Senior Night Stampede: #17 UTSA 77, Army 0 — Birds Seal Home Title Game

By Frankie “The Horn” Calderon | Rise of the Roadrunners — Postgame Blog

The following post is a work of fiction created purely for entertainment within the College Football 26 universe. All characters, events, and storylines, including Coach Clay “Stonewall” Merritt, Frankie “The Horn” Calderon, UTSA, and their opponents, are fictional and not affiliated with the NCAA, UTSA, or any real institutions.

The Alamodome Became a Runway

Alamo City under the lights. Senior Night. One job in front of #17 UTSA: win, clinch home field, and keep the American Conference Championship in San Antonio. Navy won earlier to finish 11–1 (8–0 AAC); if UTSA slipped, the title game would’ve moved to Annapolis. Instead, the Birds hit the throttle and never looked back.

Final: UTSA 77, Army 0.

If October is for ghosts, tonight the Southwest Sack Exchange haunted the option. It was ruthless, rhythmic, and over in a blur.

The 90-Second Version (How It Unfolded)

• Bang-bang start: Robert Henry Jr. ripped off a two-play opener for 7–0.

• Short field haymaker: A fumbled return set up a quick strike to De’Corian Clark → 14–0.

• RPO rhythm: Devin McCuin on the screen → 21–0 before the first quarter exhaled.

• Defense to points: Vic Shaw scoop-and-score after Cyrus Juma’s hit.

• Special teams fireworks: Mekhi Anderson 51-yard punt return TD.

• Halftime dagger: Two-minute drill gem to David Amador II at:00 — 56–0 at the break.

• Curtain calls: Seniors stacked touchdowns; the twos closed the book with a Willie McCoy pop-pass score.

Box Score Snapshot

Team Comparison

• First Downs: UTSA 23 | Army 2

• Total Yards: UTSA 621 | Army 145 (157 on kick returns; −12 offensive yards)

• 3rd Down: UTSA 2/3 | Army 0/11

• Final: UTSA 77 | Army 0

UTSA Stars

• QB Owen McCown: 13/15, 156 yds, 5 TD; 2 rush, 12 yds

• RB (Sr) Robert Henry Jr.: 11 rush, 192 yds, 3 TD; 1 rec, eight yds, TD (4 total)

• WR Devin McCuin: 4 rec, 53 yds, TD

• WR David Amador II: 4 rec, 49 yds, TD

• WR (Sr) Willie McCoy: 2 rec, 37 yds, TD (plus pop-pass TD with the twos)

• WR Mekhi Anderson: 7 PR, 119 yds, 51-yd TD

• EDGE Brandon Tucker: 8 tkls, 5 TFL, 1.5 sacks

• DT Kaian Roberts-Day: 7 tkls, 5 TFL, 1.5 sacks

• EDGE Tai Leonard: 4 tkls, 2 TFL, sack

• OLB Vic Shaw: 2 tkls, TFL, scoop-and-score

• S Elijah Newell: 8 tkls

Army Leaders

• QB Dewayne Coleman: 1/1, 6 yds; sacked 4x; 11 rush, −42 (pulled at half)

• QB Zach Mundell: 0/3; sacked 3x; 8 rush, −7

• RB Briggs Bartosh: 6 rush, 24 yds

• MLB Andon Thomas: 6 tkls, TFL, sack

Three Horn Blasts (Key Takeaways)

1) Heisman Audition on Senior Night
Robert Henry Jr. needed one last signature at home. He signed it in bold: 192 yards on 11 carries and four total touchdowns: two cuts, one stiff-arm, and a lot of destiny.
If he’s not in New York, the sport’s lost the plot.

2) The Option Met the Exchange
Army’s triple option ran into a front that lives behind the line of scrimmage. Tucker + Roberts-Day + Leonard choked the mesh, detonated pitches, and stole downs: 0-for-11 on third and −12 offensive yards. That’s not defense; that’s demolition.

3) Hidden Yardage, Loud Points
Mekhi Anderson’s 51-yard house call turned special teams into surround sound. Coverage kept the Army in a phone booth; returns kept UTSA on short fields—complimentary football at stadium volume.

Drive of the Night — “28 in a Blink”

Fumble recovery → Clark TD. Three-and-out → McCuin RPO. Punt → Henry chunk + Henry screen TD. In a handful of snaps, pressure became a party and Senior Night became a victory lap.

Senior Salute — Last Regular-Season Walk at the Dome

• Robert Henry Jr. — heartbeat in cleats; 4 TD and a masterclass in finishing.

• De’Corian Clark — red-zone artist; 2 TD, including the halftime stinger.

• Willie McCoy — speed merchant; pop-pass score with the twos and an exclamation-point glide.

They didn’t just sign the wall on the way out. They painted it.

Chalk Talk Corner — How UTSA Smothered the Triple

• Front mechanics: 4-3 base fits, wrong-arm the QB, knife the dive with interior quickness.

• Alley answer: Safeties triggered on motion; corners forced the pitch with inside leverage.

• Net effect: The “pitch read” became a “panic read.” Negative plays stacked, clock bled, shutout preserved.

Turning Point — The Scoop That Broke the Option

Early in the second quarter, the Army finally tried to throw out of its own end zone. Duma hammered, the ball popped, Vic Shaw scooped and scored. 42–0, and any comeback math evaporated.

Stat Candy & Oddities

• UTSA first-half points: 56

• Army third-down conversions: 0

• McCown’s TD rate: 5 TD on 15 attempts (a third of his completions were sixes)

• Army’s most explosive play: The punt… to Mekhi.

Quote Board

• “Beauty pageants don’t do 77–0, but statements do.”

• “Option football is a math test. UTSA brought the answer key.”

• “If October has ghosts, tonight they wore orange and blue.”

Game Balls

1. Robert Henry Jr. — 11 for 192, 4 TD (Senior Night opera)

2. Brandon Tucker & Kaian Roberts-Day — co-wreckers (10 combined TFL, three sacks)

3. Mekhi Anderson — PR TD and field-position artillery

American Conference Championship Look-Ahead: #21 Navy (11–1, 8–0 AAC)

Why the Dome? Navy’s only blemish is a non-conference loss to Notre Dame, so despite the Midshipmen finishing unbeaten in league, that lone L sends them to San Antonio.

Matchup Frame:

• Styles: Navy’s option is cleaner and quicker than Army’s, with more constrained answers (slot seams, quick perimeter RPOs).

• UTSA Keys on Defense:

  • Win the mesh again: Squeeze the dive with Roberts-Day/Tucker and keep the QB in Leonard’s teeth.

  • Alley discipline: Safeties must trigger fast without overrunning the pitch lane.

  • Third-and-long trap: Force Navy behind the chains; they’re least comfortable there.

• UTSA Keys on Offense:

  • Tempo & RPOs: Make Navy declare fits; punish soft corners with McCuin and Amador II.

  • Henry early & often: Even light boxes are business opportunities.

  • Red-zone precision: Motions/stacks to isolate Clark and create free access fades.

• Hidden Yardage Watch: Mekhi vs. Navy’s coverage units. Flip two fields and you flip the script.

Frankie’s Preview Line:
“Two academies, two attitudes — and one Dome. Beat the option twice, and the bracket has to make room for birds.”

What It Means

• Clinched: Home field for the AAC Championship vs. #21 Navy at the Alamodome.

• CFP Path (series lore): Win the league → draw Cal in the 12-seed game → winner likely visits Clemson. First things first: handle business against the Navy.

Highlights 

• 📺 Watch the Full Episode: Senior Night Finale: #17 UTSA Hosts Army in Regular Season Finale-Rise of the Roadrunners Ep 12

Coach & Locker Room Notes

• Coach Clay “Stonewall” Merritt: “Clean, fast, disciplined. Proud of our seniors. One more job.”

• Henry Jr.: “We owed this building a finish.”

• Defense (group): “Set edges, dive, hit the QB. Repeat.”

Stay With Us

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• Next up: AAC Championship — Navy at UTSA (Alamodome). Bring the noise, Bird Faithful.

Broadcast: 94.3 The Bird x Far End of the Bench | Voice: Frankie “The Horn” Calderon