SAN ANTONIO, TX – One panoramic glance around the Alamodome Saturday afternoon presented a glimpse into what was once the standard … or maybe what should be the norm in the current era of college football.

Following an off-season headlined by the dissolution of regional borders via conference realignment that will now result in weekly cross-country excursions to play inter-conference games, two schools separated by just over 50 miles reminded two fanbases where college football roots lie.

A near-historic 49,342 fans packed inside to watch UTSA’s 2023 home-opening 20-13 win over nearby rival Texas State, the first matchup between the two programs in three years. It was the dome’s largest crowd since the Roadrdunners’ first-ever football game in 2012 (56,743). 

The game was always going to be well-attended after a three-year layoff and with UTSA unveiling its latest conference championship banner, but it received added fuel with Texas State’s upset win over Baylor in Week 1. Throw in the added dynamic of UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor taking on his former Gilmer High School quarterback and protegee GJ Kinne, and you had a swath of narratives that only college football could manifest. The Alamodome opened the third level and all but the south endzone upper-level curtains were pulled back to satisfy ticket demand. It's a football rivalry that's just over 10 years old but with Texas leaving the Big 12 and other rivalries being put on ice, regional ties are becoming something of the past making this occasion feel all the more unique. In 2020, both programs announced that the I-35 would continue from 2023 through 2031.

Scanning the pregame scene, the tailgate was wall-to-wall. UTSA comfortably controlled the main area in Lot C, but you couldn’t go 10 yards without seeing a contingent of maroon and gold.

“We’ve never had the second row of cars in the tailgate area before Saturday in three years,” said Jamar Brown, a spring 2023 UTSA graduate, during pregame tailgate. “They said there’s no parking and they actually mean it.”

Brown co-hosts the Joe and Jamar Power Hour Podcast along with Joe Rodriguez. Both have been glued to the football program through Frank Wilson’s exit and Traylor’s hire.

“Our cousins, our uncles, our coworkers, we all went to Texas State or UTSA,” Rodriguez said. “We all went to high school together. We all went to middle school together. These are our neighbors, these are our shopkeepers, are welders. We know each other. These fanbases are intermarried and interlocked and have been for about 10-20 years now.”

For Doug Donley, father of Texas State receiver Drew Donley, it was his first time experiencing the young rivalry that now leans 5-0 in favor of the boys from San Antonio. Doug played his football at Ohio State and is familiar with the value traditional matchups add to college football.

“That's what makes the game so great, when you have rivalries like that,” Donley said. “I think that realignment, it's inevitable, but you still want to be able to have games like this because you can tell the excitement in the stands.”

UTSA fans have yet to lose on the gridiron to Texas State. The phrase “little brother” was definitely thrown around at tailgate by the confident Roadrunner faithful. Some light social media banter from the blue and orange even tried to downplay the significance of the game, but inside the Alamodome was a special scene. It was loud, it was hostile and most of all – it was fun.

“You know, it was cool, it was electric for sure,” Texas State linebacker Brian Holloway said. “We had a lot of fans on our side too. Whenever we would score, the place would erupt up to about the same volume as if as if UTSA scored, so it was cool. It was good that we had a lot of fans come out, and I hope they know that we're gonna move on and from this point on. We're not gonna let them down again.”

It’s all the more impressive considering it was a game that lacked a ton of explosive plays and had consistent momentum quelled by numerous injuries on both sides, including to UTSA star quarterback Frank Harris. It didn’t matter. UTSA’s student section was just as hostile the whole time and Texas State’s traveling faithful came to life as the Bobcats took every haymaker in stride until Harris’ heroics in the third quarter on the go-ahead score to Willie McCoy.

For Texas State fans, they’ll likely replay Kole Wilson’s wide-open stumble at the 7-yard line over in their heads. The 55-yard reception, had he scored, would’ve tied the game at 17 in the fourth quarter when the Bobcats eventually settled for a field goal on that drive instead. For UTSA – it was science. It was prophecy. It’s how it was supposed to happen.

“The sun rises in the East sets in the West. The moon controls the tide and the UTSA Roadrunners beat Texas State Football,” Rodriguez said.