🏟️ There’s No Place Like Home: UTSA Erupts for 88–0 Statement in the Alamodome

By Frankie “The Horn” Calderón | 94.3 The Bird × Far End of the Bench Network
#RiseOfTheRoadrunners | Episode 11 Postgame Blog

“There’s no place like home.”
Dorothy said it best, and Saturday in San Antonio, Coach Clay Stonewall Merritt’s Roadrunners clicked their cleats and delivered the most complete performance of the season.

After a month on the road, #21 UTSA returned to the Alamodome and made sure everyone in the country remembered their name. The Birds didn’t just beat East Carolina — they broke them. From the opening handoff that Robert Henry Jr. turned into a 70-yard touchdown to the relentless pressure of the Southwest Sack Exchange, it was an 88–0 demolition that looked less like a football game and more like a four-quarter mission statement.

This wasn’t just another win. It was proof of concept — a team operating on purpose, at home, and on the edge of something historic.

🔥 The Game in Three Acts

Act I – Lightning in a Dome:
First play from scrimmage. Henry Jr. takes the handoff, hits a crease the size of the River Walk, and 13 seconds later, UTSA led 7–0. The crowd hadn’t even sat down yet, and the tone was set. Kaian Roberts-Day and the “Southwest Sack Exchange” added exclamation points with back-to-back sacks, and ECU never recovered.

Act II – The Avalanche:
David Amador II and Devin McCuin turned the middle of the field into a track meet. Quarterback Owen McCown was surgical — 9-for-9 for 155 yards and two touchdowns — and the offense scored on every single drive. By halftime, the starters were done. The scoreboard read 56–0, and the Alamodome was in full party mode.

Act III – Same Standard, New Faces:
Enter freshman quarterback Jamie Rhett. He didn’t just manage the game; he joined the highlight reel. Rhett threw three touchdowns on six attempts, including a beautiful wheel route to McCuin. John Emory Jr. added two more scores, and even the backups held the line — zero points allowed, zero complacency, and a final line that looked like a basketball score.

📊 The Numbers Tell the Story

ECU Offense:
Three quarterbacks, same story. Starter Katin Houser went 11-for-14 for 69 yards but was sacked six times. His backups, Mike Wright and Chaston Ditta, combined for 63 yards — and four more sacks. Running back London Montgomery finished with -7 rushing yards. That’s not a typo.

UTSA Stars:

• #20 Robert Henry Jr.: 9 carries, 152 yards, 4 TDs — the heartbeat of the offense.

• #27 John Emory Jr.: 9 carries, 99 yards, 2 TDs — the closer.

• #18 David Amador II: 5 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs — matchup nightmare.

• #14 Devin McCuin: 3 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD — smooth and efficient.

• #13 Owen McCown: 9/9 passing, 155 yards, 2 TDs — perfection.

• #8 Jamie Rhett: 4/6 passing, 86 yards, 3 TDs — the next man up.

• #97 Kaian Roberts-Day: 3 sacks, 4 TFLs — the Sack Exchange CEO.

• #10 Kendrick Blackshire: 12 tackles, 4 TFLs, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles — total captain performance.

• #15 Tyan Milton: 2 fumble recoveries, including a 31-yard scoop-and-score — defensive spark plug.

🏈 Frankie’s Game Balls

Offense — Robert Henry Jr.
Every championship team has a heartbeat. For UTSA, it’s #20. Henry ran angry, ran patient, and ran through contact like it owed him money. His first carry set the tempo, and ECU never got back up.

Defense — Kaian Roberts-Day
Three sacks, four tackles for loss, and chaos in every snap he played. He’s now up to 14.5 sacks on the season and climbing draft boards faster than he gets off the line.

X-Factor — Tyan Milton
The safety turned tone-setter. Two fumble recoveries, a touchdown return, and relentless pursuit. The energy guy every locker room needs.

🎥 Film Room: Why It Worked

Merritt’s crew didn’t reinvent the wheel — they sharpened it.

• Offensive Line: Center Ben Rios anchored a front that never lost leverage. ECU’s linebackers were eating pancakes all afternoon.

• Quarterbacks: Both McCown and Rhett executed the RPO game flawlessly, keeping the ECU defense guessing and gassed.

• Defense: The front seven played with the precision of a SWAT team. Four-man rush, eight sacks, five forced fumbles, zero missed tackles in the open field.

• Culture: Even when the backups went in, the standard never dropped. That’s championship DNA.

🧭 The Round-Robin Road to Glory

Three games. One dome. Everything on the line.

Step 1 — @ Army (Season Finale)

The final test before the postseason. UTSA travels north to face an Army team built on discipline and the triple option. It’s a trap game by design — but Clay Merritt’s group knows what’s at stake: finish 12–0, protect the ranking, and secure home-field for the title.

Step 2 — Army vs Navy (Rivalry Weekend)

While UTSA rests and scouts, the service academies will battle for pride and placement. Navy holds the tiebreaker edge to reach the American title game. UTSA will watch closely — both for film and for fate.

Step 3 — AAC Championship: Navy @ UTSA (The Alamo Stands)

The blueprint is set. Navy’s run-heavy, clock-control scheme meets the fastest defense in the conference, under a roof that traps sound like thunder. If this matchup materializes, it’ll be more than a championship — it’ll be a coronation for the program Clay Merritt has built from the dust of the desert to the heart of Texas.

“Three steps. One dome. One destiny.”

📈 By the Numbers — Stat Trends to Watch

• Roberts-Day Sack Total: 14.5 (Leads FBS)

• Henry Jr. Yards Per Carry: 9.2 (Top 5 nationally)

• Amador II TD Streak: 6 straight games

• UTSA PPG: 56.4 (1st AAC)

• Defensive PPG Allowed: 7.1 (1st FBS)

🗣️ Frankie’s Final Word — Pretty Wins Count Too

UTSA didn’t just win — they performed. When you hang 88 and give up nothing, you’re not just undefeated… you’re undeniable. Coach Merritt calls it “controlled fury.” I call it art.

The Alamodome has become more than a home field — it’s a proving ground. And if things break right, San Antonio will host the American Championship under its own roof.

“She’s all that,” I said last week. The shy program turned prom queen. And right now?
She’s walking into the playoffs in heels and shoulder pads.

🎙️ Frankie “The Horn” Calderón
94.3 The Bird | Far End of the Bench Network
📺 Watch Episode 11 + Subscribe for the finale vs Army → FEOTB YouTube Channel 💻 Read every blog in the #RiseOfTheRoadrunners series → feotbpod.org/blog