UTSA needed a field goal to beat Georgia State in overtime last year in its inaugural season.
It was nowhere that close Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Led by quarterback Eric Soza and a fired-up defense, the Roadrunners rolled to a decisive 38-14 victory against the Panthers to run their record this season to 3-0.
Soza passed for 206 yards and two touchdowns, Evans Okotcha rushed for a school-record three TDs and UTSA's defense held Georgia State (0-3) to only 86 yards on the ground. The Roadrunners piled up 441 yards in total offense, including 224 rushing.
Soza completed 17 of 24 passes with no interceptions and had scoring strikes of 5 yards to Aaron Grubb and 20 yards to Marcellus Mack. Okotcha scored on runs of 5, 1 and 1 yards.
David Glasco II led the UTSA running game with 55 yards on only four carries.
UTSA led 17-7 after one quarter, 24-7 at halftime and 38-14 heading into the final period.
Sean Ianno kicked a 32-yard field to lift the Roadrunners to a 17-14 victory over Georgia State last year at the Alamodome. He started UTSA's scoring Saturday with a 26-yard field goal that put the Roadrunners up with 10:22 left in the first quarter.
The Panthers took their only lead of the game 31 seconds later on an 84-yard pass from Ben McLane to Albert Wilson. But UTSA went ahead for good when Okotcha scored his 5-yard TD with 8;01 remaining in the operning period. Kenny Harrison set up the score with a school-record 84-yard kickoff return.
The Roadrunners extended their lead to 17-7 on Soza's scoring strike to Grubb. Okotcha's second TD put UTSA up 24-7 at the half.
Soza's TD pass to Mack gave the Roadrunners a commanding 31-7 lead with 10:14 to go in the third quarter. Okotcha's second 1-yard TD made it 38-7 midway through the third.
Georgia State closed the gap to 38-14 on a 25-yard pass from Ronnie Bell to Wilson four minutes later.
UTSA won on the road for only the second time in its brief history. Ianno kicked a 51-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to give the Roadrunners a 33-31 victory at South Alabama in their season opener two weeks ago.
UTSA plays Northwestern Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome.
