Field Level Media
27 Dec 2025, 11:10 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images)
Owen McCown passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns, Will Henderson III scored three times, and UTSA rallied from an early 14-point deficit Friday night to pound Florida International 57-20 in the First Responder Bowl at Dallas.
McCown, who finished the season with 2,995 passing yards, finished 18 of 28 for the Roadrunners (7-6), who tallied 38 unanswered points during one stretch and outscored the Panthers 57-6 over the final 54 minutes.
Henderson totaled 59 yards on 14 carries with two rushing scores, and he caught a touchdown pass. Devin McCuin (six catches, 73 yards) and Patrick Overmyer added TD receptions as the Roadrunners won a bowl game for the third year in a row.
Joe Pesansky went 11-for-31 for 102 yards with two scores and an interception for the Panthers (7-6), who were playing in their first bowl game since the 2019 Camellia Bowl.
Florida International's Keyone Jenkins completed 7 of 14 passes for 49 yards and an interception.
The Panthers tallied on a 54-yard opening drive that ended with Pesansky firing a 19-yard strike to Kyle McNeal.
Maguire Anderson doubled the margin to 14-0 and shocked UTSA by fielding a punt at the Florida International 3, eluding the first few defenders and sprinting away for a 97-yard punt return with 9:26 left in the first quarter.
It was the longest punt return touchdown in FBS bowl history and it matched the longest punt return in Panthers history, a mark set by T.Y. Hilton against Florida Atlantic in 2011.
However, Henderson soon scored twice, from 2 yards on a run and 40 yards on a pass, to knot the game at 14-all.
On the first play of the second quarter, Michael Petro booted a 37-yard field goal to end a drive set up by Jimmy Wyrick's interception.
The Roadrunners scored on their fourth straight possession when McCuin hauled in a perfect 23-yard lob from McCown for a 24-14 advantage.
A'Marion Peterson powered his way in from 10 yards out with 1:17 left in the second quarter as UTSA notched 31 straight points for a 31-14 halftime lead.
Henderson notched his third touchdown in the third quarter on a 5-yard run.
Pesansky broke UTSA's scoring spree with a 22-yard pass to Dallas Payne. The Roadrunners responded with two points when Ahamad Chapman intercepted Pesansky's two-point attempt and returned it the distance to make it 40-20.
McCown struck paydirt again with a 34-yard toss to Overmyer in the fourth quarter. Petro's 36-yard kick and Bryson Donnell's 12-yard run rounded out the scoring.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Austin Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Austin Globe.
More InformationHYDERABAD, India: With generic rivals waiting in the wings, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are intensifying efforts to lock in market share...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets finished Friday's shortened trading session mixed, with modest losses in blue-chip stocks offset...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: American consumers once again proved to be the backbone of the U.S. economy, pushing growth to its fastest pace in...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration's effort to bring artificial intelligence expertise into the federal workforce has attracted...
LONDON, U.K.: BP has agreed to sell control of its Castrol lubricants business in a US$6 billion transaction, marking a significant...
BAGSVÆRD, Denmark: Novo Nordisk scored a key regulatory win on December 22 after U.S. regulators approved its first oral weight-loss...
STARBASE, Texas: A court decision restoring a long-disputed compensation package has propelled Elon Musk into uncharted territory,...
The United States has now intercepted multiple Venezuelan oil tankers as part of its escalating aggression against Venezuela, while...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A few hours after an initial wave of documents was released, the U.S. Department of Justice posted another batch...
The Israeli military said it shot dead a Palestinian suspected of hurling a block at soldiers on Saturday during an operation in the...
(Photo credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images) Owen McCown passed for 295 yards and three touchdowns, Will Henderson III scored three times,...
(Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images) Texas Tech went into the holiday break on a massive high, but now it's back to work with...
