What UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor said about playing at Tennessee

During a media availability after UTSA’s practice on Wednesday, head coach Jeff Traylor was asked what it would mean for the Roadrunner football program to go on the road Saturday afternoon and beat No. 23 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.

“It’d make us 2-2,” Traylor said, referring to his team’s record after the starting the season with a win over Texas State and losses to Houston and Army.

He was also asked if it means anything, or if he or his players pay attention to the fact that UTSA (1-2) goes to Tennessee (2-1) as a three-touchdown underdog for the 4 p.m. Eastern Time start on SEC Network.

“No,” Traylor said, “not one bit. I mean, absolutely nothing.”

Saturday’s game is the first meeting between the UTSA and Tennessee football programs. But UTSA, which played its first football season in 2011, isn’t unfamiliar with playing big-name opponents.

UTSA in 2020, Traylor’s first year as the program’s head coach, went to BYU and lost 27-20. The Roadrunners won 37-30 at Illinois to start the 2021 season, lost in triple overtime at home in the 2022 season-opener and two weeks later lost 41-20 at Texas. 

Here’s what Traylor said this week about what UTSA will be facing against Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday:

Playing at Tennessee

“Playing a really, really tough opponent … top-25 (team). What Coach Heupel has done there has been really remarkable. Um, Tennessee’s always had every single thing you need to win. They’re doing that now. So we know we’re gonna play a very angry, upset team. They’ve lost their conference opener on the road to a very good Florida team, so we know we’re gonna get their best.”

If he has coached at Neyland Stadium before

“No, I haven’t. I’ve got a lot of buddies that have and a lot of buddies on the staff. Coach Heupel used to recruit my school when he was at Oklahoma. And he signed a lot of our kids, you know, from Gilmer (High School), so I know Josh really well. And so we know a lot of those guys well and talk to people that have played there. (They say) there’s no other place like it. It’s what we’ve been told as far as the noise and. It’ll be exciting for our kids to experience that.”

If they talk to their players about what the atmosphere will be like at Tennessee

“You gotta go over it and you gotta practice it the best you can. It’s tough. It was similar, I would imagine, to what we’ve experienced. But I’ve heard everything we’ve experienced, it’s, even more so. We’ll find out Saturday, about 4 o’clock Eastern.”

The excitement playing an SEC team and if playing at Texas last season could help

“I’m not gonna sit here and debate that we don’t pride ourself on that stuff. Like we really just pride ourselves (on playing our game). We’re not gonna go over there and do a bunch of gadgets. We’re gonna do what we do. We’re going over there to get better. We’re trying to do the same things we’re gonna do versus Temple and UAB and South Florida. I just, we really try to guard against that.

“I know that’s not what y’all want to hear. It’s a very boring answer. But our very first year we went to BYU and they were whatever they were ranked and we went over there with our plan. We ran our stuff the next year, Illinois and the next year, Texas and now this year, Tennessee. Now this team’s different than all those teams there. They’re different. They’ve got as much NFL talent we’ve ever played since we’ve been here together. So we know (what) we’re going against. I’m just trying to let you know, we’re not going over there to run a bunch of gadgets and stuff. We’re going over there to play football.”

What it would mean for UTSA to win at Tennessee

“It’d make us 2-2.”