Bo’s Bits Vol. 2: FIU, UTSA Have HAD Notable Quarterbacks, Coaches Historically

By Bo Carter, NFF National Correspondent

If there is one thread that connects two football programs some 1,381 miles apart, it is great quarterbacks historically for the FIU and UTSA programs who both started within the last 25 years. 

And expect some fireworks on offense from both opponents on Dec. 26 during the 16th Annual SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, which traditionally has been one of the nation’s highest scoring postseason clashes.

FIU started the trend in 2005 with transfer signal caller Josh Padrick when he paced the Sun Belt Conference in completions with 221 (on 366 attempts) for 2,461 yards and 13 TDs for additional league-topping totals. Padrick continued in 2006 to raise his career totals to a then-school-record 434-of-754 passing for 57.6 percent, 4,475 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also paced FIU to its top finish in early school annals (5-6) as a junior.

Then along came Mississippi State transfer QB Wesley Carroll who helped the Panthers attain a Little Caesars Bowl berth against Toledo in 2010 and an8-5 finish. Carroll threw for 2,623 yards and 16 TDs that season for head coach Mario Cristobal (now the Miami Hurricanes mentor) before going 200-of-332 passing as a senior with 14 TDs and just four interceptions. That ended with a Beef-O’Brady’s Bowl trip to meet Marshall and a career 60 percent-plus passing tally for the standout youngster.

Then fast forward to 2018 and QB James Morgan, who went to the airways for 213-of-326 tries for a 65.3 percent success rate, 2,727 yards and 26 TDs for another bowl squad with a school-record 9-4 mark and 32-9 thumping of Toledo in the Bahamas Bowl under head coach Butch Davis.

In the ’25 season, three-year regular QB Keyone Jenkins has continued his mastery under center with 157-of-249 passing for 1,693 yards and nine TDs despite missing three full games with injuries. His 32-game career tallies are all school records: 539-of-885 aerially for 60.9 percent completions, 6,664 yards and 42 TDs. He also has rushed for 13 TDs since 2023 for FIU.

UTSA under former Texas prep coaching legend Jeff Traylor has continued a tradition of standout passers with Frank Harris, who played five seasons because of COVID-19 eligibility. Over 54 games, he was 1,034-of-1,547 passing for 11,862 yards and 92 TDs – all current school records. Harris also led the Roadrunners to five consecutive bowl appearances toward the current school record of six straight bowl showings through 2025.

Behind Harris is current two-year starter Owen McCown who owns 259-of-382 passing totals for 67.8 percent, 2,700 yards and 27 TDs in the first 12 contests of 2025. As a sophomore in ’24 he was an even more impressive 294-of-467 passing for 3,424 yards and 25 scores. McCown seems poised for another possible 300-yard passing night in this year’s SERVPRO First Responder Bowl.

Prior to these two passing aces, the Roadrunners had three-year starter and steady passer Dalton Sturm with 2014-17 total of 35 contests, 482-of-811 passing for 5,768 yards and a sterling 49 TD tosses. 

And in 2012 and ’13 rocket-armed Eric Soza made his mark for UTSA with 22-game totals of 402-of-659 passing for 61 percent accuracy, 4,804 yards and 32  TDs. A typical performance for Sosa was 18-of-30 passing for 218 yards and almost 1.5 TD tosses each encounter.

If the exciting offenses these two programs have featured over the last three decades are any indication, fans again will see the scoreboard lighting up every few minutes and defensive backs panting on the sidelines.

For ticketing and additional information, please access firstresponderbowl.com.

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