SAN ANTONIO – UTSA held its 10th session of preseason training camp on Tuesday morning at the UTSA Football Practice Fields.
After opening training camp on Aug. 1, the Roadrunners have held 10 team practices. UTSA opened the first three days of camp in a split-squad format, with morning and afternoon sessions, before combining for traditional team practice in each subsequent outing.
"A very competitive practice on this day," UTSA head coach Frank Wilson said. "A tale of two sides. An offensive unit that started off fast. The offense got the better of the defense in that drill. At the back end of the drill, we had a defensive line and secondary that had had about enough. For the last 20 minutes of practice, it was simply dominant. A defensive line that was unblockable. A secondary that picked off a couple to secure victory for our defensive unit. Still need that consistency – not just to start fast but to finish strong – from a defensive unit. And a defensive unit that needs to not just finish but start with the temperament to be dominant on the day. All in all, pleased. The stalwarts for the game were the defensive line. They changed the line of scrimmage. They moved the line of scrimmage and were dominant throughout the practice."
The first chance for fans to see the Roadrunners will be this Saturday, Aug. 17, for Runners at the Park, presented by Methodist Texsan Hospital, at the Park West Athletics Complex, which will feature an open practice and an autograph session.
UTSA opens the 2019 slate on Aug. 31, hosting UIW at 5 p.m. at the Alamodome. For tickets, call or text 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visit goUTSA.com/tickets.
Defensive line rolling three deep in 2019
Arguably the position group with the most depth on the UTSA roster in the preseason is the defensive line.
"We are deep, inside and out," Wilson said. "On the edges as well as from an interior standpoint. We're able to play as much as three deep and that's rare to find 12 guys to rotate. We have them, with very little drop off. We have dominant play from those guys up front. They are great teammates. They support one another. They are there for one another. They share – we call (starters) 1A and 1B, next man up. There is really no difference in what we are trying to accomplish."
The Roadrunners return a bevy of talent from 2018, including six defensive linemen with starting experience. While UTSA must replace defensive tackle Kevin Strong – who is working toward a roster spot with Detroit Lions during training camp – senior defensive end Jarrod Carter-McLin is back after starting all 12 games a year ago.
Carter-McLin finished with 30 tackles and 2.5 tackles for a loss, including half a sack, three pass break-ups and two quarterback hurries.
Junior Lorenzo Dantzler made nine starts in 2018 at defensive end and finished with 27 tackles, ranking second on the team with 8.5 tackles for a loss, while adding 3.5 sacks.
DeQuarius Henry and Eric Banks also shined at defensive end a year ago, with Banks making three starts and totaling 22 tackles and five tackles for a loss. Henry, a 5-foot-3, 240-pound native of Houston, had 24 tackles, five tackles for a loss and ranked second on the team with four sacks a year ago.
Solomon Wise, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound native of Coppell, Texas, earned consistent praise from Wilson during the spring practice season.
In addition to the returning talent at defensive end, junior college transfer Clarence Hicks, a 6-2, 225-pound native of Pensacola, Fla., has turned heads as a potential threat on the edge.
"(Clarence Hicks) has shown me speed," Wise said. "He can help us from a pass-rush standpoint."
At the interior line spot, Strong's departure will be tough to replace but the Roadrunners are boosted by the return of senior Baylen Baker – who made starts in all nine games he played as a junior – and King Newton. Newton made two starts as a junior, with 21 tackles, three stops for a loss and one sack.
Brandon Matterson, who played in 10 games off the bench as a 6-2, 300-pound freshman out of San Antonio's Brandeis High School in 2018, and Jaylon Haynes, a 2017 Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection, were key parts of the rotation at defensive tackle in 2018.
"It helps (to have so much depth) because we each bring something different," Wise said. "If we're each fresh going in, we can get the ball rolling. I call us the Avengers, because we're each something special, but as a whole we're powerful."
Breaking up the monotony of training camp
Wilson and the UTSA coaching staff are working to break up the grind of preseason camp with various team activities, including a highly inclusive talent show set for Sunday.
"We've tried to do some team bonding things on Sunday night and really just share ourselves with one another to bring our team close together," Wilson said. "That has been extremely helpful for us. We have a big deal coming up this Sunday, a talent show, coaches against players. We look forward to it to break the monotony of the rigors of camp. We are getting closer to one another, we are getting to know one another. When you have a staff that understands that we were once young men as well, and a group of young men that are turning to their staff and looking for guidance – and turning to one another to build comradery and team, which is always something you want."
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