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The scoreboard told the story before Jon Sumrall could. UTSA 48, Tulane 26.
“Starts with me. Ends with me,” the Tulane head coach said after Thursday night’s blowout. “We got our butts kicked.”
What unfolded inside the Alamodome wasn’t just a setback, it was a dismantling. UTSA quarterback Owen McCown turned in one of the most efficient performances of the season anywhere in college football, completing 31 of 33 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns as the Roadrunners shredded a normally disciplined Green Wave defense.
“He played lights out,” Sumrall said. “I thought he was the best returning quarterback in our league coming into the year, and he played like it tonight.”
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Tulane (6–2, 3–1 AAC) struck first with a sharp opening drive, but UTSA (4–4, 3–1) answered with authority and never trailed again. By halftime, the Roadrunners had built a double-digit lead, and by the fourth quarter, they were in full control.
“We blew a coverage or two, wrong leverage on a few,” Sumrall admitted. “Just things that were uncharacteristic. When we created a negative play, they found a way out of it. When they created one on us, we didn’t.”
Turnovers and missed chances buried Tulane early. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff went 14-of-28 for 194 yards, with two interceptions, before being benched midway through the third quarter. Backup Brendan Sullivan came in and went 6-of-7 for 63 yards and a touchdown, but the damage was done.
“We’ve got to make better decisions with where the ball goes,” Sumrall said. “Jake’s done a lot of good things for us this year, but tonight wasn’t our best.”
Asked about outside speculation, including the LSU head coaching opening, or other distractions, Sumrall didn’t hesitate. “I’m tired of people asking if we’re distracted — distracted by what?” he said. “We’re in the middle of a conference race. It takes full focus.”
Tulane now heads to Memphis for a game that could determine whether its title hopes survive.
“This should hurt. It should sting. It should suck,and it does,” Sumrall said. “But we’ve got a pulse, which means we’ve got a chance.”
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