SAN ANTONIO – Early Tuesday morning, rumors began circulating of the possibility that UTSA star quarterback Frank Harris wouldn’t play in his last game as a member of the Roadrunners’ football program.
After a long day of speculation from UTSA fans, college football fans, and sports bettors an hour before kickoff it was confirmed that Harris would not take the field in what was supposed to be his last hurrah before capping off a legendary collegiate career.
Instead, UTSA called on redshirt freshman Owen McCown, son of former NFL player Josh McCown, to start at quarterback which set up a fun battle against Marshall’s own redshirt freshman Cole Pennington, son of former 2-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year Chad Pennington.
McCown completed 22 of 31 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns to defeat Marshall 35-17 for UTSA’s first-ever bowl victory. UTSA finished the season 9-4 overall.
“[Harris] wanted to play more than life itself,” UTSA head football coach Jeff Traylor said. “He was on the sideline, he prepared Owen all week, he was a very good role model for Owen. There’s nothing more he could’ve done.”
In 2008, Josh McCown and Chad Pennington were teammates on the Miami Dolphins, McCown fulfilled a spot on the practice squad while Pennington earned his second Comeback Player of the Year award.
The 2023 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl at Toyota Stadium got off to a slow start at the helm of both Owen McCown and Cole Pennington.
In the opening quarter, McCown threw two interceptions and struggled to move the ball against Marshall’s thundering defensive front. Marshall got the scoring started when Ethan Payne capitalized on a UTSA turnover deep in its own zone.
The Roadrunners trailed by 14 points early in the second quarter until McCown led back-to-back scoring drives, highlighted by a 26-yard scramble that led to a 44-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Joshua Cephus.
UTSA owned a 21-17 lead going into the locker room at the intermission.
After halftime UTSA completely took over the game, scoring three unanswered touchdowns while the defense forced Marshall’s offense into several mistakes.
Harris ends his playing career with UTSA owning 38 school records, solidifying himself as the greatest player in Roadrunners history.
“No regrets at all, you know,” Harris said. “God does everything for a reason. Even when you don’t understand the reasoning at the time. So, you know, coming back, I didn’t think that the season would go like that. Of course, I didn’t know spring would go like that. I didn’t know I wouldn’t be here playing a bowl game that I wanted to come back to play in. But God has given a reason. He has something special in store for me and I’m just following his lead.”