UTSA Football Media Roundtable
Oct. 18, 2021
Head Coach Jeff Traylor
On his analysis of the Rice game …
"The opening drive we went down and scored. The crowd was fantastic. They were very energetic and that got them going. Our defense was so dominant. One of the plays of the game was Corey (Mayfield Jr.) with the flea flicker early. He got a couple steps behind him and maintained his composure. He was very calm, played through the ball and was very confident. If they would have scored, it would have been interesting to see how the game turned out. Momentum is so big in football with our home crowd being in the game. We were really good in all three phases. That was the first time all year that we have done that."
On the players' reaction to being ranked for the first time in school history …
"We are going talk about it because we have to know how to handle it and answer the question. It is a fine line. We want to be humans, have fun and enjoy things too, but at the same time, how many hours are we spending on stuff that does not have anything to do with the Louisiana Tech game? You have to be very careful. From monitoring social media to media requests, everything, we all have to balance that fine line of how much we enjoy it versus how much we are studying Louisiana Tech. Those kids are on the second part of their semester after receiving their midterm grades last week. It is always a balance."
On the reward to the team of a national ranking …
"I want those guys to be happy and glad that they chose to come play for us. It is a much bigger picture when it comes to those national rankings. It is boosters, it is fans, it is your administration, it is recruits, it is national perception not just local perception. That is what really helps because then we have a chance for this thing to last longer than just one season. It takes money to get this thing done. It takes a lot of money to get a program to last for a long time because there are so many needs that players need to be successful. That is what is so exciting about it. There are a lot of alumni that we have out there who are looking to give to something they believe in. The more success you give people, the more belief they have in you."
On the historic start to the season …
"It is literally what I dreamed of. It is what we wanted so bad. Kevin Brown and I have been talking about this for a long time. The die-hard Roadrunner fans, the ones that have been there from the beginning, it is what we have all wanted. On Saturday, all of us, no matter what anyone says, goes, 'Wow, this is really happening. This is happening right before our eyes.' We are grateful, and we understand that we have a lot left to do. We are nowhere near where we want to be. We are a whole lot closer today than we were yesterday."
On the meaning of the ranking beyond the coaches and media …
"It is a bigger version. It is free advertisement. You cannot get that or pay for it. It is huge. Everybody in the country is talking about us. That helps with boosters. It helps with administration. It helps the fan base. It helps recruiting. It helps in the bigger scheme. We want this to be something that lasts forever, not a blip in the radar. Historically here, we have been an up and down program. We have had our moments and we have gone away. We are having a moment right now, and I don't want it to go away. It takes funding. People are going to believe in this more when you give them success. The more funding you have, the better chance you have for making this thing last. You have better stuff and more personnel. There is a reason those guys win every single year at those levels. They have got it deep in the recruiting department, the strength staff, their nutritional meals. It is made to last. We are a new program. National rankings help because more people want to be a part of it. Everybody loves to win. When you win, there is enough for everyone. When you lose, there is never enough for anyone."
On Louisiana Tech …
"We have Louisiana Tech on Saturday. They are a really good football team. They are great at home. Skip Holtz has done a fantastic job with that program for years. They are a program that we want to model. They have been successful for a long time. They are really good in Ruston. You do not want to play those guys there. Right now, you want to play those guys on the road. Unfortunately, we drew them on a Saturday night. They will have that place rocking on Saturday night."
