UTSA quarterback Frank Harris is out of the Frisco Bowl with an injury

UTSA quarterback Frank Harris will not play in the Frisco Bowl due to injury, marking an abrupt end to his record-setting career.

The team announced less than an hour before Tuesday’s 8 p.m. kickoff against Marshall that Harris would be unavailable due to a shoulder injury suffered in UTSA’s regular season finale against Tulane on November 24.

“I would do anything to be there with my teammates, but unfortunately I can’t,” Harris said in a UTSA statement. “God has something bigger in store for me. To the fans, thank you for all the love and support over the past seven seasons. I really appreciate it and don’t take it for granted. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I won’t be able to play tonight, but I’ll be there on the line.” “To support and encourage my teammates for what we hope will be our first bowl win.”

Owen McCown, a freshman who joined the program this year as a transfer from Colorado, is expected to start in Harris’ place.

“We are all extremely saddened that Frank will not be able to play tonight against Marshall in what would have been his final game as a road player,” coach Jeff Traylor said in a UTSA statement. “He’s one of the toughest players I’ve ever coached, and if he can be there at quarterback tonight, he will.”

Rumors about Harris’ status began circulating on social media Tuesday morning, as the betting line went from 12.5 points in UTSA’s favor to 7.5 by early afternoon.

When the Roadrunners arrived at Toyota Stadium, Harris watched the first round of quarterback warmups in a black tracksuit before returning to the locker room. When the team walked out for the final stretch before kickoff, Harris was not in uniform with the rest of his teammates.

He showed no obvious signs of injury before the game, and spoke in his final press conference Monday morning about the emotions surrounding his final appearance as a Roadrunner.

“It hasn’t hit me too much yet, but tomorrow night, win or lose, I’ll probably have some tears in my eyes because it’s the last time I’ll play in a UTSA uniform,” Harris said. “Just being here for that long, and the struggles that we’ve been through, to have the success that we’ve had the last two seasons. It definitely means a lot, so I’ll definitely cherish that moment.

Harris set 38 program records during his seven-year tenure, leading UTSA to the Conference USA championship the past two years while starting nearly every game since the start of the 2020 season.

He has dealt with multiple injuries during his time with the Roadrunners, missing 2017 and 2018 with torn ACL and playing just four games in 2019 before a season-ending shoulder injury.

He took minor bruises and bruises to appear in every game from 2020 through 2022, then faced what he described as one of the darkest days of his life last offseason, as he contemplated the end of his playing career after having surgery to clean up his knee. led to infection.

“I told coach I was done,” Harris said Monday. “I didn’t think I was going to play this season. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to walk again.”

Although a recent procedure by a new doctor put Harris’ knee on the path to recovery in time for the 2023 season, a shoulder injury during fall camp hampered his preparation. He also suffered a turf toe injury against Texas State during the second game of the season, forcing him to miss the next two weeks.

UTSA’s depth chart lists McCown or Eddie Lee Marburger as the No. 2 option behind Harris. McCown was called upon to play late in four blowouts during the American Athletic Conference season, while Marburger hasn’t taken the field since September.