Sincere McCormick registered his fourth 100-yard game of the season and UTSA held Louisiana Tech to 35 second-half yards in a 27-26, come-from-behind victory in Conference USA action on Saturday night at the Alamodome.

The Roadrunners trailed by 13 points twice in the second half, but they piled up 269 yards of offense over the final 30 minutes and used a stingy defense to improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in league play and snap a six-game losing streak against the Bulldogs (3-3, 2-2).

LA Tech held a 26-20 lead with time winding down in the final frame before McCormick broke loose for a 45-yard dash up the middle to knot the score. Hunter Duplessis drilled the extra point to hand UTSA its first lead of the night at 27-26 with 6:16 remaining.

The Bulldogs had two more tries to reclaim the lead but the UTSA defense forced a punt and later sealed the win after Antonio Parks picked off a pass with under a minute remaining.

McCormick, a sophomore from Converse Judson, rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns on a school-record 37 carries for his second straight and seventh career 100-yard performance on the ground. The nation’s leading rusher tied another UTSA record with his three scores and upped his season yardage total to 867, which ranks fourth on the program’s single-season list, and 1,850 for his career, good for third all-time.

Meanwhile, Rashad Wisdom posted 10 tackles to pace a defense that held the Bulldogs to 247 yards, the fewest allowed by the Roadrunners since surrendering 209 to UIW in the 2019 season opener. Parks had six stops and a forced fumble to go along with his interception, while Trevor Harmanson and Jamal Ligon turned in eight and seven tackles, respectively.

Staring at a 19-6 halftime deficit, UTSA opened the third quarter with a 15-play, 75-yard scoring march that took 5:24 off the clock. McCormick had 43 rushing yards — including a pair of 13-yard dashes — to spearhead the drive, while Julon Williams completed an 8-yard pass to quarterback Frank Harris on a trick play to convert a key fourth down before McCormick found paydirt from two yards out.

UTSA’s defense then forced a three-and-out and the Roadrunners regained possession near midfield. However, Ezekiel Barnett picked off a pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown to help LA Tech push the lead back to 13 with 6:32 on the clock in the third quarter.

The Roadrunners threatened to cut into the deficit early in the fourth quarter but Duplessis saw his consecutive field goals streak come to an end at 23 when his 43-yard attempt was blocked.

UTSA pulled to within 26-20 with 10:28 left to play after a 6-yard TD dash by McCormick that was set up by a 54-yard pass from Harris to Tykee Ogle-Kellogg, who had four receptions for 96 yards.

Luke Anthony completed 22 of 33 passes for 148 yards and a TD and Israel Tucker rushed for 70 yards to lead the LA Tech offense, while Trey Baldwin led all players with 18 tackles and an interception.

The Bulldogs got on the board first after Jacob Barnes made a 27-yard field goal to cap the game’s opening possession.

The Roadrunners answered on their first drive with a field goal of their own when Duplessis split the uprights from 21 yards to knot the score.

Barnes drilled a pair of field goals early in the second stanza to give the visitors a 9-3 lead before Duplessis nailed his second kick of the night, this one from 37 yards, to make it a three-point contest with 6:36 left until halftime.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to 16-6 following a 13-yard pass from Anthony to Jacob Adams on a fourth-and-two play. Barnes hit his third field goal of the evening, a 24-yarder with 29 seconds remaining in the half to push the advantage to 13.

The Roadrunners will travel to Boca Raton, Fla., to face Florida Atlantic (1-1, 1-1) next Saturday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Chris Duel

About Chris Duel