Texas' Next Opponent Is Coming Off Its Own Comeback Win

UTSA arrives in Austin after rallying past Texas State, giving the Longhorns an intriguing opponent coming off an emotional victory of its own.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian waits to lead his team onto the field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas won't have to look far to find a team that understands what it feels like to pull off a dramatic comeback.

The Longhorns are still riding the high of their 24-23 comeback against No. 1 Ohio State, but UTSA arrives at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with its own late-game rally fresh in its memory.

The Roadrunners trailed Texas State 17-7 at halftime before outscoring the Bobcats 24-9 over the final two quarters. UTSA eventually fell behind 26-24 with fewer than five minutes remaining, only to answer with a game-winning 25-yard touchdown run from Brandon High Jr. with 14 seconds left.

That creates an unusual parallel heading into Saturday. Both teams enter the matchup 2-0, both just experienced emotional wins and both had to make plays late to finish the job.

UTSA Is Bringing Confidence to Austin

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning hands off to running back CJ Baxter against the Ohio State Buckeyes. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

UTSA's comeback wasn't nearly as dramatic as Texas' 20-point fourth-quarter rally, but the Roadrunners showed plenty of resilience in San Marcos.

Quarterback Owen McCown completed 28 of 42 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver AJ Wilson Jr. caught nine passes for 83 yards. UTSA also converted two fourth downs on its final possession before High broke free for the winning score.

That matters because Saturday won't simply be about Texas recovering from the emotional win over Ohio State.

The Longhorns are now the No. 1 team in the country, and UTSA gets the opportunity to walk into Austin with nothing to lose.

The Roadrunners also have some momentum of their own.

UTSA's offense has been productive through two games, and McCown has completed 72.5 percent of his passes this season, according to a preview from Burnt Orange Nation. The Roadrunners also haven't allowed a sack through their first two games.

That makes the matchup more interesting than the records alone might suggest.

Texas will be expected to control the game, but UTSA has already demonstrated that it can stay composed when a game gets tight. Against Texas State, the Roadrunners repeatedly answered when the Bobcats appeared ready to take control.

Texas just experienced something similar against Ohio State.

The difference is that the Longhorns now have to manage the aftermath of their biggest regular-season win in years. UTSA gets to play freely while Texas deals with a completely different kind of challenge: maintaining its standard after reaching the top of the rankings.

That makes Saturday less about what happened last week and more about whether Texas can immediately turn the page.

UTSA has already shown it can come from behind.

Texas knows exactly how dangerous that can be.

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