UTSA football at a glance
Head coach: Frank Wilson, third season, 12-12 at UTSA
2017 records: 6-5 overall, 3-5 Conference USA (fifth in West Division)
Returning lettermen: 38
Returning starters: (O/D/ST): 12 (4/6/2)
Season opener: at Arizona State, Sept. 1, 9:30 p.m.
Home opener: vs. Baylor, Sept. 8, 6 p.m., Alamodome
SAN ANTONIO – If the UTSA offense is going to get back on track after a subpar season last year, it figures that senior tailback Jalen Rhodes will play a major role in the turnaround.
Rhodes rushed for 827 yards, a 5.8 yards per carry average, and nine touchdowns as a sophomore in 2017, but his production fell off last year, reflecting the rough sledding the Roadrunners faced in moving the ball consistently.
Jumpstarting the offense and settling on a quarterback will be only two of the challenges awaiting Rhodes and his teammates on Thursday when they report for fall camp at UTSA campus. The Roadrunners, who kick off their eighth season at Arizona State on Sept. 1, open practice Friday morning.
“We’re ready to get to work,” Rhodes said at former UTSA teammate Jarveon Williams’ recent football camp for area youth. “We’ve had some great workouts this summer and we’re all committed to having a better season.”
UTSA returns four offensive and six defensive starters, plus both kickers, among 38 returning lettermen from a team that finished 6-5 overall and fifth (3-5) in the West Division of Conference USA.
The Roadrunners did not receive a bowl invitation last season despite finishing 6-5. They were 5-2 with four games left in the regular season but went 1-3 in November and didn’t get their sixth victory until their next-to-last game.
“It’s a bitter feeling, it’s a bitter taste in your mouth any time you lose or have a bad season,” Rhodes said. “That’s the motivation. That’s the key right there. The whole motivation is to win. That’s our whole goal. That’s our whole game plan.”
Sharing tailback duties with senior Tyrell Clay last year, Rhodes still led the team in rushing with 659 yards on 134 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and scoring five TDs.
With Clay gone and UTSA’s quarterback position unsettled, it will fall on Rhodes to do the heavy lifting in the effort to jumpstart an offense that failed to score a TD in the Roadrunners’ last two games of the 2018 season. Rhodes left no doubt that he and his teammates on the offensive unit are up to the challenge.
“I’m ready to get started,” Rhodes said. “I’ve worked hard all summer. Our offense could be electric. We have all the tools to do everything – run, throw. But it all has to come together and we’re working on that. We’ll get it ready.”
The Roadrunners ended their 2017 campaign with a 20-6 road loss to Louisiana Tech, finishing with a season-low 201 yards and failing to score a TD for the second consecutive game. Wilson fired offensive coordinator Frank Scelfo the next day.
UTSA finished 98th among 130 FBS schools in total offense with an average of 387 yards – 184.5 rushing and 202.8 passing. The Roadrunners were 103rd in scoring (23.5), and No. 56 and No. 94 in rushing and passing, respectively.
This fall camp will be UTSA’s third under coach Frank Wilson who is 12-12 in his two seasons with the Roadrunners. Wilson led UTSA to its first bowl game in his first season. The Roadrunners finished 6-7 after losing to New Mexico 23-20 in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
UTSA started the 2017 season 3-0 but lost its next two games by a combined five points. The Roadrunners became bowl eligible with a 9-7 victory against Marshall in their next-to-last game, kicking a field goal with two seconds left.
The Roadrunners were the only C-USA team with at least six victories that did not receive a bowl bid. Nine C-USA schools played in bowl games after the 2017 season.
“We remember how we felt when we didn’t get invited to a bowl,” Rhodes said. “We don’t want to feel like that again. That’s what drives us.”