By Kelly Marshall
Austin Sports Journal

UTSA is going bowling for the sixth straight season.

The Roadrunners were selected to face FIU in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Friday, Dec. 26, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Under sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA (6–6, 4) will be making its seventh bowl appearance in program history and its second trip to the First Responder Bowl, having previously played in the game during the 2020 season.

The Roadrunners closed the regular season with wins in two of their final three games to secure postseason eligibility.

FIU enters the postseason with a 7–5 record and a four-game winning streak. The Panthers finished 5–3 in Conference USA play and will be making another bowl appearance after a strong second-half surge.

The matchup will be the fifth all-time meeting between UTSA and FIU. The series is tied 2–2, with the Roadrunners claiming a 30–10 victory in Miami on Oct. 14, 2022, in the most recent meeting between the programs.

UTSA will be seeking its third consecutive bowl victory.

Last year, the Roadrunners rolled past Coastal Carolina 44–15 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

In 2023, UTSA earned the first bowl win in program history with a 35–17 victory over Marshall in the Frisco Bowl. The Roadrunners enter this year’s postseason with a 2–4 overall bowl record.

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

UTSA vs. FIU

When: Friday, Dec. 26 | 7 p.m. CT

Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium — Dallas, Texas

TV/Radio: ESPN | UTSA Radio Network

All-time series: Tied 2–2 (UTSA won last meeting 30–10 on Oct. 14, 2022 in Miami)