UTSA’s first football practice is in the books now.
After being forced to postpone the Roadrunners’ much-anticipated first workout Tuesday because of Tropical Storm Hermine,
Coach Larry Coker put the Roadrunners through a spirited two-hour practice Wednesday night at Farris Stadium.
Seventy players – 28 on scholarship and 42 walk-ons – began a journey that will be filled with “firsts” for a program that doesn’t play until Sept. 3, 2011.
“There was a lot of excitement tonight,” said freshman linebacker John Walker III, a Humble High School graduate. “The first thought I had when I came out on the field was, ‘This is it.’ The fans who were here were witnessing history.”
UTSA will start out as an independent in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly NCAA Division I-AA. The Roadrunners plan to be a full member of the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, within three years.
Coker, who led Miami to the 2001 BCS national championship and went 60-15 in six seasons with the Hurricanes before getting fired in 2006, said it was gratifying to see the Roadrunners finally hit the field.
“It was almost surreal,” Coker said. “It was a lot of fun for me, probably more fun for me than the players.”
The practice was Coker’s first since Miami prepared to play Nevada in the MPC Computers Bowl on Dec. 31, 2006.
“Time has gone by fast for me since then,” Coker said. “This was such a high for me tonight.”
UTSA athletic director Lynn Hickey, who along with school president Ricardo Romo led the campaign to add football to the Roadrunners’ athletic program, watched Wednesday night’s historic practice from the sideline.
“I just can’t believe it,” Hickey said. “I just can’t believe all these players are here.”
Hickey said she struggled to keep her emotions in check Sunday when she spoke to the team at Farris Stadium before it had a walk-through practice.
“I didn’t speak very long because the air conditioning wasn’t on in the locker room,” Hickey said. “I told the players that if I went longer, I probably would start crying.”
Although the Roadrunners weren’t in full gear Wednesday night – they wore helmets and shoulder pads, but practiced in shorts – that didn’t stop them from going full bore in team drills.
“We hadn’t hit since last fall,” said center Robert Chapman, a freshman who graduated from Clark. “We all were looking forward to this practice.”
It got so intense at one point that Coker had to step in and remind the players to stop at the whistle.
“We’ve been waiting for this day a long time,” said quarterback Eric Soza, a freshman transfer from Texas State who graduated from Jones High School in Beeville. “I think a lot of guys had held it inside, and then the first practice was postponed because of the rain.
“Everybody was ready to go. The defense was talking to us and we were talking to the defense. It was a pride thing. But in the end, we all came together. We know we’re all one team.”
Offensive coordinator Travis Bush and defensive coordinator Neal Neathery were upbeat after the workout.
“Our focus as coaches is to see what’s the best position for each player, and make sure we put each player in the right position,” Bush said. “I told the guys that first days are always sloppy, especially when you have as many freshmen as we do. But I also told them this is one of the best first days I’ve ever been around.”
Said Neathery: “This was the first day of hitting, and the players were excited. The Coaches were looking forward to this, too. We’re really, really basic right now. What we’re trying to do is teach them how to line up right, defeat blocks and get to the football.”
Jim Marshall, who coaches the offensive line, had the best line regarding just how basic the Roadrunners are at this point.
“I’m even teaching my linemen how to get out of the huddle,” Marshall said, chuckling.
Freshman linebacker Cody Rogers, a Brandeis graduate, liked the pace of the workout.
“The coaches stayed on us pretty good,” Rogers said. “We knew it was going to be intense. Even if the ball was 40 yards away, you were expected to hustle over there and try to make a play.”
Kam Jones, a freshman from Edna who is one of the team’s most versatile players, expressed confidence the workouts will help the Roadrunners bond.
“We got after it pretty good tonight, but it’s all fun,” said Jones, who took snaps at quarterback Wednesday, but also can play running back and wide receiver.
The Roadrunners will return to Farris Stadium at 3 p.m. Thursday for a walk-through practice.
