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 (3-7, 2-4 C-USA) rallied for a 12-10 victory against Southern Miss last Thursday night and that ended their three-game losing streak.
Through the first 10 games of the year, the 6-foot, 280-pounder is second among the squad’s offensive linemen with 37 knockdown blocks while grading out at 79 percent.
Leonard, who was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete on Oct. 30, 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 44 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.
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.
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 12th entry of the fall.
Week 12: Acknowledge Them
Growing up, my coaches told me to never look into the stands.
Never wave at mom and dad because mom and dad are just a distraction to what is happening on the field of play.
Never wave to friends or significant others or relatives.
Don't even look into the stands because the game is played on the field and in the mind — two things you won't find in the stands.
I wish I could say that I was coachable in that aspect, but I wasn't and still am not.
In pregame, as I leave the tunnel for center/quarterback exchange, I always make a quick glance to find my family and close friends and I make a mental note of where they are sitting. As I make my way back to the locker room after center/quarterback exchange, I find those familiar faces in the crowd.
To my dad, I give our sign. He returns it.
To the empty seat next to my dad, I smile. That seat is and always has been reserved for my late mother. Although I have to call upon my memories to see her smile, I know she is returning it from a better place.
To my grandfather, I wave. He returns it and sometimes adds the other arm as to make darn sure I see him. I make darn sure he knows I see him by adding my other arm to the greeting.
To my fiancée, I give our sign. She returns it.
To my Aunt Candy, Uncle Ronny, cousins, future in-laws and family friends, I blow kisses. The women of the bunch return the gesture.
I repeat these greetings throughout the game at different times. Perhaps following an end of quarter or an end of half. Perhaps in the midst of a TV timeout. Perhaps at any and every opportunity that I get in the midst of the battle that rages on the field beneath my feet. And, especially after the clock strikes zeroes before I retire to the locker room.
It would be much more trying to complete a game if I couldn't look up into those stands and see all the people I love. If I couldn't acknowledge the people who I play and sacrificed for my entire life and career. If I couldn't acknowledge the people who sacrificed so much for me.
Quite frankly, some of the bravest people on this football team are the players who look up into the crowd and see no familiar faces. They have no one to give signs to. No one to wave at. No one to blow kisses to.
I hope they can look to me to inspire them because I love them and sacrifice for them just as they do for me.
I love my teammates and I have eight quarters of football left with them.
I know that I speak no words of groundbreaking wisdom when I say that winning a football game takes all 11 players on both sides of the ball, along with special teams, doing their job.
Senior wide receiver, Marcellus Mack, was one of those guys who did his job and more last Thursday to ensure a win against Southern Miss.
Marcellus is a good teammate and a better man. Here is what UTSA Football means to him.
"For me, UTSA Football will forever be a brotherhood, a group of young men from across the country put together by no one other than God and an amazing coaching staff. I can say choosing to play for UTSA was one of the best decisions of my life. I thank God for the brothers I have made along the way and the memories we created together that will last a lifetime."
I remember meeting Marcellus in the lobby of the Omni Hotel on our official visit. I cannot believe that was nearly six years ago. The only talking point that we had then was the fact that the offensive line coach from his high school, Giddings, had worked a technique camp that I had attended the summer before. Now, Marcellus and I have shared the same field, uniform and vision for quite a while and I am as close to Marcellus as I am with the rest of the members of the "Original 18."
I'm sure that Marcellus and Darrien Starling are close as well. I can't speak to their friendship, but I know that as good of a receiver as Marcellus is and as scrappy of a cornerback as Darrien is, they have had many run-ins on the practice field, just as I have had with the defensive linemen of the "Original 18."
Darrien is a good teammate and a better man. Here is what UTSA Football means to him.
"UTSA Football means everything in terms of building a foundation for the most important time of my life. My career means a lot because we've built this program, which has been an unbelievable experience. It takes a special type of person to stick it out having gone through what we went through that first year. It's made me a better man. The relationships I've made with teammates, coaches, students and teachers throughout my time here have been great. I will forever love UTSA because it's given so much to me in terms of a degree, football experience, fun and great relationships. I am forever grateful."
Cornerbacks and offensive linemen may be the furthest from each other on the spectrum of football positions, which is why I haven't spent as much time with Darrien as I have with other members of the "Original 18," but that doesn't mean that I don't know what Darrien is all about. Darrien is a hard working guy and he has fought for and earned every bit of his playing time. Although we may be significantly separated during practice due to our positions, it has been an honor to share the same uniform and sideline as Darrien during our careers here at UTSA.
In closing, you don't have to look into a crowd of thousands to find the people you love. You don't have to give them a sign or a double-armed wave or a blown kiss, but, in your own way, acknowledge them and let them know you are thankful for the sacrifices they have made.
Previous entries
· Nov. 10
· Oct. 27
· Oct. 20
· Oct. 13
· Oct. 6
· Sept. 29
· Sept. 22
· Sept. 15
· Sept. 8
· Aug. 31
· Aug. 25