SAN ANTONIO — Senior center Nate Leonard is back again this season with a blog that will give fans an inside glimpse into UTSA Football.
The Roadrunners will open Conference USA play this Saturday at Florida Atlantic. Although UTSA is just 1-2 on the season, expectations remain high, as the program begins its second campaign in C-USA.
Through the first three games of the year, the 6-foot, 280-pounder leads the offensive line with 16 knockdown blocks while grading out at 77 percent.
A leader on and off the field, the McKinney native was instrumental in the team's success last fall, as the Roadrunners won their last five games en route to a 7-5 overall record and 6-2 mark in league play.
Leonard, who was named a Senior CLASS Award candidate last week, also was a member of the preseason Dave Rimington Trophy watch list (nation’s top center) and he earned preseason second-team all-conference accolades from Athlon Sports. The only player to start all 37 games in program history was a 2013 second-team Capital One Academic All-American in addition to being named the 2013-14 Conference USA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for football.
He is coming off a junior season that saw him record a team-leading 70 pancakes and he also graded out at 82 percent. He was a key part of an offensive line that did not commit a holding penalty during the season while helping the offense average 25.6 points, 417.8 total yards (175.4 rush/242.4 pass), 21.9 first downs and 32:24 possession time per contest.
Below is his fifth entry of the fall.
Week 5: Bye-Bye, Bye Week
Bye weeks are interesting. Part of me loves them and part of me hates them.
The part of me that loves them says that they are good for team morale, while the part of me that hates them asks how can they be good for team morale when we are left to think about our 1-2 record?
My love-them side says they are good for recovery, while my hate-them side says they just allow for wheel-spinning. They are a time for rest, but how can we rest as we watch our conference foes advance in league play?
Our coaches always stress to us that each day you are either getting better or you are getting worse. Record wise, bye weeks don't allow for either. They don't allow you to lose, but they sure don't allow you to win.
Might as well just kiss your sister and call it a day.
For the aura of Division I football to be so results-oriented, bye weeks are an anomaly. Bye weeks do allow for one thing, however, and that one thing is reflection.
Where are we as a team? Sure, the given is obvious. Our record shows that we are 1-2, but that's not what I'm referring to. I'm referring to our worth as a football team. How good are we? I certainly don't think that 1-2 represents that.
We went into Houston and thumped a solid American Athletic Conference opponent on hostile turf. We looked good but really didn't play our best football.
We came back home and played Arizona. This was the game that the football world was watching to see if our win against Houston was a fluke or if we are the real deal. I was really pleased with the way we performed against Pac-12 competition, but losing by three was a bruising shot. We found ourselves at 1-1 and that loss weighed pretty heavily on our team.
Leading up to the Oklahoma State game, we really thought we were going to be more competitive than we were. Each day that week, Coach Coker started practice off by saying that we were going to go up to Stillwater and beat the Cowboys. We believed him and, as we do each and every week, we prepared to do just that. We were outmatched and the lopsided defeat is indicative that we are still growing as a program.
So, where are we now?
I believe that we will know a lot more after Saturday's game in Boca Raton, but I can say one thing … I would much rather be 1-2 against the non-conference teams that we have played than be 3-0 against a cupcake non-conference schedule. I firmly believe that the caliber of athletes that we have played these first three weeks of the season have prepared us to experience success in Conference USA.
The goals we have had from the beginning of fall camp still are within reach. We can still win a conference championship and go to a bowl game. Although our 1-2 record doesn't look so great on paper, it's really no harm, no foul.
As a team, we know our worth. Now, we just need to go out there and prove it.
Like I said, bye weeks are good for reflection, which is why I found myself at a high school football game this past Friday night. I really don't get to watch as much high school football as I would like, but it always amazes me when I am able to do so.
It's amazing how much faster high school games go by. High school quarters are 12 minutes, as opposed to the collegiate 15-minute quarters and there are no men dressed in all red who come off the sideline during breaks in the action to call a media timeout. When I think back, I remember my high school games moving a lot slower.
Although the game goes by faster, the speed of the action is much slower. That's what everyone always says about the difference between high school and college football, but it's true.
In college, you don't play with the guys you grew up with, but you play alongside guys who were the game-changers and difference-makers at their respective high schools. When I think back, I remember the speed of my high school competition moving a lot faster.
There is a lot less noise at high school games than at college games, too. There are a lot less fans and a lot less members in the band. The noise also doesn't get trapped in domed or massive stadiums. When I think back, I remember my high school games being a lot louder.
There is an overwhelming constant, however, and that constant is that there are people who love the game of football. Whether it's the old men who never miss a Friday night, the coaches' wives who can't sit still, the moms and dads who watch only one player, the girls who wear the number of their beau or the regular student who wishes he could be down on the field, there are many people who love the game of football. When I think back, I remember those same people filling the stands.
I remembered how much I loved the game then and I know how much I love the game now.
There are many emotions that motivate and inspire people, but the one that always lasts and is the most powerful is love. Nothing in this world changes for the better without love.
There is a lot of love for football in the "The Original 18." There would have to be in order for us to have made it as far as we have. This week, the spotlight is on David Glasco II.
David is and always has been a great running back for us. His work ethic never is in question and the gains he has made in the weight room since he got to UTSA have set precedent for growth. He is a good teammate and a better man. Here is what UTSA Football means to him.
"UTSA Football defines me perfectly: underdog. I am an underdog who many doubt, but, once I prove myself, many have no choice but to respect. This program embodies confidence, perseverance and persistence. There are many programs in the country and many conferences, but, if you search through all of those, none of them are as unique as UTSA."
So, as our first bye week comes to a close, I have found the answer as to where we are as a team. We are in a good spot, a unique spot, because we are made up of players such as David Glasco II and the rest of the "Original 18." We are made up of players who love the game of football and love each other as family. Like I said earlier, nothing in this world changes for the better without love. Well, prepare for this season to change for the better.