UTSA Outlasts Colorado State 59-45 as Defense Gives Up 500 Yards

A week after drawing praise against No. 1 Texas, UTSA's defense gave up a 74-yard touchdown on the first snap and four 30-plus-yard pass plays in a 59-45 win.

UTSA defeated Colorado State 59-45 on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, though the victory came with a defensive warning. The Roadrunners surrendered 500 yards one week after their effort in a 30-6 loss to No. 1 Texas drew heavy praise.

That earlier showing featured hard hits on Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning that circulated on highlight reels and a stretch of seven straight drives without a touchdown allowed. Coach Jeff Traylor believes the attention carried a cost. "Our defense got a little big-headed, in my opinion," Traylor said. "They went over there and got after Texas, and did a great job, and they deserved all their flowers."

The correction arrived immediately. On UTSA's first defensive snap, Colorado State kept seven blockers in off play-action — a deep-shot concept Traylor noted has spread through the NFL — to buy time for quarterback K'Saan Farrar. Terrence Smith ran a post from the right slot, and with cornerback Assad Chapman passing him off, safety Cam Upshaw lingering on the run fake and cornerback RJ Lester drawn forward by an intermediate route, Smith caught the ball five yards clear for a 74-yard touchdown. "Ten guys did their job. One guy didn't. It's a touchdown," Traylor said.

The big play became a theme. After conceding only two pass plays of 30-plus yards through three games, UTSA allowed four against the Rams. Traylor also pointed to a misfit on an outside zone run that became Mel Brown's 59-yard gain in the third quarter and a missed assignment on a wheel route that Colorado State converted for 38 yards on fourth-and-3 early in the fourth. Traylor called it the first time this year the big play had surfaced, saying the Rams field "a good offensive football team" and the Roadrunners have "got to be better on defense."

Some of the damage came with defenders where they were supposed to be. Reginald Vick pulled in a 37-yard catch over tight coverage from cornerback Zach Morris in the second quarter, then added another 37-yard reception on fourth-and-8 late in the third that was completed even though safety Nate Robinson was well positioned. Traylor acknowledged Colorado State simply finished those plays.

Farrar, a backup playing because of an injury to usual starter Hauss Hejny, finished 29 of 46 for 344 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. "That quarterback made some plays, now. He really did," Traylor said. "If you grade it, it's not as bad as you think it is."

The film offered some encouragement for the Roadrunners. UTSA missed 10 tackles, per Pro Football Focus, yet charted its highest tackling grade of the season, and Tralar said the defensive front held up at the point of attack, tracing unsuccessful runs to gap assignments rather than a lack of physical strength.

Linebacker Darion White welcomed the result but not the performance. "I'm happy we got the dub, but not satisfied, coming from a defensive standpoint," White said. "We gave up too many points. Too many errors, in some points. But we can get better." He said the unit would "get that fixed come Monday" and "come out firing on all cylinders at the beginning," a mandate UTSA carries into the American Conference schedule ahead.