Friday night at the Alamodome was an emotional one.
Rumors of UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor interviewing at Texas A&M while quarterback Frank Harris and company were playing on their senior night were the talk of the town. That did not affect the Roadrunners (8-3, 7-0) though as they took care of business against South Florida.
Traylor spoke to the media after practice on Monday and Tuesday to address the A&M rumors, give some praise to departing seniors and break down the upcoming matchup against No. 23 Tulane.
After a rough start to the year, mainly due to injury, Harris is playing some of the best football of his seven-year career. Harris broke the school record for most total yards in a single game and tied his own record for touchdowns in a single game.
“I would never bet against that kid in any situation,” Traylor said. “He has the ‘it factor’ which makes everybody play better.”
For multiple years now, there has been speculation about Traylor leaving UTSA for a better opportunity at a Power Five school. A new year brings a new rumor as late last Thursday night a report came out that Traylor had interviewed for the vacant head coaching position at A&M.
“It comes up every year, it means we’re winning a lot of ball games, so it doesn’t affect our play,” Traylor said. “It just helps move the needle, it causes excitement. People buy more tickets, they buy more suites, they just do more. It is a win-win.”
Outside of that one statement, Traylor has tried to avoid speaking about the situation, mostly because he knows possibly the biggest game in program history is mere days away.
UTSA has never beaten a ranked opponent, yet for the team to make their third consecutive conference championship, they will have to upset No.23 Tulane in New Orleans.
Traylor had nothing but praise for the opposing Green Wave.
“They have really good players, they’re big, they’re physical. It’s going to be a dog fight,” Traylor said.
There is a lot of uncertainty left to be sorted out in the offseason, but for now, the main focus for Traylor and the Roadrunners is beating Tulane. UTSA is just two wins away from dynasty status, and as long as Traylor is the coach and Frank Harris is the quarterback, they are going to leave it all out there on the gridiron.
UTSA faces off against Tulane at 2:30 p.m. on Black Friday at Yulman Stadium.
