SAN ANTONIO — So much for any thoughts UTSA quarterback Frank Harris would be rusty after being sidelined since the eighth game of his senior season at Clemens High School in 2016.
Harris, who overcame two knee injuries to earn the starting nod in the Roadrunners' season opener Saturday, made up for lost time and sparkled in his college debut. Looking much like the exciting dual-threat quarterback he was at Clemens, Harris racked up 329 yards of total offense and threw for three touchdowns to lead UTSA to a 35-7 victory over Incarnate Word.
"It's a great experience coming out there and playing my first college game," Harris said. "Just knowing I got the trust of the coaches and my teammates, it was amazing. I'm humbled to be out there, and it's a blessing."
A crowd of 26,787 watched the Roadrunners dominate the Cardinals in a matchup that was billed as the "Hometown Showdown." The game, also the season opener for UIW, was the first meeting on the football field between San Antonio's two Division I schools.
UTSA competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly I-A, and UIW plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (I-AA). FBS schools award 85 scholarships, compared to 65 by those in the FCS.
Harris completed 28 of 36 passes, including his first 13 attempts, for 206 yards and was intercepted once. The pick came at the UIW 2, thwarting a 13-play, 72-yard drive with 29 seconds left in the first half.
Harris had scoring passes of 16 yards to Carlos Strickland, 5 yards to Gavin Sharp and 36 yards to Tykee Ogle-Kellogg. Harris also rushed for 123 yards on 15 carries, setting a school record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He eclipsed the mark of 102 yards, set by Eric Soza in UTSA's inaugural game on Sept. 3, 2011.
"I certainly understand how Frank feels," UTSA coach Frank Wilson said. "I understand how his family feels to be able to finally rejoice after going through so many setbacks early in his career with injuries. Very happy for him and his family."
Harris' senior season at Clemens ended when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He signed with UTSA in February 2017 and sat out his freshman season after graduating from Clemens that same year.
Harris was on track to be UTSA's starting quarterback last season before he tore the ACL in his right knee during spring training in April 2018.
Wilson chuckled when he was asked if Harris was worth the wait. Turning to Harris, he asked, "Was it worth the wait for you?"
Harris quickly replied, "It was."
Harris drew laughter when he was asked about his lack of rust after such a long layoff.
"Well, I've been practicing for about two years," he said. "I haven't got in a game, so I've been practicing for a very long time. Like I said, the coaches believed in me, my teammates believed in me, so it was pretty easy to go out there and be pretty calm.
"My teammates did a great job, O-line, and defense did a great job of holding them, and I couldn't do it without my teammates."
While Harris and the offense had their way, the Roadrunners' defense punished the Cardinals, holding them to only 28 yards rushing in 20 attempts and sacking Jon Copeland four times. Defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler had two sacks. UIW also went 0 of 10 on third-down plays.
UTSA outgained UIW 490-209 in total offensive yardage, finishing with 284 rushing on 47 attempts (6.0 average) and 206 passing in its first game under new offensive coordinator Jeff Kastl. It was marked improved for a unit that finished last in total offense among the FBS' 130 teams last season.
The Cardinals had a tough time against the Roadrunners' deep, physical front throughout the game. Copeland, last season's Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, completed 15 of 31 passes for 181 yards and one TD. He was intercepted once.
"Obviously not the outcome we wanted," UIW coach Eric Morris said. "I thought they played better in every facet than us, special teams, offense and defense. They controlled the clock (40:02 to 19:58). Third-down conversions we were 0 of 10, which credit to them, they had a great plan.
"I called a bad game, didn't have our kids ready in the right spots offensively. They were 8 of 14 on third downs and 2 of 3 on fourth downs. I think they were good in the red zone. So all those things added up over the course of the game."
Wilson said the Roadrunners rotated 12 players for the four positions on their defense front.
"At those four positions we were three deep, and it's the strength of our football team," Wilson said. "It's our most experienced unit and the unit that has the lease amount of drop-off. We're very fortunate to have some experienced guys that have played a lot of football for us.
"It allowed us to put pressure on their quarterbacks, to put pressure on their run game, and to really swarm to the ball. I thought our unit as a whole from a defensive standpoint ran to the ball extremely well. We talked about a piranha-type mentality."
The Roadrunners won handily despite finishing with 13 penalties for 145 yards.
"It's uncharacteristic of us," Wilson said. "It's not like us."
PHOTOS: UTSA wins Hometown Showdown over UIW
Ahead by two touchdowns at the half, UTSA stretched its lead to 28-7 on Harris' 5-yard strike to Sharp with 9:26 left in the third quarter. The score capped a seven-play, 59-yard drive on the Roadrunners' first possession of the second half.
The big play in the scoring march was a 47-yard run by freshman Sincere McCormick, who took a pitch from Harris and sprinted around right end to the UIW 15. McCormick, a Judson graduate, gained 11 plays on the next two plays before being thrown for a four-yard loss on second-and-goal at the 1.
Harris found Sharp in the middle of the end zone on the next play, putting the Roadrunners ahead by three touchdowns.
UTSA scored its first TD on a 16-yard pass from Harris to Strickland with 9:18 left in the opening quarter. Hunter Duplessis converted his first of five extra points for the 7-0 lead.
Harris' scoring strike came five plays after UIW's David Balcomb was held to a four-yard gain on a fake punt. The Cardinals faced a fourth-and-10 at their 44 when their gamble failed.
After forcing a UIW punt on the next possession, the Roadrunners carved out a 14-play, 78-yard drive that ended with Steele grad Brenden Brady's 10-yard TD run on the third play of the second period. Duplessis' extra-point kick put UTSA up 14-0.
UIW roared back on the ensuing possession, scoring on an 11-yard pass from Jon Copeland to Ameer King with 12:12 left in the half. Carson Mohr kicked the extra point to cut UTSA's lead to 14-7. Copeland's TD pass capped a five-play, 75-yard drive that took only 2:15.
The Roadrunners responded with a 10-play, 65-yard drive that ended when Deven Boston scored on a 6-yard run at 7:38 of the first half. The big play in the drive was a 24-yard run by Harris that put the ball at the UIW 15. Duplessis' kick pushed UTSA's lead to 21-7.
The Roadrunners play Baylor at 3 p.m. Saturday in Waco. The Bears opened their season Saturday with a 56-17 rout of FCS team Stephen F. Austin in Waco.
