The UTSA Roadrunners got absolutely throttled last week, dropping a brutal 60-29 loss to FAU, a game that head coach Jeff Traylor just called the worst defensive performance of his entire seven-year tenure. This wasn’t just a loss, folks, this was a defensive meltdown where they gave up the highest scoring output of his career, period.
What Went Wrong, And Who’s to Blame?
Defensive lineman Jusiah Sampleton hit the nail on the head, saying the biggest issue was defenders trying to play hero ball instead of working together. He felt like it was “a bunch of different things just piled up on us,” leading to “broader breakdowns” and FAU just gashing them for 339 rushing yards. Sampleton put it like a parent talking to a kid after a rough day: “As a kid, when you get in trouble and you get a whooping like we got, you don’t want to have that happen, but you learn from it. The greatest lesson that we can learn is just to do our job. We do our job, we’ll play lights out against anybody.” Sounds simple, right? But clearly, it wasn’t happening.
Coach Traylor? He took the heat, pointing the finger right at the coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Jess Loepp. He said they were too focused on FAU’s passing game and got caught with their pants down when the Owls went heavy and ran the ball down their throats. “We’ve got great players here. They’re super kids. They try to please us, and when we don’t give them a good plan as a staff, we feel terrible,” Traylor admitted. “We’ve got to be better as a head coach, as a defensive coordinator, defensive staff, because our players deserve that.”
An Up and Down Season, And a Massive Test Ahead
This inconsistency isn’t exactly new for the Roadrunners’ defense. We’ve seen flashes of brilliance, like when they got praised for their play against Texas or fueled wins against Texas State and South Florida. But then there are games like the 59-45 win over Colorado State and the 38-34 victory against Navy, where the offense had to do all the heavy lifting just to get out with a win because the defense was struggling. Through seven games against Group of Six competition, this D has let three opponents put up at least 55 yards *better* than their season average, though they did hold three others to 30 yards *below* their average. Tulane, in their 42-19 loss to UTSA, finished right at their 332-yard season average. It’s a rollercoaster!
And the stats don’t lie, folks. This UTSA defense is currently ranked 118th in the country in total defense, giving up 410.6 yards per game. Even worse, they’re sitting at a dismal 128th nationally in rushing defense, allowing 200.9 yards per game. Think about that: 128th! And who do they face this Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Alamodome? Only North Texas, the No. 1 offense in the entire country, averaging a ridiculous 534.7 yards per game. Seriously, what are we even doing here?
Can UTSA’s defense finally “do their job” like Sampleton said they should? This game against North Texas is going to be the ultimate gut check. If they can’t figure out how to play together and execute a better plan, it could be another long night in San Antonio. It’s time to see if they learned anything from that “whooping” against FAU.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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