UTSA coach Jeff Traylor never sleeps well after games.
Even with an afternoon kickoff, as the Roadrunners had Saturday, the adrenaline rush doesn’t wear off until deep into the night.
The staff might have been groggy Sunday morning, but an early start and productive day were vital. UTSA had to eschew any semblance of an off day this week to prepare for a quicker turnaround, with kickoff against Middle Tennessee set for 7 p.m. today at the Alamodome.
The staff worked to make up for lost time in more ways than one.
Around lunchtime last Friday, Traylor learned that this week’s scheduled matchup against Memphis was canceled because of positive COVID-19 tests in the Memphis program. In an instant, 100 hours of scouting by UTSA’s analysts and quality control personnel went up in smoke.
By Saturday, UTSA’s Conference USA opener against Middle Tennessee was locked in as the replacement game, and Traylor began a race to have the Roadrunners ready.
“It’s a lack of sleep, and having to squish up a game plan real fast,” Traylor said. “We don’t want to waste reps on plays we’re not going to actually use Friday. So we had to be spot-on.”
Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill didn’t wait until Sunday morning. He first caught wind of the possible schedule change when his phone buzzed with a text message at Friday’s team meeting. Later that day, he talked through the scenarios with athletic director Chris Massaro.
By Saturday morning, the date with UTSA was locked in.
Typically, the Blue Raiders’ graduate assistants start breaking down film and sorting clips more than a week before facing an opponent.
Knowing Middle Tennessee would be at a disadvantage against UTSA because of the travel day to San Antonio, the Blue Raiders’ staff began prep not long after their game against Troy wrapped up around 6 p.m.
Video of UTSA’s matchup Saturday with Stephen F. Austin was not yet available, so Middle Tennessee cut up the Roadrunners’ opener against Texas State. The coaching staff reviewed it that night.
“Maybe you might be behind a day or two, just from a film breakdown,” Stockstill said, “but we were caught up by Sunday from that standpoint.”
Traylor and the Roadrunners staff usually spend about eight hours on Sundays building the team’s practice plan for the week, ironing it out during the players’ off day Monday. That work was condensed into Sunday this week.
Receiver Sheldon Jones said the Roadrunners typically have an idea of their next three opponents, but the scouting and game-planning process never extends beyond that week’s matchup. The players hadn’t looked at Memphis by Saturday, so the switch to Middle Tennessee was not jarring to their preparation.
The biggest challenge, Jones said, was having one fewer practice day. But that didn’t make the late change of opponent any less surprising.
“You’re going into Saturday’s game knowing you have Memphis next, and you come out of the game and you hear, all right, now you have Middle Tennessee,” Jones said. “It just speaks a lot about 2020. You’re just going to have to roll with the punches. We have a new team, short week. How are we going to answer? Adversity, or opportunity?”
The matchup with No. 17 Memphis, the defending American Athletic Conference champion, figured to be the toughest on UTSA’s schedule.
Instead, UTSA draws Middle Tennessee, which is 0-2 after a 47-14 loss to Troy and a 42-0 loss to Army.
“It’s another opportunity that we would’ve gotten to show against a tough opponent, but we have the same thing this week,” tight end Leroy Watson said. “Middle Tennessee is a pretty good team that we’ll have a lot of trouble with, too.”
UTSA defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix said Middle Tennessee is “by far the most talented team that we will play thus far in the season.”
Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney said UTSA and Middle Tennessee have “very similar talent,” adding that preparing for the Blue Raiders’ aggressive defense will be especially difficult during a short week.
The coaches said UTSA’s offense will be much like what the team ran against Stephen F. Austin, and Nix said he “can’t put in and install as much defense as you would like.”
For a first-year staff working to teach new schemes despite losing spring practice to the pandemic, the breadth of available offense and defense has been a constant question.
“We’ve been very simple, and we’re going to have to be simple again because of the short week,” Traylor said. “We’ll keep adding a little bit, but we can’t get too crazy.”
Through fall camp, Traylor warned his staff and players about the possibility of schedule changes during a season played amid a pandemic.
The short week of practice altered UTSA’s COVID-19 testing schedule, with tests administered Monday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. During his Wednesday radio show, Traylor said the Roadrunners had completed eight consecutive rounds of testing without any positive results.
The eight players who missed UTSA’s first two games because of contact tracing are back in practice, creating a deeper roster with more energy, Traylor said.
Weighed against the challenges of a pandemic, a short week feels less daunting.
“2020 has been a crazy year, so for us to be preparing for a game on Friday is nothing that we can’t handle,” quarterback Lowell Narcisse said. “For us to be able to still play ball is the only thing we’re really concerned about. As long as we’re playing and keeping our bubble, we’re fine with everything else.”
greg.luca@express-news.net
Twitter: @GregLuca
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