2019 UTSA Football
Media Availability Quotes
Sept. 16, 2019
Head Coach Frank Wilson
"Let's go have fun. Let's go get after it."
— UTSA Football 🏈 (@UTSAFTBL) September 16, 2019
- @CoachWilsonUTSA #BirdsUp 🤙
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On how he approached the team on Sunday after a loss on Saturday vs. Army …
"Here is what I said to our team in yesterday's meeting: they play 20 games in the National Football League, four of them are preseason and 16 count, that positions you to be in place for conference championship opportunities. For us, we play 12. We have eight to nine that count. It doesn't matter if we are 3-0 right now – we sure would like to be that – or if we were 0-3, we are 1-2 right now. The ones that count and matter most are the conference ones. Our team goal has always been, is to compete for the conference championship, to be in the talk for Conference USA West, a Conference USA title. That is our goal, that is our standard, that is our benchmark and that is still very much alive for us. We get a chance to go measure ourselves against one of the best in our conference; a very quality opponent in North Texas that we look forward to going to Denton and competing with."
On the game with Army …
"It was a physical, tough football game. I had great conversation with coach (Jeff Monken) postgame and complimenting each other on the physicality and playing the game how it's meant to be played."
On what stood out when watching the film …
"Our defensive line played outstanding. There were momentum changing plays – sacks, caused fumbles, tackles for losses – things that could've swung the game in its entirety if we had been able to capitalize."
On what freshman running back Sincere McCormick has shown in his first three games …
"(He is) what we thought when we gave him the starting nod. That he would be a guy that is very talented but is still growing in many ways when it comes to being an every down back. That will come with time as he gets older, as he gets stronger. (He is) as talented as a runner that we have. Has good vision, good feet and toughness. He has breakaway speed that can take it the distance. He has a way of finding his way in the end zone."
On if he envisioned the offense getting more opportunities to run the ball …
"For us, they started to put people in the box and dare us to throw the ball. We had to take advantage of those opportunities. At times we did and at times we did not. We cannot be dictated into running into an eight or nine-man box. That is just not advantageous. They gave us opportunities to throw the ball and we abided."
On what Deven Boston brought to the running back position in the game Saturday …
"A big physical back. A guy that can sustain in protection. A guy that can run in between the tackles and get downhill. At times he can be his own blocker, meaning if it's not blocked to perfection, he is still a 230-pound man that can move the pile and advance the ball for us."
On the North Texas offensive attack …
"They are a spread offense. At one point, (Coach Seth Littrell) was an air raid type guy. He's gone away from that. A no-huddle, spread team. Not necessarily a constant high tempo team. They'll go fast at times but they are a no-huddle, spread team that does a good job of creating opportunities, or schematically putting their best players in situations to take shots down the field. But also, conscious enough to allow Mason (Fine) to find those guys underneath, to take what you are given in the intermediate game."
On UNT quarterback Mason Fine …
"He just finds a way. He has it. He has it. Not big in stature. Has a good arm. Extremely accurate. Courageous. He'll stand in there and take in in the teeth if he needs to in order to complete a ball. He will run to stay alive to pass but if no one comes up, he will take that opportunity to run down the field. We've seen both. You go back all the way to 2016 as a true freshman against us, I think he breaks an 80 yarder on us as we stay in coverage, in our place here – a game we were victorious in. In the last couple of years, as recent as last year, when applying pressure, he breaks containment, scrambles out and adlibs and kind of beckons for a guy to come open and throws it over our heads for a touchdown. It wasn't the play by design, the guy ran an over route and he started scrambling and came all the way back and heaves the ball over there because coverage at that time pursues to him as a runner. We have to be very disciplined and understanding in maintaining our rush lanes from a defensive line standpoint. To play underneath coverage when need be and to not to abort those responsibilities because he's that dangerous."
On if the matchup with North Texas could be a rivalry game …
"It is a rivalry. I don't think we've had a game decided by more than seven points. You guys will be able to tell me there. They've been three, four, five, six-point games. It's always been a tough fought game. We are conference opponents that are in state and we've played each other competitively. And teams have won on other team home venue at times. That makes for, when you look at a series, it makes for a rivalry. We consider them a worthy opponent, have a lot of respect for them. Our kids will get up to play for them and I think they'll get up to play us as well."
On the mindset of the team on Sunday after the loss on Saturday …
"They felt like they were that close. The game was in the balance within the last five minutes of the game. It's still a seven, 10-point game that is still very much in the balance. There were opportunities for us to be in position to win this game. It didn't happen but our kids saw that. They saw (Army) in a bowl game, they saw (Army) a week ago vs. Michigan. They watched (Army) play Oklahoma. They know that they were a worthy team that played well against top-10 teams in the country and knew that they had opportunities to be in position to win. There was not the dejection. Keep on hammering guys, we are that close. That's our theme."
On the play of the defensive line vs. a unique Army rushing attack …
"(Eric Banks) was physical. He knocked the crap out of a couple of guys. He knocked his guy back and the back on a third-down call. Baylen Baker played the best game of his career. So much so that they made a change at the center position. He affected their style of play by penetrating, by knocking their guy backwards. Jarrod Carter-McLin played a physical football game, he may have been the leading tackler of the game as well. Those guys were asked to do a job, and take away, and not allow someone to gut us in the heart of our defense, down the middle. We did so. There were some perimeter things that were not necessarily the DNA of Army that they resorted to and we didn't capitalize in making some of those tackles in spaces or getting over top. We took away their strength and forced them to beat us in things that they don't normally do. It's unfortunate but shame on you if a team shows a tendency to run a certain spot and you don't do everything that's humanly possible to make them beat you. They did and they were able to earn the victory against us. They were deserving of the win but we made them earn it."
On the play of the defensive line …
"Collectively as a group those guys have but I'm very impressed with Eric Banks. He's a guy that has played a lot of snaps for us. At times he flashes dominance right now. What we did, he was primarily just an edge guy in the past. We've bumped him inside at times to see how he would respond and boy he has responded. From a toughness standpoint, he has added value to our football team. In certain packages allows us to put him inside because he is a guy that can rush the passer and support the run and still get those other defensive ends on the field so we have a more athletic group of the field in its entirety on certain situations.
On the play of senior defensive end Eric Banks …
He was pretty big last year, he may even be lighter. Which probably the weight he was at last year and just keeping him outside may have even hindered him. He got up to 285, he is a big man. He is a big guy. He came here at like 215-220. He's put on a ton of weight. His body has adjusted to it. He's gotten rid of some of the extra weight. He's probably playing at 275 now, which is bigger than (former defensive end) Marcus (Davenport) ever was here as an edge guy and inside bump guy. He's handling and moving with his weight very well.
On if he likes the idle week in placement on the schedule after the UNT game …
"It allows us after one conference game to see where we are at, to self reflect in the things that we are doing and how we are doing. It gives us a chance to get on the road and recruit to our team. But more importantly to check on us. We just came out of a very tough back-to-back non-conference schedule and we'll play a physical game here on Saturday but a chance to regroup just to get ready for a gauntlet of games before we get deep into conference play."
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