2021 UTSA Football
Media Roundtable
Sept. 20, 2021
Head Coach Jeff Traylor
On his takeaways from the Middle Tennessee game …
"One of the most dominating defensive performances that I have been a part of as a head coach or an assistant. Our kids just played with unbelievable tenacity. We played a lot of kids. Really good athletes that are fresh and know their scheme. They were physically dominant. Offensively, we had a lot of mental mistakes. We sputtered a little bit. I know we had 500 yards in 90 plays. We did really good on third down. We did some really good things, but some penalties and turnovers showed up that haven't shown up. I thought one of the plays of the game that hasn't been talked about very much is once Frank (Harris) threw the interception, he turned a kid back in and Sincere (McCormick) made a great tackle. That probably saved us seven points. Special teams-wise, it was kind of like we did on offense. We did a lot of good things. We had some critical mistakes. We kicked the ball out of bounds again, got whipped up front, kicked the ball into the back of the head of one of our players. They actually didn't even block it. Our own offensive lineman did, it hit him in the back of the head. We have some things to fix, obviously, if we are going to play a very good Memphis team that has won 17 games in a row at home."
On the defensive performance against Middle Tennessee …
"We have really good players and a lot of them. We had all of those kids returning. We felt good about our kids starting, but we went out and recruited some very good twos and threes. We are very deep. We play them all. I don't know the exact number. We haven't counted yet. I would guess we played about 75 kids on Saturday. I know we played 66 against Illinois and 85 against Lamar. Our number was high into the 70s. We have really good athletes that are very fresh. They believe in our culture. They are selfless. They give perfect effort. They play with passion. They are mentally and physically tough. That is what our kids believe in."
On the team's mentality to prove people wrong …
"Last year, we were picked last in the country and basically last in the conference. We had zero kids on the preseason team. Nobody picked us over Illinois. You tell them something, and they are going to show you. We are going to be the underdog this week, I understand that. Memphis is very, very good. It is probably the first team that we have played that has more team speed than we do. My players don't like to hear me say that. It bothers them. It really gets them ticked off at me, but I do feel like they are that fast. They have won 17 games at home in a row and just beat an SEC team. We know no one is going to pick us. We are on the road, nationally televised, two 3-0 teams, that sounds like fun to me."
On what the team is preparing for against Memphis …
"Their defense is similar to ours. They play an odd front. Nine starters returning. It is a very veteran group who is very athletic. Offensively, it is similar to ours. They are up-tempo and play really fast. They have the leading receiver in the history of the school, who is from Texas. The quarterback is a good young player. His dad is a friend of mine, so we are really happy for him. He is playing really well. They are famous for returning kicks and punts for touchdowns because they are so fast back there. They are a complete team with a lot of tradition. They have great facilities, a great fan base, tremendous booster involvement, a lot of winning and a lot of great athletes. That is what we want to be like one day."
On the importance of empowering the players to make decisions for the team …
"They know I listen. They know where the buck stops, and they are great. They don't push me. They know when I speak, I have had enough. They are fantastic. I do think it is a new generation and era of coaching. You either adapt or you are out of this business. With Name, Image and Likeness and the transfer portal, kids have a lot of say right now. It works well for me because I truly love the kids. It has never been a problem for me. I have always been this way as long as I have been coaching. It is a players' game. Coaches get way too much blame and way too much credit. It is about the kids. Somehow, along the way, the almighty dollar got in the way. It is supposed to be about the kids. It is supposed to be fun and a great experience for these kids. I am going to do my best to help them with this great experience."
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