SPORTS//UTSA
UTSA Steamrolls Temple 62-9 Behind Fitzpatrick’s Historic Night
By Kregg Lucas, Staff Writer
FITZPATRICK CELEBRATES A LONG TOUCHDOWN PASS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — A pregame snub ignited a firestorm that Temple never saw coming. UTSA steamrolled Temple 62-9 on Saturday, fueled by a historic performance from quarterback Cam Fitzpatrick and a collective chip on the Roadrunners’ shoulders.
It all began at the coin toss when Temple’s captains refused to shake hands with UTSA’s captains — a decision that clearly backfired. Fitzpatrick and the Roadrunners took the slight personally and unleashed a record-breaking offensive performance.
Fitzpatrick torched Temple’s defense for 678 passing yards, a school record, along with six touchdowns. His yardage total is now the fifth-most in NCAA history, and his six-touchdown effort gives him four of the top five performances in UTSA history, along with legend Frank Harris’ six touchdown 2021 performance. Fitzpatrick completed 29 of 40 passes, connecting on an astounding 72% of his throws while averaging 16.9 yards per attempt.
After the game, Fitzpatrick didn’t mince words.
“We felt disrespected,” Fitzpatrick said. “That coin toss was bush league. Poor sportsmanship. But hey, they poked the bear, and we put them in their place in their own stadium. I’m not worried about stats — I’m just glad we made our point.”
The "point" came quickly and relentlessly. UTSA jumped to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter behind touchdown passes of 21 yards to David Amador II and 7 yards to Devin McCuin, who went on to have a career night. Temple’s lone highlight was a short touchdown run by Forrest Brock, but that would be the last time they sniffed the end zone until the game was well out of reach.
The second quarter saw UTSA bury the Owls with three deep touchdown strikes. Fitzpatrick connected with McCuin for 60 and 93 yards and found Willie McCoy on a 59-yard bomb. Temple’s secondary had no answer for Fitzpatrick’s precision, and UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor was surprised by Temple’s lack of adjustments.
“We thought we could expose their corners in one-on-one situations,” Traylor said. “But we didn’t expect them to keep playing the same coverage all night. They didn’t adjust, and Cam just kept finding the mismatches.”
Temple’s defense, gashed for 678 passing yards, simply had no response to UTSA’s high-powered attack. Fitzpatrick spread the wealth, with Devin McCuin leading the way with 251 yards and four touchdowns on five receptions, including a jaw-dropping 93-yard score. McCuin’s performance was complemented by David Amador II’s 161 yards and one score, while Willie McCoy added 119 yards and a touchdown.
The second half was more of the same. Fitzpatrick tossed another touchdown, a 74-yard bomb to McCuin, while Kevorian Barnes pounded in a 5-yard rushing score. Chase Allen added two field goals to round out the offensive explosion.
Fitzpatrick now has 4,015 yards on the season and is likely to break Frank Harris' Roadrunners record of 4,059 yards early on in their next game against Tulsa in two weeks. Harris also previously held the touchdown record with 32.
On the other side, Temple’s offense was stifled. Quarterback Forrest Brock struggled, finishing with 194 passing yards on 20-of-35 passing. Temple mustered just 38 rushing yards from leading back Joquez Smith as UTSA’s defense swarmed, led by Kaleb Brown’s 12 tackles and a relentless pass rush that produced five sacks.
The lone bright spot for Temple in the second half was a team safety, an intentional move by UTSA after getting pinned deep on a punt.
Fitzpatrick’s record-setting night — and the 62-point outburst — sent a clear message to Temple and the rest of the college football world: disrespect the Roadrunners at your own risk.
“They fired us up,” Fitzpatrick reiterated postgame. “We played for each other, and we played to show them who we are. That’s what UTSA football is about.”
With the win, UTSA improves to 10-1 and keeps its conference championship aspirations alive, while Temple falls to 5-5. If anyone needed proof of the Roadrunners’ firepower, Cam Fitzpatrick just delivered it — one record-breaking pass at a time.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UTSA: David Amador II 21-yard pass from Cam Fitzpatrick (Chase Allen kick), 7:11
UTSA: Devin McCuin 7-yard pass from Cam Fitzpatrick (Chase Allen kick), 3:13
Temple: Forrest Brock 1-yard run (Josh Ibbara kick), 0:10
Second Quarter
UTSA: Devin McCuin 60-yard pass from Cam Fitzpatrick (Chase Allen kick), 7:53
UTSA: Devin McCuin 93-yard pass from Cam Fitzpatrick (Chase Allen kick), 6:23
UTSA: Willie McCoy 59-yard pass from Cam Fitzpatrick (Chase Allen kick), 4:13
UTSA: Chase Allen 40-yard field goal, 0:43
Third Quarter
UTSA: Cam Fitzpatrick 5-yard run (Chase Allen kick), 5:42
UTSA: Devin McCuin 74-yard pass from Cam Fitzpatrick (Chase Allen kick), 4:36
Fourth Quarter
UTSA: Kevorian Barnes 5-yard run (Chase Allen kick), 5:39
Temple: Team safety, 4:21
UTSA: Chase Allen 45-yard field goal, 0:58
Key Player Stats
UTSA Roadrunners
Passing: Cam Fitzpatrick: 29/40, 678 yards, 6 TDs, 0 INT (School Record; 5th most yards in NCAA history)
Rushing: Kevorian Barnes: 14 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD, R. Griffin: 2 carries, 10 yards, Cam Fitzpatrick: 5 carries, -4 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Devin McCuin: 5 receptions, 251 yards, 4 TDs, long of 93, David Amador II: 7 receptions, 161 yards, 1 TD, long of 52, Willie McCoy: 3 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD, long of 59
Defense: Kaleb Brown: 12 tackles (10 solo), 1 sack, M. Wilkerson: 7 tackles, 0.5 sacks, Z. Robinson: 2 tackles, 1 sack
Kicking: Chase Allen: 2/2 FG (40, 45 yards), 8/8 XP
Temple Owls
Passing: Forrest Brock: 20/35, 194 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing: Joquez Smith: 12 carries, 38 yards, Forrest Brock: 8 carries, 17 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Xavier Irvin: 4 receptions, 56 yards, Z. Baines: 3 receptions, 39 yards, E. Collins: 5 receptions, 37 yards
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