two schools, which Marshall’s defense dominated, outscoring the Roadrunners 64-19 (Marshall won two of the three meetings).
Marshall started the 2023 season strong, winning their first four. However, they dropped five straight, including 10+ point losses in four straight. Their 35-21 win over Arkansas State solidified their position to go bowling. In the meantime, UTSA met Tulane in their final game with a chance to face SMU for the American title. But Tulane’s defense stiffened up and took the post-Thanksgiving game 29-16, ending UTSA’s regular season.
After UTSA went three-and-out and Marshall picked up one first down, the Thundering Herd’s defense set the tone. Eli Neal intercepted a pass in the red zone by Owen McCown. Marshall took quick advantage as Eli Payne capped off the immediate goal-to-go with a one-yard touchdown run. Both offenses couldn’t muster up anything in the first quarter as the teams combined 66 total yards in the first, along with another Marshall interception of McCown by Micah Abraham deep in Marshall territory.
Despite the offensive stalls on both sides, Marshall matched the total yardage on the first play of the second quarter. Rasheen Ali busted through 64 yards to the end zone to extend Marshall’s lead to 14-0 twelve seconds into the second. The Ali 64-yarder became a Frisco Bowl record for the longest touchdown run. UTSA answered with an eight-play and sixty-two-yard drive ending with a Robert Henry score, cutting the Thundering Herd lead back to seven at 14-7.
UTSA got the ball back after Marshall went three-and-out on their following possession. The Roadrunners did what a roadrunner does: speed down the field. Owen McCown found Joshua Cephus on a 44-yard touchdown pass, evening up the game at 14. Marshall picked up a 46-yard completion from Cole Pennington to Jayden Harrison, but the drive stalled and led to a Rece Verhoff field goal. On the ensuing drive, it was another productive and methodical drive by the Roadrunners. It ended with another Henry score that resulted in a 13-play and 75-yard drive to close out UTSA’s half and give them the 21-17 lead at the break. The Roadrunners accumulated 230 total yards in the 2nd despite only 16 yards in the first quarter. “We stayed locked in,” UTSA wide receiver and offensive MVP Joshua Cephus said about the offense after the first. “Of course, there’s going to be a little adversity, but we just stayed locked