Postgame Notes: 2025 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
— Both FIU and UTSA are relative newcomers to the college football world as UTSA started varsity football in 2010 and finishes its 16th season with a 98-87-0 overall record and two conference titles through the years. FIU is just in its 24th campaign with an all-time mark of 99-184-0 and one conference title. Interestingly, these are two of a handful of NCAA FBS programs never having a tie game after FBS adopted overtime game rules prior to the 1996 campaign.
— This was the fifth meeting (first in 11 years) of the Golden Panthers and Roadrunners with UTSA leading 3-2 after tonight’s win. UTSA captured the previous contest between the colleges 30-14 at Miami in 2022, and the rivals first faced off in 2014 with UTSA prevailing 16-13.
— FIU is 23-33 against 10 different current members of the American Conference while former Conference USA contender (two-time champion in 2021 and ’22) UTSA is 24-14 against eight current CUSA members since the loop underwent major re-configuration prior to 2023.
— The Golden Panthers are 2-4 in bowl tests with four bowl outings coming since the 2017 season. UTSA now is 3-4 in postseason activity with the last six contests coming under the guidance of head coach Jeff Traylor in consecutive seasons from 2020-25. FIU has won two of its last three postseason clashes while UTSA nailed down seeking a school-record third consecutive bowl triumph after going 0-4 in its first four bowls. Current Miami (Fla.) head coach guided FIU to its first two bowl appearances in 2010 and ’11. Two of the three UTSA bowl victories have come in the 2023 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl and the ’25 SPFRB.
— In the first quarter FIU’s Maguire Anderson shattered NCAA bowl and SPFRB records for longest punt return with a 97-yarder for a TD. That broke the previous mark of 64 yards 12 years ago (2013) by Josh Steward of Oklahoma State vs. Purdue. The previous mark was 92 yards by three players - 92 yards (three times) - Tarheeb Still (Maryland) vs. Virginia Tech, 2021 Pinstripe Bowl; Brandon Boykin (Georgia) vs. Michigan State, 2012 Outback Bowl; Quinton Jones (Boise State) vs. Boston College, 2005 MPC Computers Bowl. Anderson’s punt return also was the longest play of any type in the SPFRB to top a pair of 86-yards touchdown runs from scrimmage by Eric Stephens (Texas Tech) vs. Northwestern, 2011; and Myles Gaskin (Washington) vs. Southern Miss, 2015.
— Also in the first period, the teams combined for a SPFRB 28 points to top the previous composite score of 21 points in both the 2015 game (Washington 14, Southern Miss 7) and 2023 contest (Texas State 14, Rice 7). One quarter later, the teams tied two other games (2016 – Army 24, North Texas 21; and 2023 - Texas State 24, Rice 21) for 45 composite points in the first half. The 45-point combined score also tied the Oregon-James Madison halftime total for most markers in any post-2025 bowl.
— The 77 composite points scored represented the second-highest tally in the SPFRB behind 83 in the inaugural Texas Tech 45-38 win over Northwestern in 2011.
— UTSA’s 31 unanswered points after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter represented the second-most unanswered points in the SPFRB behind Oklahoma State with 45 consecutive and unanswered points to set the mark with a 45-0 lead in that 58-14 win over Purdue in 2013. Then the Roadrunners scored with 8:25 left in the third quarter to make it 38 unanswered markers – seven behind the OSU record here. The Roadrunners also were on pace to top Houston’s SPFRB mark of 600 yards of total offense for the 2012 game against Penn State with 310 net yards on 41 plays and a 7.6 average in the first half. UTSA also began the skirmish with 7-for-7 red zone opportunities for scores. UTSA’s 57-6 run after the 14-0 deficit led to the second-most points scored in the SPFRB behind Oklahoma State’s 58 points against Purdue in 2013. The 57-point total was the most in any bow to date while topping 51 by Oregon in the Ducks 51-34 CFP win over James Madison.
— Another rarity in the game and a first in the SPFRB: UTSA cornerback Ahamad Chapman intercepted a pass on a two-point conversion try by FIU in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a two-point defensive touchdown – believed to be the first in 19 post-2025 bowls. NCAA records also are being checked by STATS Inc. to see if there ever has been an instance of a punt return for a TD and a two-point defensive touchdown in a bowl game or any NCAA or collegiate contest.
— FIU earned six first downs by penalty for a SPFRB game high as UTSA was penalized a near-record 128 yards on 10 infractions – one yard off the bowl mark of 129 yards by Texas State in 2023.
— Last year’s game made national headlines as Texas State remained undefeated in bowl tussles t 2-0 with a win over neighboring North Texas 30-28 in the closest (two-point margin) in SERVPRO First Responder Bowl annals. It also was the starting debut for UNT QB Drew Mestemaker (his first start since the ninth grade in Austin, Texas) as he passed for 393 yards and two touchdowns. That was one point closer than the previous close call in a 31-28 (three points) win by Air Force over Louisville in 2021.
— Teams from Texas now are 6-4 in the SPFRB with identical 1-1 records in the 2023 and 2024 season contests when two teams apiece from the Lone Star State competed. Texas Tech first appeared in the then-Ticket City Bowl in January 2011. There have been five different colleges from Texas appearing in the First Responder bowl along UTSA - Houston, North Texas, Rice, Texas Tech, and UTSA.
— Tonight’s attendance was 8,671. Owen McCown was Game MVP.
— The team scoring first had won the last six SERVPRO First Responder Bowls from 2020-January 2025 before FIU jumped ahead 7-0 and then 14-0 before finally falling to UTSA 57-20.
— The two head coaches have established winning traditions and postseason treks at both their assignments. First-year FIU head coach and former star QB at Clemson and The Citadel Willie Simmons is 73-30 (.709 winning percentage) in nine seasons at Prairie View A&M, Florida A&M and the Golden Panthers with a NCAA FCS playoff appearance, Celebration Bowl win at FAMU in 2023 and the current bowl trek with a 0-1 FBS bowl mark. UTSA’s Jeff Traylor, noted as one of the top high school coaches in East Texas history and a master recruiter, lifted UTSA to national prominence starting with his first season in 2020 with a trip to Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl and five bowl games in success afterward. He has coached in six of the Roadrunners seven bowl contests and is now 53-26 (.670) overall and 3-3 in bowls. Both coaches rank among the Top 50 nationally in active career NCAA FBS winning percentage.
— The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl has been and continues to be one of the highest-scoring postseason encounters nationally. Tonight’s tilt added to that legacy with 77 total points.
— The Jan. 1, 2011, TicketCity Bowl and a 45-38 Texas Tech win over Northwestern started with 83 composite points. Other games totaling 70-plus points in the SPFRB have been Oklahoma State’s 58-14 win (72) over Purdue in 2013 and Washington’s 44-31 victory (75) over Southern Miss in 2015 before a series of late tornadoes struck the DFW area later that evening. Army West Point and North Texas also registered 69 combined points in the Black Knights 38-31 overtime triumph over the Mean Green in 2016. The two offenses prior to tonight had similar potential with FIU rolling to No. 41 nationally with 4,906 yards of total offense, 44 touchdowns, 408.8 yards per game, and 5.9 yards per play from scrimmage. The Roadrunners entered the game just ahead of that pace with No. 35 nationally totals of 4,963 yards of total offense, 48 touchdowns, 413 yards per contest, and 6.0 yards per play. The final composite total offense in this game was 736 yards (481 by UTSA and 255 by FIU).
— This is the 19th bowl of 44 (including the College Football Playoff) on the post-2025 slate and the lone matchup on Dec. 26 of American and Conference USA entries. The American is now 1-3 in four bowls while Conference USA teams (3-3 to date in bowls) leads all circuits in bowl victories and games played so far with six. There are eight total teams from the American playing in post-2025 bowls while CUSA has representation from seven universities with Louisiana Tech still on the docket. The Big Ten Conference leads all loops with a 4-0 mark through Dec. 26 and at least 10 games, plus CFP additional contests, remaining.
— There now has been a bowl game played (or started) in Dallas for 90 consecutive seasons. The skein opened Jan. 1, 1937, when TCU edged Marquette 16-6 in the inaugural Cotton Bowl Classic at Fair Park Stadium (later renamed Cotton Bowl Stadium). There actually were three other bowl games played on that same site Jan. 2, 1922, with Texas A&M downing 1920s Southern power Centre (Ky.) 22-14, Jan. 1, 1925, West Virginia Wesleyan edged SMU 9-7 and Jan. 1, 1934, Arkansas and Centenary (La.) tied 7-7. The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl was a New Year’s Day or Jan. 2 clash in its first four seasons and then switched to December dates from 2015-23 and then back to January in 2025. This game originally was meant to fill the void left at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas when the Cotton Bowl Classic moved to AT&T Stadium in January 2010, 14 of the 16 SPFRB games have been played in December.
— It might be termed the “Alphabet Bowl” as FIU and UTSA meet tonight. This is the only post-2025 bowl with two universities that prefer to go by alphabetical names instead of Florida International and UT San Antonio. Others in this same genre but not competing against one another are BYU, LSU, SMU, TCU, UAB, UCF, UCLA, ULM, USF, and local college baseball power DBU.
— This is the first tussle involving at least one team outside Texas since the Dec. 27, 2022, Memphis-Utah State contest as Rice met Texas State in 2023 (those two schools are rematched in the Jan. 2 Lockheed Martin First Responder Bowl in Fort Worth) and North Texas tangled with Texas State in January 2025 in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. The 1937 Sun Bowl in El Paso was the first NCAA-recognized all-Texas bowl as Hardin-Simmons defeated Texas School of Mines (now UTEP) 34-6. FIU is playing its first bowl foe from Texas tonight.
— The first 15 SPFRB contests kicked off at 2 p.m. (CST) or earlier with last year’s 4:30 p.m. (CST) airtime also beginning in daylight hours. This is the first true night game in SERVPRO First Responder Bowl history and continues a 16-time history of live telecasts on the ESPN family of networks.
— UTSA is now 14-12 overall (back-to-back seven-win teams) in its last two seasons and is 46-21 since 2021. FIU already enjoyed its best overall record at 7-5 entering the bowl since the 2018 Panthers finished 9-4 with a 35-32 Bahamas Bowl verdict over Toledo and closed 7-6 overall. FIU also had a three-win turnaround from a 4-8 mark in 2024.
— The SPFRB has jump-started teams or revitalized several programs after they played here. A 2025 example is first-time competitor Texas Tech from the original Ticket City Bowl in 2011 to its first College Football Playoff appearance against Oregon in the 2026 Capital One Orange Bowl. Oklahoma State went from a 2012 appearance to play in the 2013 Goodyear Cotton Bowl and kept a school-record streak of bowl trips alive (21 over 22 seasons from 2002-23). Washington’s 2013 showing in Dallas against Southern Miss led to the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, the 2017 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, the 2019 Rose Bowl and the 2023 season College Football Playoff championship game against Michigan. Only four of the previous 25 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl competing teams from 2011-January 2025 did not advance to bowls during the next season.
— UTSA now has tied Texas State with the second-most appearances in the SPFRB with two behind North Texas with three trips to this Dallas classic.
— The 2011 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (then the Ticket City Bowl) featured a current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (Rep.-Ala., elected in January 2021) who is undefeated in head coaching assignments at this bowl after leading Texas Tech to a 45-38 win over Northwestern. Sen. Tuberville was a head coach for 21 seasons at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati before entering politics and had a 159-99 overall record with 13 bowl visits and a 7-6 postseason worksheet.
— The two starting quarterbacks have played key roles for both crews getting into the postseason with FIU’s Keyone Jenkins going 188-of-332 in the air for 22 TDs and 2,557 yards and UTSA’s Owen McCown hitting 259-of-382 passing for 2,700 yards (47th nationally in FBS aerial yards) and 27 TDs through 12 contests. Tonight Jenkins started the game and but did not have significant rushing or passing stats until the second half when he was 7-of-14 for 49 yards in a relief role. McCown passed for 295 yards on 18-of-28 tries and three TDs (one off the SPFRB individual record of four TD tosses by Texas Tech’s Taylor Potts against Northwestern (to bring his totals as a freshman at Colorado and three years at UTSA to 671-of-1,035 passing for 7,461 yards and 61 TDs.
— Punters Trey Wilhoit of FIU and Tallahassee, Fla. (a rarity for a U.S. punter in college football these days with a 43.9 average), and Caile Hogan of UTSA via punting-endowed Melbourne, Australia (with a 46.2 average before the game to rank 12th nationally) have been integral to both colleges’ field position and defense in ’25. That duo punted six times for a 41-yards-plus average tonight.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Results
Records By Conference Appearances by season
Games W-L Pct.
Sun Belt 3 3-0 1.000 2020-23-25
Pac-12 2 2-0 1.000 2015-17
Independent 1 1-0 1.000 2016
Big 12 3 2-1 .667 2010-12-17
CUSA 8 4-4 .500 2011-13-14-15-16-19-20-25
The American 4 2-2 .500 2022-23-25(2)
Mountain West 3 1-2 .333 2013-18-21
MAC 1 0-1 .000 2019
ACC 2 0-1 .000 2018-21
Big Ten 4 0-4 .000 2010-11-12-14
Most points scored (one team) 58, Oklahoma State vs. Purdue, 2013
Most points scored (losing team) 38, Northwestern vs. Texas Tech, 2011
Most points scored (both teams) 83, Texas Tech vs. Northwestern, 2011
Fewest Points Allowed 10, Memphis vs. Utah State, 2022
Largest margin of victory 44 (58-14), Oklahoma State vs. Purdue, 2013
Total yards 600, Houston vs. Penn State (532 pass, 68 rush), 2012
Rushing yards 480, Army vs. North Texas, 2016
Passing yards 532, Houston vs. Penn State, 2012
First downs 34, Texas Tech vs. Northwestern, 2011
Fewest total yards allowed 153, Utah vs. West Virginia, 2017
Fewest rushing yards allowed 22, Washington vs. Southern Miss, 2015
Fewest passing yards allowed 53, North Texas vs. Army, 2016
Field goals 3 (four times; last: WKU, 2019
Individual Records
Total offense 542, Case Keenum (Houston) (532 pass, 10 rush), 2012
All-purpose yards 228 Patrick Edwards (Houston), 2012
Total Touchdowns 4, Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Rushing yards 181, Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Rushing touchdowns 4, Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Passing yards 532, Case Keenum (Houston), 2012
Passing touchdowns 4, Taylor Potts (Texas Tech), 2011
Receiving yards 228, Patrick Edwards (Houston) , 2012
Receiving touchdowns 3 times, most recent: Eddie Lewis (Memphis), 2022
Total Tackles 15, shared by: Quentin Davie (Northwestern), 2011; Jeremy Timpf (Army), 2016
Sacks 4.5, Houston Bates (Louisiana Tech), Dec. 2014
Interceptions 2, 4 times, Nick Saenz (Houston), 2012; Julian Blackmon (Utah), 2017; Sylonta Oliver (Memphis), 2022; Brian Holloway (Texas State), 2023 – record two returns for TDs
Longest Plays
Touchdown run 86 yds., shared by: Eric Stephens (Texas Tech), 2011; Myles Gaskin (Washington), 2015
Touchdown pass 80 yds., Cody Sokol to Kenneth Dixon (Louisiana Tech), Dec. 2014
Kickoff return 49 yds., Marcus Sullivan (UNLV), 2014
Punt return 97 yds., McGuire Anderson (FIU), 2025 (longest play of any type)
Interception return 69 yds., Kareem Ali (Western Michigan), 2019
Fumble return 37 yds., Daytawion Lowe (Oklahoma State), 2013
Punt 65 yds., Quinn Sharp (Oklahoma State), 2013
Field goal 53 yds., Conner Coles (Utah State), 2022
Note: the two-point defensive touchdown by UTSA does not count against FIU passing or add any total return yards to UTSA’s interception total by NCAA statistical rules.
Other Quick Team Notes:
FIU
— FIU closed the ’25 campaign with a school-record 14 All-Conference USA choices on all teams and entered the game with the fifth-most 20-plus yard plays from scrimmage with 31. They added two runs or passes of 20 or more yards tonight, plus the record, 97-yard punt runback for a score by Maguire Anderson.
— The Panthers needed a win tonight to set a school record with a five-game winning streak.
— FIU was looking for its first bowl triumph since 2018 and its first postseason victory on U.S. soil since a 34-32 win over Toledo in the 2010 Little Caesars Bowl. The Panthers topped Toledo by almost the same score 35-32 in the ’18 Bahama Bowl.
UTSA
— UTSA scored 50 or more points for the third time this season after a 61-13 win over Rice and 58-24 victory over East Carolina. The 57-point tally is the second-highest in SPFRB annals behind Oklahoma State in its 58-14 triumph over Purdue in 2013.
— The Roadrunners have played in three of their seven all-time bowls in the DFW area with a win in the 2021 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl and two treks to the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl with a 1-1 record.
— Head coach Jeff Traylor is 9-3 in games played on Fridays.
— UTSA lost three games by a total of 16 points to Texas State, Temple and Army but rallied to roll to three victories in their last four encounters and the final 7-6 worksheet.
2025-26 Bowl Schedules, Results, Attendance – 44 Bowls (Attendance noted; all television tentative airtimes EST) – Results and Schedule (ESPN telecasts unless noted) – As of Dec. 26
Saturday, Dec. 13 – South Carolina State 40, Prairie View A&M 38 (2 OT) (26,703)
Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk, Washington 38, Boise State 10 (23,269)
Tuesday, Dec. 16 – IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, Jacksonville State 17, Troy 13 (15,271)
Wednesday, Dec. 17 – Staff DNA Cure Bowl, Old Dominion 24, USF 10 (15,036)
68 Ventures Bowl – Delaware 20, Louisiana 13 (17,234)
Thursday, Dec. 18 – Xbox Bowl, Arkansas State 34, Missouri State 28 (7,782)
Friday, Dec. 19 – College Football Playoff - Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24 (83,550)
Myrtle Beach Bowl – Western Michigan 41, Kennesaw State 6 (9,139)
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl – NC State 31, Memphis 7 (13,336)
Saturday, Dec. 20 - CFP first round games: - Miami (Fla.) 10, Texas A&M 3 (104,122)
Ole Miss 41, Tulane 10 (68,251)
Oregon 51, James Madison 34 (55,124)
Monday, Dec. 22 - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Washington State 34, Utah State 21 (17,031)
Tuesday, Dec. 23 – Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans, Louisville 27, Toledo 12 (15,239)
New Orleans Bowl, WKU 27, Southern Miss 16 (16,693)
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, Ohio 17, UNLV 10 (6,521)
Wednesday, Dec. 24 - Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, Hawai’i 35, California 31 (15,194)
Friday, Dec. 26 – GameAbove Sports Bowl, Northwestern 34, Central Michigan 7 (27,857)
Rate Bowl, Minnesota 20, New Mexico 17 (OT) (27,439)
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, UTSA 57, FIU 20 (8,671)
Saturday, Dec. 27- Go Bowling Military Bowl, East Carolina vs. Pittsburgh, Annapolis, Md., 11 a.m.
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, Clemson vs. Penn State, Bronx, N.Y., noon, ABC
Wasabi Fenway Bowl, Army West Point vs. Connecticut, Boston, Mass., 2:15 p.m.
Pop-Tarts Bowl, BYU vs. Georgia Tech, Orlando, Fla., 3:30 p.m., ABC
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, Fresno State vs. Miami (Ohio), Tucson, Ariz., 4:30 p.m., The CW
Isleta New Mexico Bowl, North Texas vs. San Diego State, Albuquerque, N.M., 5:45 p.m.
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, Missouri vs. Virginia, Jacksonville, Fla., 7:30 p.m., ABC
Kinder’s Texas Bowl, Houston vs. LSU, Houston, Texas, 9:15 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 29 – JLab Birmingham, Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State, Birmingham, Ala., 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 30 – Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech, Shreveport, La., 2 p.m.
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl, Illinois vs. Tennessee, Nashville, Tenn., 5:30 p.m.
Valero Alamo Bowl, TCU vs. USC, San Antonio, Texas, 9 p.m.
CFP Quarterfinal Games (Nos. 1-4 bye seeds against 5-12 winners) – Dec. 31-Jan. 1, 2026
Wednesday, Dec. 31 – ReliaQuest Bowl, Iowa vs. Vanderbilt, Tampa, Fla., noon
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, Arizona State vs. Duke, El Paso, Texas, 2 p.m., CBS
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Michigan vs. Texas, Orlando, Fla., 3 p.m., ABC
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl, Nebraska vs. Utah, Las Vegas, Nev., 3:30 p.m.
Miami (Fla.) vs. Ohio State, 90th Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Arlington, Texas, 7:30 p.m.
CFP Quarterfinal Games (Nos. 1-4 bye seeds against 5-12 winners)
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 – Oregon vs. Texas Tech, Capital One Orange Bowl, Miami Lakes, Fla., noon
Alabama vs. Indiana, Rose Bowl presented by Prudential, Pasadena, Calif., 4 p.m.
Ole Miss vs. Georgia, Allstate Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, La., 8 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 2 – Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Rice vs, Texas State, Fort Worth, Texas, 1 p.m., ESPN
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Cincinnati vs. Navy, Memphis, Tenn., 3:30 p.m.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest, Charlotte, N.C., 8 p.m.
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl, Arizona vs. SMU, San Diego, Calif., FOX, 8 p.m.
CFP Semifinals:
Thursday, Jan. 8 – Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Ariz., 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 9 - Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, Atlanta, Ga., 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 19. 2026 – College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Lakes, Fla., semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.
Conference Records in 2025-26 Bowls (Through Dec. 26 – 19 Bowls)
American 1-3
ACC 3-1
Big Ten 4-0
Big 12 0-0
CUSA 3-3
Independents 0-0
MAC 2-2
MWC 1-4
Pac-12 1-0
SEC 2-2
Sun Belt 2-4
Note: The record for total bowl attendance is 1,822,387 with an average of 52,068 in 2010-11, and the attendance average mark is 65,178 for eight bowls in 1966-67 with total attendance of 521,427. The 2024-25 bowl season exceeded 1,000,000 for the 27th time in the last 28 seasons (with 2020-21 COVID-19 conditions limiting games and attendance) with a record total draw of 1,905,635.
Total 2025-26 Attendance: 19 Games, 546,399, Average: 28,758