Field Level Media
Sep 4, 2021
Frank Harris passed for one touchdown and rushed for another, Brenden Brady added two rushing touchdowns, and UT-San Antonio held on for a 37-30 win over host Illinois on Saturday night.
UTSA (1-0) never trailed and finished with a 497-412 advantage in total yards. Top running back Sincere McCormick finished with 31 carries for 117 yards for the Roadrunners, and Brady had 11 carries for 67 yards.
Artur Sitkowski completed 22 of 42 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns for Illinois (1-1). Daniel Barker hauled in two touchdown passes and Deuce Spann caught one.
Illinois closed the gap to 30-27 with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Sitkowski to Barker with 9:56 remaining.
Brady silenced the home crowd with a 33-yard touchdown run that made it 37-27 with 4:57 remaining. He burst through the line of scrimmage and sprinted into the end zone untouched.
A 32-yard field goal by Illinois kicker James McCourt cut the deficit to 37-30 with 1:55 to go. Illinois got the ball back in the final minutes but its comeback bid came up short.
UTSA led 20-14 at halftime.
The Roadrunners opened the scoring with 1:32 left in the first quarter. Harris tucked the ball and rushed 9 yards for a touchdown.
Brady increased UTSA's lead to 14-0 with a 7-yard run early in the second quarter.
Illinois sliced the deficit to 14-7 on the next possession. Sitkowski connected with Spann for a 31-yard score.
After a field goal put UTSA ahead 17-7, Illinois tallied another touchdown through the air. Sitkowski fired a 14-yard pass to Barker to pull the Fighting Illini within 17-14.
A 28-yard field goal by Hunter Duplessis gave UTSA a 20-14 lead with 47 seconds left in the half.
The Fighting Illini pulled within 20-17 with 9:22 remaining in the third quarter. McCourt drilled a field goal from 52 yards.
UTSA responded with a 27-yard field goal, the third by Duplessis, to go ahead 23-17 with 3:19 to go in the third quarter.
McCourt hit from long distance once again, this time from 53 yards, to make it 23-20 early in the fourth quarter.
Harris completed his first touchdown pass to put UTSA on top 30-20 with 12:37 remaining. Zakhari Franklin caught the 19-yard score.
--Field Level Media