Know the Opponent | UTSA - BleedTechBlue: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football & Basketball Recruiting

1. Jeff Traylor is 26-9 during his tenure at UTSA and signed an extension through 2031 following the 2021 season. Obviously he's been very successful at UTSA, but is there an expectation in San Antonio that he will stick around for the long haul?

UTSA is going through their best of football in their short history under Jeff Traylor. He likes to joke around during media availability that the fans are stuck with him for the next ten years. Any sensible fan, especially one that follows a G5 program should know that having that kind of winning record will get the attention of Power 5 programs relatively quickly. It already happened, hence the 10 year contract Traylor received last season. I think if Jeff Traylor is to leave it will have to be the right situation. He already turned down a program like Texas Tech. The next step up one would think would program like Texas or Texas A&M. I would think that if a program of that caliber were to open it would be impossible for UTSA to compete like they did with Texas Tech. We shall see, for the moment Traylor is committed to UTSA.

2. Frank Harris has been the quarterback for what seems like forever. He'll play in his 40th career game on Saturday and is playing the best football of his career. What makes Harris such a successful quarterback?

The commitment of Frank Harris to UTSA will go down as one of the more monumental moments in UTSA’s history when we look back in a decade. You are correct when you say he is playing the best football of his career. He is the heartbeat of the offense. People who followed the program closely knew how important he was to this program last few years. Running back Sincere McCormick was fantastic for the Roadrunners, but the last three years can be attributed in large part to Frank Harris. His accuracy, ability to make clutch throws and extending plays with his feet are some of the bigger attributed. Harris’ leadership cannot be understated. He has proven time and time again he can lead his team at the end of games. The crazy thing is he can come back next year for his super senior season.

3. Sincere McCormick was the top running back in Conference USA for 3 years, but he left following the 2021 season. How has the duo of Brennan Brady and Trelon Smith fared in replacing him this season?

The return of Brenden Brady was one of the more underrated storylines for UTSA this past offseason. He was not part of the program during the spring opting to come back during the summer. He leads UTSA is rushing with 570 yards and 7 touchdowns. Arkansas transfer Trelon Smith was committed to TCU before flipping to UTSA late in the cycle. Unfortunately for him he has dealt with injuries all season long. Traylor mentioned we have yet to see a healthy Trelon Smith this year. The big surprise at running back has been the emergence of redshirt freshman Kevorian Barnes. In the last three games he has rushed for 292 yards and 3 touchdown. Barnes has taken a larger share of the workload with Brady and Smith banged up. Expect to see a heavy dose of him this weekend.

4. The receiving trio of Zakhari Franklin, De'Corian Clark, and Joshua Cephus are as good as it gets in college football. I know Clark went down for the season against UAB, but should we really expect much of a drop-off from the unit?

There will be some sort of drop-off. Clark had been one of the better receivers in the country this season. Luckily for UTSA they have a guy like Tykee Ogle-Kellogg on the bench. He has been with the program since 2018, and while the stats won’t shock you the talent is there. He was a highly recruited receiver out of Tennessee that hasn’t quite put it all together for the Roadrunners. One could argue having Clark, Frank and Cephus on the roster would do that to you, but Traylor has mentioned Ogle-Kellogg’s issues have been non-football related. At 6’5”, 200 pounds he is a different type of receiver than Franklin and Cephus. If he can slide in and contribute right away (he caught a touchdown vs. UAB) the drop-off might be felt a little less.

5. The Roadrunners are allowing over 30 points per game in 2022, which might be more than was expected in the preseason. Overall, how would you grade the play of that side of the ball this season? Who are the names to watch on Saturday?

If there is a blemish for this Roadrunner squad it would have to be the play of their defense at times. They do tend to allow big plays allowing teams to keep things close. This happened once again last week allowing a 14 point fourth quarter lead to evaporate versus UAB. If I had to give it a grade right now it would have to be a C+. Tons of room for improvement there heading into the final stretch of the season. As for some names to watch. Redshirt freshman outside linebacker Trey Moore has emerged as the top pass rusher on this team. The San Antonio native has come into his own this season racking up 35 tackles, 9.5 TFL’s and 5 sacks. Another big surprise this year has been the play of walk-on defensive line transfer (NC State) Nick Booker-Brown. The sophomore has 19 tackles, 4.5 TFL’s and 3 sacks on the year and has really come on with the injury to senior Brandon Matterson. Cornerback Corey Mayfield is playing the best football of this career at the moment. The super senior has three interceptions the last three games in addition to having 10 pass breakups already this season.

6. What are the keys to victory for UTSA on Saturday?

Get to the quarterback. UTSA has 9 sacks last three games. If they can continue that trend they will be in a good spot. Limit big plays. Like I mentioned, teams have been able to keep things close due to big plays allowed by the defense. Let Frank Harris do his thing. There will be an adjustment period with Clark out of the lineup and the emergence of Kavorian Barnes at running back. Harris will have to adjust and use his weapons accordingly.

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