SAN ANTONIO — University of Texas at San Antonio head football coach Jeff Traylor says he hopes "people are just going nuts" for Saturday's homecoming game against Rice, he told KENS 5 Friday.
The second-year head coach has led the Roadrunners to a 6-0 record, the best start to a season in school history. He notes that fans were largely unable to watch the team in person last year because of pandemic precautions.
"Our ticket workers have told me every time I see them that this is the craziest it's been since we've all been here together," Traylor said. "Kind of like us, (the fans) just keep getting better every day too."
Traylor says he's worked to cultivate relationships with fans and the student body. He's garnered some attention for passing out Whataburger breakfast food on UTSA's campus.
"You give me a free taquito or free pizza or a free taco, and I'd have been friends with a lot of people too back in the day," Traylor laughed. "As far as our community, I haven't said 'No' to anything yet."
The school plays Rice at 5 p.m. inside the Alamodome Saturday. A decisive win could vault the team into the Top 25.
"I hope we get inside and there's a real buzz. I hope they're extremely loud and make Rice jump early four or five times on offense," he said.
"If you've got two friends, get those two. Maybe each one of them will get a friend, and then we'll have four," Traylor continued. "We can keep talking multiplication tables all day long. That's how it works: One at a time."