2020 UTSA Football
Media Roundtable
Oct. 19, 2020
Head Coach Jeff Traylor
On Lowell Narcisse injury …
"It was a severe ankle injury. It required surgery. We are looking at four to six months of recovery. He is still in the hospital and in good spirits. Typical Lowell, talking about how he is going to fight back and be ready to go for spring ball."
On the emotional state Lowell Narcisse handling his injury …
"Of course, at first it was very devastating. He has calmed down a little bit now. He has a tremendous faith-based background. He has been through a lot, losing his father at a younger age, and had to deal with a lot in his life. He believes that he will come back from this and it will be better for him. We are going to help him in that process."
On coaching Frank Harris on being a good teammate and not starting…
"We do that with all of our platers, not just Frank. He is not the only one that gets bad news. There are only 22 of them that like me on Saturday. The other 90 are mad. It is just part of our job. We understand that as a head coach. It is still hard. We have been those guys before when you receive the bad news. I tell them all the same thing. I make mistakes, we have chosen the wrong ones before. When you get your chance, be so good that we can't take you out of the game. It is really that simple. That's what Lowell (Narcisse) did at BYU. He just played so good we could not take him out. That is the advice I give all of them. My daughter, when we moved to Lake Travis, she wasn't the starting setter. She thought she should have been. I said when her coach puts her out there, she needs to play so good she can't take you out. That is what you teach all kids."
On Suddin Sapien's readiness of Frank Harris were to become injured …
"We will find out tomorrow. Suddin hasn't had any work because we have had the other kids all working. It is just like all year, it will be the next man up, and Sudden will get his reps now. My job and Coach (Barry) Lunney's job is to get him ready so if called upon, he can go and execute."
On his evaluation of the shuffled offense against Army …
"They were incredible. We had three critical mistakes on pass protection. Only a couple of runs that weren't spotted up correctly. Coach (Matt) Mattox deserves a lot of credit for what he has had to go through this year, and those kids deserve a lot of credit. I think we play 11 or 12 offensive linemen. I don't know if we have had the same five starting two weeks in a row. I don't know if we have, maybe once. I feel terrible for Coach (Barry) Lunney and our kids. It is just hard. I have said it, and I will say it again. I love to read books. Chapter one of our book is entertaining as most books are. They get you in, and so we went double overtime to get you guys locked in. We are now in the middle of the book right now, and there is usually a plot twist where things start going bad, (and) we had a three-game stretch. The best chapter of every book is always the last chapter. We have had enough bad luck that it is time for our luck to change. We are going to have good luck from here forth. The chapters are going to keep getting better each week, and the best chapter of the book is going to be written week 12. That is what I believe, I am proclaiming it. We are going to hold to it."
On the offensive line and Makai Hart playing on the left side …
"He is really good player. That was a really good recruit for us, and we are very excited about that. (Ahofitu) Maka played well again. We didn't play the tempo we wanted to. (Ahofitu) Maka was just trying to communicate so much up there. He was getting all five of those guys. I'm just griping on the headsets. This was the first time I wore the shield, so y'all could read my lips. I was an angel when I had my mouth covered up and y'all couldn't see me fussing and griping. I was wanting to snap it, and bless his heart, he's communicating. We look like a team that plays a lot of quarterbacks and a lot of offensive linemen. It is my jo to coach them better, and we will do that."
On status of Brandon Rolfe's injury …
"He is getting an MRI today, and we will know more today. Terrell Haynes came out there and played well. We are very proud of Terrell. Each kid we have asked to go out there just keep stepping up. I am really proud of those guys. Ernesto (Almaraz) went out there and played well. If we could ever get through this, into the book where the chapters are going to be the best part, we are going to have a lot of depth. At some point we are going to get Jojo (Jordan Weeks) back. We are going to get Josh (Adkins) back. We will have Frank (Harris) healthy again. We will have depth at quarterback that all play. We have a lot of linemen that play. The only one that has been season ending has been Lowell (Narcisse). I know we have been bit by the injury bug, but we have to stay positive and know we are going to get these kids back. We just have to keep hope alive."
On Zakhari Franklin's performance against Army …
"They just weren't going to let us get behind them. They made a conscious effort to keep everything in front. They played a lot of two deep zone, which we have not had that much at all this year, which is a tremendous compliment to our passing game. It means our receivers are starting to get better. Our quarterbacks are starting to put the ball on them. A lot of in front stuff, and Zakhari took advantage of that. Coach (Barry) Lunney did a good job of scheming that and getting the ball."
On importance of Sincere McCormick at the top of the nation in rushing yards …
"Those kinds of things are just good for recruiting. Obviously for Sincere's psyche and our offensive line, those are just fun things. They give the team something to be proud of in a very difficult three-game stretch. We have played, not only three teams whose combined record is 14-2, they also bring a very physical style of football. I just feel like on Saturday, we played hard, but we didn't have that extra punch that I am used to us having. I can tell they were just having to strain to give me what they gave me."
On physical preparedness of the team …
"I'll know more Tuesday. Nik (Turner)'s report gets longer and longer each week. It is what you would expect, except for the quarterback situation. Everything else is pretty normal, I would say, of playing six straight weeks. You have to remember those kids came in for those walk throughs. These kids have been at it for a while now. We had walk throughs and then fall camp. It has been a tremendous grind on them psychologically, mentally, physically. They were all here yesterday on time, bright eyed and bushy tailed. They are disappointed. It is never as bad as you think, but it is never as good. We had to stay true to our culture. Are each one of us doing our very best and are we getting better every single day? If each one of us are doing that, we will be a better football team. I trust my guys are doing that."
On Kelechi Nwachuku's 16 tackles against Army …
"Those safeties have to make a lot of plays because of the way (Army) schemes you. Kelechi is an intelligent kid with a lot of character. Again, he was injured early, and he just keeps getting better each week. I think he is starting to be healthy and get practice reps. He is a high-IQ tough guy, and high-IQ tough guys do well."
On Ken Robinson …
"Another example of a kid that was injured that keeps battling his way back. He is finally getting healthy, getting reps again, high IQ, high character, tough kid. He played really well, which was great because now we have Corey (Mayfield Jr.), Tariq (Woolen) and Ken that have all gone and played well."
On Tariq Woolen not playing against Army…
"He plays with one hand, and Ken (Robinson) has really been tackling well and so has Corey (Mayfield Jr.). There was not going to be a lot of pass coverage in this game. We just thought it would be a good week for Tariq to get a week off of that to take care of him."
On early scouting report of LA Tech …
"A program that has won a lot of football games that is used to winning playing a program that is playing very hard that is not used to winning, and finding that balance of how to try so hard and play smart, that is what this is to me. It is a battle of one program trying to get like the other program where those guys are used to winning. Teams that are used to winning find ways to win ball games and teams that are used to losing find ways to lose ball games. We have to become a program that wins. Success breeds success. You have to look like a winner and act like a winner before you are ever going to win. We are doing that every single day, and we are getting closer. Whenever you can question a coach's decision in every game that might have cost you the game, that is a good sign. That means you are close. If you are not ever questioning my decisions, it means it is blowout city and it doesn't really matter."
On preparing for LA Tech to play with two quarterbacks …
"They both do different things. One of them is more of a passer, and the other uses his feet a little bit more. Skip (Holtz) is going through what we are going through here, each quarterback just has different skillsets. Who knows which one we will see Saturday? We might see both of them. Who knows."
