Harris chosen as finalist for Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award



TYLER, Texas — UTSA senior Frank Harris has been named a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.



Harris joins Max Duggan (TCU), Bijan Robinson (Texas) and Deuce Vaughn (Kansas State) on the finalist list and his selection gives UTSA one in each of the last three years, as Sincere McCormick was a finalist in 2020-21.



The winner will be announced at the award banquet on Jan. 11, 2023, in Tyler. All finalists will be invited to the event and the emcee is Brian Jones, college football studio analyst for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network.



This honor comes one week after Harris was named Conference USA Most Valuable Player and first-team all-conference at quarterback.



Harris has completed 305 of 429 passes for 3,865 yards, 31 touchdowns and a .711 completion percentage, and he also has rushed for 588 yards — the most by a QB in a season — and nine TDs on 120 carries. The senior from Schertz Clemens High School owns seven 300-yard passing performances this fall — also a UTSA record — and set the single-game mark with 414 in the win at Middle Tennessee.



A four-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honoree this season, he ranks fourth nationally with a league-leading 342.5 yards of total offense per game. He was named 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game MVP after completing 32 of 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 49 yards and a TD to lead the Roadrunners to their second straight C-USA Championship with a 48-27 win over North Texas on Dec. 2.



The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community, and tenacity; specifically, tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals.



In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four-year Division 1 Texas college.



For more information about The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, go to www.earlcampbellaward.com.



YOU CAN VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE FINALIST FOR THE EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD AT WWW.EARLCAMPBELLAWARD.COM. ONE VOTE DAILY.



-UTSA-

Traylor tabbed Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year finalist



HOUSTON — UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has been named a Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year finalist.



Traylor joins Sonny Dykes (TCU), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Josh Heupel (Tennessee) and Kirby Smart (Georgia) as finalists for the award, which recognizes the country’s top college football coaches for their contributions both on and off the field, making the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life.



Now in its 37th year, the Coach of the Year award winner will be announced from Houston’s Post Oak Hotel on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, during an awards ceremony presented by Marathon Oil. The live broadcast will air on Bally Sports Southwest sports channel, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary health organization devoted to a world of longer, healthier lives. The awards will also be re-broadcasted nationwide on Bally Sports’ family of networks. The winner of the Fan Vote will be revealed as well. There is still time to vote until Dec. 16 at https://bryantawards.org/fan-vote/.



“The American Heart Association could not be prouder to recognize these outstanding coaches and the impact they have had both on and off the field,” said Mel Edwards, American Heart Association Houston Senior Vice President and Executive Director. “These finalists truly embody and honor the legacy of ‘Bear’ Bryant, and we wish them the best for the remainder of the season.”



The Coach of the Year award is voted on by the National Sports Media Association, current NCAA college football coaches, former Coach of the Year Award winners, the Bryant Awards’ Executive Leadership Team and the Bryant family.



Last week, Traylor was chosen as one of eight finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. The two-time reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year has led UTSA to an 11-2 record, its second straight C-USA title and a bowl game for the third year in a row. Winners of 10 straight games, the Roadrunners are ranked in three different polls for the second straight year, as they are currently No. 22 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings.



Taking over a team that won a combined seven games in the two years prior to his arrival, he has led the Roadrunners to a 30-9 record to become the winningest coach in program history in less than three full seasons. UTSA has posted the two best seasons by wins in program history after going 12-2 in 2021 and is one of just three Texas-based FBS schools to win at least 10 games in back-to-back years, joining Baylor and TCU. The Roadrunners are one of only three C-USA teams to go undefeated in league play since 2013, going 8-0 this fall, and they became just the third C-USA team ever to capture two straight crowns after defeating North Texas 48-27 on Dec. 2 to join East Carolina (2008-09) and Western Kentucky (2015-16).



In his debut campaign, Traylor guided the Roadrunners to a 7-5 overall record, a runner-up finish in C-USA’s West Division with a 5-2 mark and an appearance in the First Responder Bowl. The Roadrunners received votes in a national poll for the first time in program history and the seven wins are the most by a first-year UTSA head coach.



UTSA enjoyed a record-setting campaign in Traylor’s second season. The Roadrunners won their first 11 games, were nationally ranked (as high as No. 15) for the first time in school history and captured the program’s first league title by winning the 2021 C-USA Championship with a 49-41 victory over WKU. UTSA capped the season with its second straight and third overall bowl appearance. Traylor was honored for his success as the 2021 C-USA Coach of the Year and AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4 as well as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, AFCA National Coach of the Year and George Munger College Coach of the Year Award. He also was chosen as the 2021 San Antonio Express-News Sportsman of the Year.



Riding a 10-game winning streak, the Roadrunners will face No. 23 Troy in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl on Friday, Dec. 16. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN and air on Ticket 760 AM.



-UTSA-

Post big time Recruiting weekend Over/ Under

Over/ Under 2 new commits after this weekend?

Supposedly there are 3 P5 schools including one in Texas who have reached out

Frank Harris has made the decision to return for his 7th year,

LETS GOOOOO!!!!!

Ask away.

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DALLAS — Conference USA on Wednesday unveiled its superlative award winners and three members of the UTSA football program have been honored for their success this season in a vote by the league's head coaches. Frank Harris was named C-USA Most Valuable Player, Kevorian Barnes collected the C-USA Freshman of the Year accolade and Jeff Traylor repeated as C-USA Coach of the Year.



These honors come one day after the Roadrunners reeled in 27 all-conference certificates and a trio of C-USA All-Freshman Team selections for a program-record 30 combined awards.



Harris, a first-team all-conference pick at quarterback this year, has completed 305 of 429 passes for 3,865 yards, 31 touchdowns and a .711 completion percentage, and he also has rushed for 588 yards — the most by a QB in a season — and nine TDs on 120 carries. The senior from Schertz Clemens High School owns seven 300-yard passing performances this fall — also a UTSA record — and set the single-game mark with 414 in the win at Middle Tennessee. A four-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honoree this season, he ranks fourth nationally with a league-leading 342.5 yards of total offense per game. He was named 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game MVP after completing 32 of 37 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 49 yards and a TD to lead the Roadrunners to their second straight C-USA Championship with a 48-27 win over North Texas on Dec. 2.



Barnes burst onto the scene midway through the season and emerged as one of the top rushers in the league. The redshirt freshman from San Augustine, Texas, has piled up a team-high 713 yards and six touchdowns on 114 carries, good for an average of 6.3 yards per attempt. He also has caught nine passes for 103 yards, an 11.4-yard average. He owns four 100-yard games this fall with 128 yards and two TDs in the win at FIU, 114 yards and a score in the double-overtime victory at UAB, 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 51-7 rout of LA Tech and a season-best 175 yards and a TD in the 48-27 triumph over North Texas in the C-USA Championship Game.



Traylor was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award earlier this week and now has earned a second straight C-USA Coach of the Year award. A member of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year watch list for the second consecutive year, the Gilmer, Texas, native has led UTSA to an 11-2 record, its second straight C-USA title and a bowl game for the third year in a row. Winners of 10 straight games, the Roadrunners are ranked in three different polls for the second straight year, as they are currently No. 22 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings.



UTSA now has picked up 10 C-USA superlative awards during its history with seven coming during the three-year Traylor era. In addition to Traylor’s 2021 C-USA Coach of the Year award, Sincere McCormick won back-to-back C-USA Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2020-21, while Lucas Dean was the 2020 C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year.



Additionally, McCormick was the 2019 C-USA Freshman of the Year and Josiah Tauaefa earned the same distinction in 2016, while Marcus Davenport was the league’s defensive player of the year in 2017.



2022 C-USA Superlative Awards

MVP: Frank Harris, UTSA, QB

Offensive Player of the Year: DeWayne McBride, UAB, RB

Defensive Player of the Year: KD Davis, North Texas, LB

Special Teams Player of the Year: Gavin Baechle, UTEP, K

Freshman of the Year: Kevorian Barnes, UTSA, RB

Newcomer of the Year: Austin Reed, WKU, QB

Coach of the Year: Jeff Traylor, UTSA



-UTSA-

He coming back? Yes or no?

Yes

DALLAS – Conference USA announced its 2022 All-Conference football teams Tuesday, as selected by the league’s 11 head football coaches. Eight schools placed at least one player on the first team, with Conference USA champion No. 25 UTSA producing a league-high six selections, followed by runners-up North Texas and UAB producing five apiece. UTSA had the most combined first and second-team members with 11, followed by UAB with 10, UTEP with seven and North Texas and WKU with six apiece.

Three of UTSA’s six first-team selections came on the offensive side of the ball, in 2022 Ryan C-USA Championship Game MVP Frank Harris (305-429 for 3,865 yards with 31 touchdown passes and 120 carries for 588 yards and nine more scores on the ground), WR Zakhari Franklin (86 catches for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns) and OL Ahofitu Maka (started all 13 games). Defensively, the Roadrunners boast a trio of first-team selections in DT Brandon Brown (20 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble), DB Clifford Chattman (68 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 14 pass break-ups) and DB Corey Mayfield, Jr. (60 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions, 12 pass break-ups and a forced fumble). UTSA is slated to play on Dec. 16 in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl in Orlando against CFP No. 24 Troy.

North Texas, who finished 6-2 in league play and fell in the title game, produced five first-team selections in TE Var’Keyes Gumms (33 catches for 451 yards and five touchdowns), OL Manase Mose (started all 13 games), LB KD Davis (132 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one interception, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a pass break-up), DB Ridge Texada (40 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions and 15 pass break-ups) and KR Kaylon Horton (25.3 yards per return on 23 attempts and one touchdown). North Texas will take on Boise State in the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 17.

UAB, who boasts the nation’s fifth-ranked rushing attack (243.8 yards per game), also put three players on the first team on the offensive side of the ball. The nation’s leading rusher RB DeWayne McBride (155.7 yards per game, 233 carries for 1,713 yards and 19 touchdowns) highlights that group that also includes OL Sidney Wells (started all 12 games) and OL Kadeem Telfort (started 11 games). Defensively the Blazers are represented by LB Noah Wilder (102 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and a pair of pass break-ups) and DB Starling Thomas V (28 tackles, one tackle for loss and 15 pass break-ups). The Blazers are set to open bowl season in the Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl against Miami (OH) on Dec. 16

UTEP was one of three programs to place three players on the first-team, led offensively by OL Jeremiah Byers (started all 12 games for the Miners), defensively by DE Jadrian Taylor (42 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries, four pass break-ups, a 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown and two forced fumbles) and on special teams by K Gavin Baechle (22-24 on field goals, with a long of 54, and a perfect 31-31 on extra points).

Also boasting three first-team selections, Middle Tennessee is represented by DE Jordan Ferguson (63 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, five pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick), P Kyle Ulbrich (averaged 46.2 yards per attempt on 60 punts, with a long of 72, 26 of 50+ yards and 25 inside the 20) and LS Brody Butler (perfect on all 77 of his snaps). The Blue Raiders will be playing in the Easypost Hawai’i Bowl on Dec. 24 against San Diego State.

Louisiana Tech also placed three players on the first team, in WR Tre Harris (65 catches for 935 yards and 10 touchdowns), DT Keive Rose (24 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, three quarterback hurries and a pair of forced fumbles) and PR Smoke Harris (averaged 12.4 yards per return on 19 attempts).

WKU, who finished 6-2 in league play and just missed out on a return to the title game, will be playing in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl against South Alabama on Dec. 21. The Hilltoppers are represented by a pair of players on the first team, one on each side of the ball in WR Malachi Corley (90 catches for 1,179 yards and nine touchdowns) and LB JaQues “Donut” Evans (100 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks, eight quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries, four pass break-ups and one blocked kick).

Florida Atlantic had one player on the first team, in RB Larry McCammon III (194 carries for 1,005 yards and seven touchdowns and also caught 15 passes for 165 yards and another touchdown).

The league’s individual awards will be released Wednesday, Dec. 7. Conference USA will conclude the 2022 season by sending six teams to bowl games.

UTSA goes for the back-to-back title tonight!

It’s Monday you know what that means!

Let’s see those predictions!

Line: UTSA -7.5
O/U: 65.5

Harris combined yards 315.5
Franklin 68.5 yards receiving
Cephus 7.5 catches
Tykee 42.5 yards receiving
Barnes 60.5 yards rushing
Oscar 18.5 yards receiving

What you got?

PFF Grades + Snap Counts: UTEP

It’s Monday you know what that means!

Let’s see them!

UTSA -18
O/U: 56.5

I will be updating things today.