An occasional series looking ahead to what USF will face in its American Conference schedule
USF vs. UTSA, October 8 (Thursday) at The Alamodome in San Antonio. Kickoff time 7:30 p.m. EDT. TV: ESPN or ESPN2
The schedule-maker did USF no favors with this matchup.
The Bulls will head to San Antonio for a prime time Thursday night game just five days after what could be a tough home game against Temple. The Roadrunners are also coming off a game at Rice with five days to prepare.
Under head coach Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners are 33-5 when playing in front of the home folks. It will be a stern road test for USF, which has to travel to West Point and face Army in the second week of the season.
UTSA is coming off a second straight 7-6 season and is 23-16 overall since joining the American Conference in 2023. Interestingly, one of those wins last season came at home against the team that won the conference championship game -- 48-26 over Tulane (on a Thursday night).
Why UTSA could be really good: It starts with quarterback Owen McCown, who lked the Roadrunners offense that averaged 35.5 points a game last season. But that's not all. UTSA returns lots of help at the skill positions with running back Will Henderson III and receivers David Amador II and AJ Wilson returning.
They also bring back four starters along the offensive line, which means UTSA should once again have a formidible offense.
The Roadrunners' offensive fate depends on how quickly they adapt to new offensive coordinator Rick Bowie, who arrived from Western Kentucky. He replaces Justin Burke, who left to join Will Stein on the staff at Kentucky. Bowie favors an air-raid type of approach, so expect UTSA to play go-go-go. USF will need to get pressure on McCown and the secondary will have to be on its game.
Why UTSA might struggle: Defense was often the Roadruners' Achilles heel last season. They surrendered 40 or more points four times, including 55 in a loss to USF in Tampa. They have only two defensive starters returning and will depend heavily on transfers to shore up that unit.
Compounding the fact is that the defense could be on the field a lot this season, given the offense's up-tempo approach. USF knows what this is like after watching Alex Golesh's high-octane offense move so quickly it forced the defense back on the field quickly -- sometimes too quickly.
USF's defense was on the field an average of 34:36 per game in 2025, one of the highest times in the nation. UTSA could be in a similar situation this season.
X factors: If everything goes to chalk, the Bulls should be no worse than 4-1 coming into this game and could be undefeated if they can get by Army in Week 2.
That probably means a large, hostile, and loud crowd at the Alamodome as UTSA will be out to make a statement of its own. The Bulls manhandled the Roadrunnes 55-23 last year, prompting Traylor to grump about the lack of resources at his program compared to USF.
"They have done a great job. They've invested like incredibly well in their program. Do some research on the amount of money that's on that roster. It's really mind boggling. They look the part. Alex spent his money very wisely and he's got a great roster," Traylor said.
Golesh immediately took offense.
"He's trying to generate more for his own program, but don't do it at the expense of us. Don't do it at the expense of commenting about the resources we have, about what our roster looks like, and how much money is spent on a roster. Your prerogative is to go build your own program," Golesh said.
Yes, Golesh is gone but the issue remains -- particulary for Traylor, considering how much USF is investing in football compared to other programs in the American.
Oh, and one more thing.
East Carolina had the best defense in the American last year and Hartline poached the Pirates defensive coordinator, Josh Aldridge. But there was one night last season Aldridge would probably like to forget.
That was the game against UTSA late in the season when the Pirates were mowed 58-24. It was at the Alamodome.
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