UTSA Roadrunners College Football Pregame Quote, 11/04/2019

On how freshman RB Sincere McCormick felt after the game at Texas A&M:

He was effective in running. He had that 18-yarder, that could’ve been 75. He thought he was beyond that guy that shoe stringed him. I was talking to him on Sunday about driving his knee coming out of that. The difference (in big runs) is ours were 12 and 15 and theirs were 50 and 60 because they came out of that last tackle.

On if the team remains hopeful about attaining bowl eligibility:

Of course. We have four games. We need three. I do. And I am very conscientious of who we have to play to get to six. But if we can play that team for a half, the way we did A&M, I don’t foresee any of these teams being more talented than A&M, in my humble opinion. If we are able to compete with that team for a half, and we can put that same type of effort for four quarters against our conference opponents, we’ll have a chance. And that is something that is still realistic in our eyes.

On the approach to correcting mistakes:

We’ve been very optimistic. We’ve used a lot of positive reinforcement, constructive criticism. Accountability but still showing the good in what we’re doing and how we are doing it and how close we are. When you go back and you see those things, you know that it’s capable. There are two games where we did not play well at all and were deserving of finishing second. The other games, at times, we were in the game. When the score may not have seemed it, whether it was Army or UAB, the scores were not indicative of the fourth quarter and it being less than a two-possession game. You take that away and you point out the things that you did, and have done well, and certainly they believe that they are still capable.

On Old Dominion:

They are a dangerous, unpredictable program. I’ve known Bobby Wilder for quite some time. He finds a way to get his team ready to play. Even, you look a year ago, they start off slow and don’t play well in 2018 against a Liberty team and they it comes the back end of October and November, they beat Virginia Tech, they beat North Texas. They are a dangerous team and program that has the capabilities to beat anyone on any given day. Their defensive ends are as good as any of the defensive ends in our conference. They are very physical and aggressive in the back end in their secondary. They have transfers from Florida State, several junior college guys there that are very talented. Big at the receiver position, 6-4, 6-3, guys that can compete and catch the 50-50 ball. It gives them a chance. Certainly, they are very concerning to us about our ability to go to their home and attain a victory.

On the play of freshman safety Kelechi Nwachuku:

Consistency. He’s been very consistent in the pass and the run game. He’s a big young man who runs well and has a high football IQ. A highly intellectual young man who just continues to make plays on both the special teams unit, which lends you to think he is ready and has garnered him some more opportunities on the defense. Having he and Antonio Parks, another young man, who they keep on making plays and their production goes up in other areas of the field, and that allows them to get to the field on defense. That is one of the things we tell guys who are eager to play. You make your way by earning your stripes on special teams. If you are not good enough to play on special teams for us, then you’re not good enough to play on offense or defense for us. Those young men have embraced a role and been dominant in their style of play from a special teams standpoint and have had good production.