Traylor eases physical, mental toll with lighthearted approach
UTSA coach Jeff Traylor started Wednesday’s team meeting with a new game: Guess the high school highlight tape.
First up was video of graduate assistant Hunter Rittimann, who threw for 32 touchdowns and ran for another 14 as a senior at Johnson in 2013. Once the Roadrunners figured out who they were watching, the group had joke fodder for the rest of the morning, poking fun at Rittimann’s lackluster cuts.
Just minutes after UTSA walked off the field following Saturday’s 2720 loss at No. 15 BYU, Traylor said he was concerned about the mental and physical toll of the season.
All five of the Roadrunners’ games have been close into the fourth quarter — a stressful start to a stretch of 12 weeks without an open date. UTSA’S past two opponents, UAB and BYU, are among the most imposing the team will face this season, and Saturday’s matchup against Army appears just as daunting.
Injuries have piled up around the roster, sidelining some players and forcing others to wear casts during games. As UTSA reaches the midpoint of the season this weekend, Traylor is focused on his players’ mental and physical health, looking for ways to lighten both the mood and workload in practice.
“What can I do for the morale of the troops right now is very big,” Traylor said. “What can the head coach do? What kind of pranks can he play? What can we do to smile? What can we do to keep this thing alive? Football is supposed to be fun. Somewhere along the way, we decided it wasn’t supposed to be fun anymore.”
Quarterback Lowell Narcisse said the coaches seem to come up with something new daily, almost as if they brainstorm new gags each night. Traylor’s assertion that his wife is “hotter than fish grease” has become a favorite for the players, Narcisse said.
Receiver Brennon Dingle said Traylor often huddles the players for typical coaching speeches before sneaking in jokes at the end.
“Then everybody will laugh, and he’s just like, ‘Hey, quit having fun at football practice. This is supposed to be serious,’ ” Dingle said. “He’s always joking, keeping spirits high. You never can get too low
with him. He’s always picking up everybody. It’s great to be around a guy like that — a leader.”
Defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix said the best jokes come from the defensive staff, though he hesitated to sharesomeof the specifics “because they may be X-rated.” Each position coach is encouraged to lighten the mood within his group, and Nix called safeties coach Jess Loepp the “driest, corniest-joking guy that I know of.”
Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said he tries to show a human side, putting an arm around players and asking them about their girlfriends, or their family, or what movies they’ve been watching. Sometimes he starts offensive meetings with stories about his young sons, Luke and Levi.
“It’s OK to crack a smile, and make a light-hearted joke with them, and not always be pressing them and demanding them,” Lunney said. “It’s not like any of us are trying to run around and do a stand-up comedy show. We’re about winning, and developing young men. But the relationship part of it, when you’re real authentic, you can be yourself, and kids still respond to coaching them hard.”
Traylor said he stresses the need for his assistants to be genuine and “true to who they are.”
Manyonthe staff are “still kids at heart,” Traylor said, tapping into the energy that once spurred them to play neighborhood football after watching the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving as children.
The goal is to keep the Roadrunners focused on their responsibilities, but not to the extent that they tighten up in big moments.
“You can be smiling too much,
and you can be serious too much,” Traylor said. “Too much pressure, versus being too loose. It’s always a fine balance you’re trying to capture as a coach.”
To address the physical strain of the season, Traylor and the coordinators said they dialed back some periods of practice this week, perhaps changing segments to require less running or contact.
UTSA’S defense wants as many reps as possible against this week’s scout team to prepare for Army’s unorthodox triple-option offense, but Nix said the unit hasn’t played live snaps during practice since August.
The Roadrunners’ coaches have emphasized hydration, nutrition and proper rest, and Narcisse said the players are focused on recovery efforts including cold tubs, stretching and treatment from the team’s medical staff.
Narcisse on Saturday became the fourth quarterback to take the full-time role this season after Frank Harris and Josh Adkins suffered injuries and Jordan Weeks was ineffective.
Running back Brenden Brady, safety Savion Harris and defensive tackle Jaylon Haynes were part of the group of players who missed Saturday’s game because of injury, while defensive lineman Peter Gray, linebacker Tyler Mahnke and cornerback Tariq Woolen have played with casts this season.
“We wish to have a lot of those guys back, but 2020has been a crazy year, so you never knowwhat to expect,” Narcisse said. “Who would’ve thoughtwe’dplay all four quarterbacks by game five? You always have to be preparing for the unexpected.”