SAN ANTONIO – After a full-padded scrimmage on Friday, UTSA football returned to the practice field for a full-padded practice, the seventh practice of the spring season, on Monday morning at the UTSA Practice Fields.
The Roadrunners had their first spring scrimmage on Friday morning and broke for the weekend before returning to the field as a team on Monday.
"Coming off a very rigorous practice on Friday, we bounced back today," head coach Frank Wilson said. "We had a lot of very good things happen, as we talked about on Friday, and we came back today and really tried to improve ourselves. We went into different situational things in preparation for a big Saturday scrimmage that we'll have. We moved them to the two-minute drill today, which was very productive with the No. 1 offense. They went down the field and positioned themselves to kick it through the upright to win the game. Then our defense did an outstanding job and applied pressure up front, covered in the back end to preserve victory. A very, very productive practice as we continue to improve."
Other UTSA spring practice dates include Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and April 10, 13, 17 and 19.
The spring practice season will conclude with the ninth annual UTSA Football Fiesta Spring Game, which will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 20, at Dub Farris Athletic Complex (8400 North Loop 1604 W). Admission and parking are free.
The Roadrunners will open the 2019 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, against UIW at the Alamodome.
Season tickets are on sale now by calling or texting 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting goUTSA.com/tickets.
Offensive line improvement
Among the highlights of the seventh practice of the spring included the development of the UTSA offensive line.
The Roadrunners return five players on the offensive line who gained starting experience in 2018, including sophomore center Kevin Davis, sophomore guard Spender Burford, senior guard/tackle Josh Dunlop, senior tackle Jalyn Galmore and senior tackle Treyvion Shannon.
Davis, Shannon and Dunlop each started all 12 games, with Burford making 10 starts and Galmore started the first five games before suffering a season-ending injury.
As a group, the five returning starters average 6-foot-4 and 309 pounds.
"The run game was really good (today)," Wilson said. "In one frame you had eight guys engaged in a block, man on a body, with eight different people. When you have that type of team effort it allows us to have tremendous success. Right now, our guys up front are understanding what we're asking them to do from an offensive line standpoint. We are really getting movement."
They'll be counted on to block for a running game that returns tailbacks B.J. Daniels and Brenden Brady. The duo combined to rush for 543 yards and four TDs in 2018, averaging 3.99 yards per tote.
Quarterback competition update
The spring practice season also features a six-way competition for the starting quarterback job, including returning starter Cordale Grundy, who threw for 989 yards and rushed for 167, totaling six TDs in his debut season in 2018. Sophomore Shertz, Texas, native Frank Harris has also returned to the field after missing the first two years due to injury. Freshman Jordan Weeks, sophomore Lowell Narcisse, freshman Suddin Sapien and senior Brandon Garza give UTSA a strong quarterback positional group.
"They are challenging each other a lot," Wilson said about Grundy and Harris. "Those two have really leveled up their game. The competition is very intense. They have a great relationship with one another. They bring out the best in one another and the practices have been very heated. It's good to see that kind of competition."
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