UTSA Roadrunners College Football Pregame Quote, 11/15/2021

On his analysis of the Southern Miss game:

It was pretty much what I thought after the game. I thought Coach (Will) Hall did a great job coming out and putting Frank Gore Jr. in a single wing, snapping the ball on one. Were some of those penalties intentional? I don’t know. They were getting 80 seconds off the clock. The killer was when they took 80 off of it, then 80 and 80. It was third and 15 and we get a face mask penalty. Then they get to take four more minutes off the clock. It was frustrating. We were frustrated that we could not get going offensively. If we got up by two scores, they could not do that anymore. We just could not get ahead of them. It did benefit us in the long run. We have been about a month, five weeks, without having to make a real pressure call late in the game. No matter what any of us want to say, we all had a little extra lump in our throat when it was tied up with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

On the team facing the adversity of being down and coming back to win:

I was extremely proud of how we did not flinch. No one started pointing fingers or blaming. I have seen a lot of teams in the situation where you are supposed to blow out somebody, per se, and it is not going well, people turn on each other. We had none of that. Our guys went in there and battled. Our coordinators did a great job of staying calm. Our assistant coaches did a really great job of keeping our kids calm. We trusted the process and kept pounding the fist and winning the day, all of the things that we talk about all the time. Think about the very first culture pillar that we have, integrity. I say it all of the time, it is easy to be a man when it is cloudy and 72 outside with extra money in the savings account, all of the kids are getting dressed for school, your wife is happy and life is easy. Where are you when things go bad? We were in one of those tough moments. Our kids had integrity and we found a way out of it.

On the coaching situation heading into UAB:

It is human nature. We weren’t very good Saturday. The more our guys hear it, the more it will make them mad and focused, and the better they will prepare. What is crazy about all of this is that neither program has done anything different. We are both in the exact same situation. It might look like we have done more, but we have done nothing. Both teams enter the game with the exact same situation. If we win, we are in. If they win, they are in. Ironic that we have gone on this 10-game stretch and have gained nothing over them. Winner takes all.

On the roster never beating UAB:

Every time y’all remind them of that, our kids have a unique way of doing what they are not supposed to do. It matters, but you have to give the credit to Bill Clark and what he has established at UAB. They are a top 25 statistical defense in every category. It has been that way since Bill has been there. They recruit extremely big, physical, fast kids. They are heavy in the junior colleges. Those kids are freak athletes that know Bill’s scheme really well. They run the ball really well. When you get up there too tight, they are going to play-action-pass the tight end or running back on a wheel route or go double post. They do a really good job. They are really well coached. Bill is a high school guy, so I am a huge fan of his. I root for him every week except for this Saturday in the Alamodome.

On the pressure the athletes feel going into the UAB game:

It reminds me what I said in the very beginning when we brought these super seniors back. As the expectations rise, our culture has to match it. We have to out-culture UAB on Saturday. We have to. We have to be what our five pillars are. It is literally going to be a pound the fist, trust the process, win the day kind of day. It is going to come down to the very end. A champion has the ability to play one play longer than his opponent. I have a sneaking feeling this is going to come down to the very last play.

On how hard it is to win a championship:

It has never been done in the history of our school. I know it has only been 11 years, but never is a long time. It is hard to win a game in college football, not to mention, a championship. So many things have to go right from health to lucky bounces and all of your kids passing their classes. There are so many things that have to line up to get it done. I have respect for guys that do it annually. Every year there are certain teams that are going to be in the hunt, which means they have a great president, great administration, great facilities, a great fan base, boosters, money and uniforms. There are so many things, academics, compliance and media; there are a lot of things that have to fall in line to have a great program. We don’t want this to be something that we just happen to do occasionally. Two years in a row now we happen to be in the hunt. The more you keep doing it, the more your fan base expects it, your media expects it and your players. It becomes something we expect to do. Someone is going to be the first one to win one. Why not us?