Roadrunners eyeing history against UTEP
Looking back at the journal entries he penned one year ago, UTSA coach Jeff Traylor is on guard against repeating history.
Heading toward the final Saturday of November in 2021, UTSA was celebrating a Conference USA West division title and looking to cap an undefeated regular season as a double-digit favorite against an opponent fighting for bowl eligibility.
This year, the Roadrunners raised the trophy for winning the C-USA regular season last week against Rice and have the chance to complete the first unbeaten league season in program history. UTSA is about a 17½point favorite against a UTEP team that will be clawing for bowl eligibility at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Alamodome.
Last year's perfect regular season collapsed with a 45-23 loss to North Texas in the finale, and linebacker Trevor Harmanson said UTSA is motivated by a fresh shot at an undefeated year, carrying “that hungry look” and “that chip on their shoulder.”
The 2021 Roadrunners set record after record with their first conference title, first time reaching double-digit wins and first stint in the national rankings, and Saturday gives the 2022 group a chance notch its own significant first.
“If we're able to complete that, that would be big time for me,” UTSA corner Nick Fortune said. “That's something we can talk about for the rest of our lives, to look back and say, ‘Oh yeah, I remember being a part of that.' I can tell my kids, and they can tell their kids about grandpa. So that would be big-time, for sure.”
1. Top-25 tough
When UTSA first broke into the top 25 last year, coach Jeff Traylor said he “wouldn't touch that subject with a 10-foot pole.”
But after the 2021 group spent six straight weeks in the rankings, reaching as high as No. 15, Traylor wasn't so hesitant to celebrate a return to the No. 25 spot in this week's coaches poll.
“Our kids can handle that now,” Traylor said. “We're used to it, and I think we expect it, and I think it's something we can use to motivate a little
bit. … I'm all about it, man. I'm excited.”
Roadrunners quarterback Frank Harris said the accolade is an indicator of UTSA “finally getting the recognition we rightfully deserve,” even as the team fell a few points shy of cracking the AP poll and was left out of the College Football Playoff rankings.
2. Celebrating seniors
UTSA announced a group of 21 seniors set to be honored before their final regular season home game Saturday, but Traylor warned against reading too much into the selections.
None of the Roadrunners with eligibility remaining
have finalized their intent to move on following the season, Traylor said, leaving the door open for a return even after Saturday's ceremony.
The seniors not included in the celebration have “already told us they're coming back” for an additional year, Traylor said. That list includes Fortune and wide receiver Joshua Cephus, as well as injured standouts tackle Makai Hart, defensive tackle Brandon Matterson and safety Rashad Wisdom.
3. Not looking ahead
UTSA has already locked up a berth in the C-USA title game, set to
face North Texas or Western Kentucky at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Alamodome.
Traylor said the Roadrunners “owe it to our kids to finish out correctly.” As UTSA prepares to honor its seniors, visitors from as far away as center Ahofitu Maka's parents in Hawaii will be in the Alamodome for Saturday's game.
Harris said the Roadrunners are focused on “staying desperate.”
“Last year, we were definitely prosperous, went out there and started feeling ourselves,” Harris said. “We knew we had the conference championship to look forward to. I don't think the guys and us took that game as serious as we should've, and we got the outcome we deserve. So, we're going to learn from that and try not to have that feeling again.”
4. Keeping it simple
As the season unfolded, Traylor saw UTSA'S defensive call sheet “growing and growing each week,” with coaches squeezing in one more pressure or one more coverage to counter specific situations.
The Roadrunners rededicated to shrinking the number of defensive options in recent weeks, yielding the two lowest point and yardage totals of the season in the past two games.
“If the kids don't like it, we're not carrying it,” Traylor said. “We're trying to be more mindful with the kids on calls, so they can play faster. I don't want any paralysis by analysis. Let my guys go. Let them go eat.”
5. Top form
After three of UTSA'S first five C-USA games were decided by less than a touchdown, the Roadrunners have shown their most dominant form of the year the past two weeks, beating Louisiana Tech and Rice by a combined 78 points.
“We're playing our best ball of the season at the right time of the season,” Traylor said. “We're really thin, but the ones we have standing are playing really good.”