UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 17, 2026

Owen McCown

Press Conference

UTSA 38, Navy 34

Q. Owen, what did it mean to come back in another fourth quarter there?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, it was huge. I think first things first about the incident that happened pregame, just thinking -- thoughts and prayers with that family. I know we said a prayer postgame. I know they'll continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Really thinking about them.

Q. You guys rallied the fourth quarter, back and forth in this one. What did it mean for you guys to come out on top?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, it was kind of the same theme of the game we played all year. We knew it was a lot of back and forth, knew we couldn't blink. Like you said, when it was our time up to the plate, we executed at a high level.

Q. Speaking of the incident and the effect it had on your crowd, when you come out there as a player, do you notice the way the crowd is feeling coming out to the game and how do you feel they responded as they got back into it?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, it's just hard. I think as players, too, our thoughts are immediately with the family, and it's obviously bigger than football.

As just the game went on, kind of got into ebbs and flows and playing football, and I thought at first it was hard to get around, and then finally got going again.

Q. How helpful was it to have them back on your side being rowdy and disrupting Navy there late in the game?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, it was huge. It was a good crowd tonight. They were super loud, especially late in the game. So yeah.

Q. A couple of big shots there. How are you feeling?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, great. This is the second week ironically I got the wind knocked out of me, so it just takes a second, catch your breath and you're back rolling. Coach Bowie back-to-back weeks gave me run play, I could just hand off my next play, so it kind of allowed me to catch my breath. But yeah, I feel good though.

Q. What was going right with your offense late in the game? You put together back to back 75-yard touchdown drives when you had to have them?

OWEN McCOWN: Right, I think it was just kind of learning from our mistakes early on. Navy did a great job schematically up front with their twist game and their late adds, but a linebacker really getting good pressure on us.

Really as the game went on I thought we learned a lot. We had a ton of offensive plays, I think 70, which was way more than we thought due to Navy's time of possession, the way they play offense. I thought we did a great job learning as the game went on.

Q. You had a bunch of critical 3rd and 4th down conversions to extend scoring drives in this game. What does it say about your team that you guys are ready to deliver in those moments?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, just moments we've worked on. We call it sequencing. That's kind of our -- the topic we call it in practice. Coach Bowie did a great job hail and we got two downs here for the third down and manageable, and knowing we play for Coach Traylor and he will go for it on 4th down a lot. Just kind of executing what we've done in practice really all year and all off-season.

Q. Owen, being in that stadium before the touchdown pass to Mekhi, it was very tense, and then after that play I think everybody got used to the game and started enjoying it. Did you feel that way as well, and can you contrast your thoughts before that touchdown and after?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I just think, once again, it's just bigger than football. I think we kind of got going playing football. You can kind of get your mind off of it. But once again, our thoughts and prayers are with them. As the night went on, we were playing the game, and we were able to just go out there and play the game.

Q. I'm starting to lose count of how many game-winning drives it is for you this season. What's your mindset stepping into those scenarios, and before the season versus now?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I think Coach Bowie came in and really kind of flipped the switch with our mindset when it came to game-winning drives. It's just a ton of confidence and a belief to go win the game. And we've worked on that all off-season. So just a credit to guys up front for holding on, and then my job was to get the playmakers the ball, and that's what happened.

Q. Do you ever feel like you're playing catch-up in these games, or do you just have total confidence in your teammates and your defense?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, total confidence. I don't really care what the score is. Just know we've got to go execute the next play. That's what we did. Like I said, it's been a theme all year to kind of go back and forth like that, but we have a really good league, and that's what it comes down to at times.

Q. You guys went behind 14-0 there in the second quarter, and 10 minutes of game time you were up 21-14. What did it take to get that flipped so quickly?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I think that's happened earlier this year, that kind of same theme, being down 14-0. We don't really blink. We don't look at the score. We just know we've got to go out and execute the next play, and that's what we did.

Q. What does it do for the energy and the momentum of the game when you hit one of those surprise onside kicks and get right back out there on offense?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I was going to sit down to watch the film of the previous drive, and then our special teams coordinator Coach Brown, right when I sat down, he said, get back up, we're about to get onside, and I said, all right. So I grabbed my helmet, and sure enough, we executed the onside perfectly and were able to cash in on that short field drive with a touchdown.

Q. Do you ever get some déjà-vu going into these game scenarios and then going down 14-0 early in the game?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I don't think so. You kind of have to have a fresh mind each time you're out there, each play. So that's really my mindset, just a ton of confidence in the guys around me, a ton of belief in them. So that's really my mindset in those late-game scenarios.

Q. Roadrunners bowl eligible again. What does that mean for you guys?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, feels super nice to kind of get that bowl eligibility this early in the season.

I think obviously we have bigger goals, and that's to go win a conference championship. We did get one step closer tonight by doing that.

Q. This is the best start you guys have got off to since before you were here, and it's certainly your best start since you've been here. What are some of the main things that you notice within the team that you think has led to that?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I think we have a super elite mindset. Coach has told us we haven't -- all phases haven't played their best game yet, offensively, defensively and special teams. It's always been maybe offense and special teams or vice versa. So I just think our mindset is super elite. No matter what happens we respond the right way, and ultimately that gives us great success.

Q. You guys have been blessed to stay in state up until now. This is your first trip out of state, the longest you've traveled. What's the team preparation like going into this week, and then how are you feeling playing your best true road game more than three hours away?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I just think it's our mindset every week, kind of celebrate it tonight, watch the film tomorrow, get better from it, and respond back and get ready for a really good Tulane team next week.

Q. I know it's easy for the media to pick apart your defense, but what do you see in your teammates that you have no lack of faith in them in these late-game scenarios?

OWEN McCOWN: Yeah, I know they're giving their 100 percent effort on defense. I know those guys have each other's backs. I know offensively, defensively we're all one, and I have total belief in the defense. Obviously they probably didn't play the way they wanted to tonight, but they gave 100 percent effort. I know they'll respond the right way. But yeah, it was just a total team effort tonight.