University of North Texas Athletics
Saturday, November 14
San Antonio, TX
8:00 PM
University of North Texas
at
UTSA
11/10/2026 3:19:00 PM | Football
DENTON – The UNT football team returns to action on Saturday night, as the Mean Green will travel to San Antonio to take on rival UTSA in the Alamodome with kickoff set for 8 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU, with the radio broadcast set for 1190 AM/The Varsity Network.
Head coach Neal Brown and select players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, how the UNT-UTSA rivalry has a little extra on the line this year, preparing to play at the Alamodome and how important turnover margin could be on Saturday night.
Rivalry matchup has plenty on the line this year
The all-time series UNT has played against UTSA has had its fair share of classics and shockers. The Roadrunners (7-2, 4-1 American) enter Saturday night's matchup with an 8-6 advantage, and the Mean Green haven't beaten UTSA in the Alamodome since 2018 – their only win in San Antonio in the history of the rivalry.
Aside from bragging rights, there is plenty on the line when the teams meet up on Saturday night with UNT (7-2, 5-0) as the only team in The American with a perfect conference record and the conference championship game beginning to come into view as the calendar has turned to November.
"This is why you play," UNT head coach Neal Brown said. "We've worked to get to this point to play a meaningful game in November. They've worked too... We're going to get the best version of UTSA in the dome on Saturday night and we have to be ready for that. That's what we're preparing for."
UNT preparing for hostile road environment
Brown talked about his respect for UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, who is one of the legends of Texas high school football from his time at Gilmer, where he won several state championships.
He also has an appreciation for what Traylor has created in the confines of the Alamodome, which is one of the hardest places in the country for opposing teams to win.
"UTSA is a really good team," Brown said. "It starts with head coach Jeff Traylor. He's Mr. Texas. I've known him since I was OC at Texas Tech and he was winning a bunch of games at Gilmer. He's done a phenomenal job at UTSA creating their homefield advantage. They're 37-5 since he's been there and 27-1 in conference. Since he's been there, the only people with higher winning percentages at home is Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State, so credit to them and the environment they've created there at the Alamodome."
To help prepare for the raucous indoor environment, the Mean Green are practicing this week with crowd noise pumped into practice – something they've only done previously this year in the lead up to the season opener at Indiana, which was a sold out stadium celebrating a national champion.
"It's gonna be a great atmosphere," Brown said. "San Antonio is a great town. They've gotten behind UTSA and sort of adopted them as their team. I hope they pack it and have a great crowd. That's good for college football. We've been practicing with noise. Our guys will be ready, but it's going to be a challenge."
Saturday will mark Brown's first game at the Alamodome, while several members of the coaching staff and roster have either played or coached games previously against the Roadrunners. One of those is linebacker Zakye Barker, who was previously at East Carolina.
Two years ago, Barker was injured for the game but did travel and saw the environment with his own eyes.
"It's just another place to play – 100 yards vertical, 53 lateral, and that's no disrespect - it's going to be a special place to play and it's an opportunity to get to go play there … Respect all, fear none. That's been the motto since we went to Indiana, I don't know what else to say."
UNT defense focused on McCown
UTSA quarterback Owen McCown comes from a football family.
His dad, Josh, had an 18-year NFL career, while his uncle Luke McCown played on Sundays for 12 seasons and another uncle, Randy McCown, both played quarterback at Texas A&M in the late 90s.
So it should come as no surprise that the UTSA signal-caller is a gamer.
Brown said the Roadrunners' offensive success starts with what he does under center.
"It starts with their quarterback," Brown said. "Tough dude. He's made 39 career starts. Dual threat and really accurate. You can tell he's the heart of their team."
In nine games this season, McCown has thrown for 2,016 yards and 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions while also rushing for a score.
Turnover margin will be deciding factor in game
Both UNT and UTSA have been on good runs, as of late, in regards to taking the ball away from opponents and holding on to it when they have it.
UTSA's defense has been opportunistic with 17 forced fumbles (six recovered) and they've picked off seven passes. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners have four interceptions and four lost fumbles in their nine games.
UNT, on the other hand, has forced 16 fumbles (seven recovered) and also has seven interceptions. On offense, the Mean Green have five interceptions and have lost four fumbles.
The Mean Green have a forced two or more turnovers in each of the past two games – wins over Florida Atlantic and Rice, and Barker hopes to see that trend continue on Saturday night. Against Rice, the Mean Green forced two turnovers and the offense found the end zone off both ensuing possessions.
"It is our job to be able to create turnovers and take the ball away," Barker said. "That's been a big emphasis for us. I know they come in bunches. Once you get one, you tend to get more. Our goal is to get three or more every game. We want to see more games where we have three or more. That puts us in a good position and our offense in a good position."
On the other side, the Mean Green have just two turnovers in the past four games – a fumble and an interception. Center Chandler Strong spoke about the offense's mentality about taking care of the football.
"It always comes back to protecting who has the ball," Strong said. "Tayven and Jahiem are two guys we know we need and we know we can't win without those guys. The ball is everything. Whoever has the ball and whoever carries the ball, we know we have to keep them safe."
Head coach Neal Brown and select players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, how the UNT-UTSA rivalry has a little extra on the line this year, preparing to play at the Alamodome and how important turnover margin could be on Saturday night.
Rivalry matchup has plenty on the line this year
The all-time series UNT has played against UTSA has had its fair share of classics and shockers. The Roadrunners (7-2, 4-1 American) enter Saturday night's matchup with an 8-6 advantage, and the Mean Green haven't beaten UTSA in the Alamodome since 2018 – their only win in San Antonio in the history of the rivalry.
Aside from bragging rights, there is plenty on the line when the teams meet up on Saturday night with UNT (7-2, 5-0) as the only team in The American with a perfect conference record and the conference championship game beginning to come into view as the calendar has turned to November.
"This is why you play," UNT head coach Neal Brown said. "We've worked to get to this point to play a meaningful game in November. They've worked too... We're going to get the best version of UTSA in the dome on Saturday night and we have to be ready for that. That's what we're preparing for."
UNT preparing for hostile road environment
Brown talked about his respect for UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, who is one of the legends of Texas high school football from his time at Gilmer, where he won several state championships.
He also has an appreciation for what Traylor has created in the confines of the Alamodome, which is one of the hardest places in the country for opposing teams to win.
"UTSA is a really good team," Brown said. "It starts with head coach Jeff Traylor. He's Mr. Texas. I've known him since I was OC at Texas Tech and he was winning a bunch of games at Gilmer. He's done a phenomenal job at UTSA creating their homefield advantage. They're 37-5 since he's been there and 27-1 in conference. Since he's been there, the only people with higher winning percentages at home is Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State, so credit to them and the environment they've created there at the Alamodome."
To help prepare for the raucous indoor environment, the Mean Green are practicing this week with crowd noise pumped into practice – something they've only done previously this year in the lead up to the season opener at Indiana, which was a sold out stadium celebrating a national champion.
"It's gonna be a great atmosphere," Brown said. "San Antonio is a great town. They've gotten behind UTSA and sort of adopted them as their team. I hope they pack it and have a great crowd. That's good for college football. We've been practicing with noise. Our guys will be ready, but it's going to be a challenge."
Saturday will mark Brown's first game at the Alamodome, while several members of the coaching staff and roster have either played or coached games previously against the Roadrunners. One of those is linebacker Zakye Barker, who was previously at East Carolina.
Two years ago, Barker was injured for the game but did travel and saw the environment with his own eyes.
"It's just another place to play – 100 yards vertical, 53 lateral, and that's no disrespect - it's going to be a special place to play and it's an opportunity to get to go play there … Respect all, fear none. That's been the motto since we went to Indiana, I don't know what else to say."
UNT defense focused on McCown
UTSA quarterback Owen McCown comes from a football family.
His dad, Josh, had an 18-year NFL career, while his uncle Luke McCown played on Sundays for 12 seasons and another uncle, Randy McCown, both played quarterback at Texas A&M in the late 90s.
So it should come as no surprise that the UTSA signal-caller is a gamer.
Brown said the Roadrunners' offensive success starts with what he does under center.
"It starts with their quarterback," Brown said. "Tough dude. He's made 39 career starts. Dual threat and really accurate. You can tell he's the heart of their team."
In nine games this season, McCown has thrown for 2,016 yards and 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions while also rushing for a score.
Turnover margin will be deciding factor in game
Both UNT and UTSA have been on good runs, as of late, in regards to taking the ball away from opponents and holding on to it when they have it.
UTSA's defense has been opportunistic with 17 forced fumbles (six recovered) and they've picked off seven passes. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners have four interceptions and four lost fumbles in their nine games.
UNT, on the other hand, has forced 16 fumbles (seven recovered) and also has seven interceptions. On offense, the Mean Green have five interceptions and have lost four fumbles.
The Mean Green have a forced two or more turnovers in each of the past two games – wins over Florida Atlantic and Rice, and Barker hopes to see that trend continue on Saturday night. Against Rice, the Mean Green forced two turnovers and the offense found the end zone off both ensuing possessions.
"It is our job to be able to create turnovers and take the ball away," Barker said. "That's been a big emphasis for us. I know they come in bunches. Once you get one, you tend to get more. Our goal is to get three or more every game. We want to see more games where we have three or more. That puts us in a good position and our offense in a good position."
On the other side, the Mean Green have just two turnovers in the past four games – a fumble and an interception. Center Chandler Strong spoke about the offense's mentality about taking care of the football.
"It always comes back to protecting who has the ball," Strong said. "Tayven and Jahiem are two guys we know we need and we know we can't win without those guys. The ball is everything. Whoever has the ball and whoever carries the ball, we know we have to keep them safe."
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