UTSA's improved rushing attack

Coming in to the 2012 season, it was no secret that UTSA's number one offensive goal for the season was to run the ball more efficiently. We're one game through the sophomore season and it looks like the Roadrunners have already made serious progress towards that goal. In 2011, the Roadrunners were only able to average over 4.5 yards per carry against a Division I opponent once, with their best statistical performance coming against Southern Alabama (176 net rushing yards, 4.6 average). UTSA rushed for 183 yards on Saturday, while averaging a very respectable 5.9 yards per carry.

New offensive coordinator Kevin Brown utilized many different looks to achieve these numbers. Soza lead many option plays with Okotcha, Armstrong, and Glasco all taking snaps at his side. Walk-on brothers Aaron and Seth Grubb were both used from wide out-- Aaron on a jet sweep and Seth on a four wide reverse. David "El Magnifico" Glasco was the day's leading rusher, seeing 70 yards on just nine carries (7.8). While Okotcha's and Armstrong's stats were mediocre, they did a great job of taking more than simply what the defense gave them with hard running and wise cuts. Similar to last season, UTSA was extremely efficient rushing from the wide receiver position. The Grubb bros combined for 34 yards on two carries, and Kam Jones brought in 15 yards on his sole carry.

Let's break down the day's biggest carry to see where UTSA found success:

All screenshots via ESPN3

Following a William Ritter fumble recovery of a botched snap to C.J. Bennett and an ill-advised pass attempt to a covered Brandon Freeman, the Roadrunners come out of the huddle with split backs out of a spread shotgun look-- Okotcha acts as the halfback, making the Runners strong on the left side, while Glasco becomes the tailback on the backside.


As Soza reads the defense before the snap, we see the Jaguars run up in their typical 3-3-5 look with the free safety shaded to the strong left side where UTSA has two receivers and a blocking threat in Okotcha. The defensive line looks normal --7 and 1 techniques-- with the weak side linebacker shaded out and up a little bit more than usual.

As Soza receives the snap from Leonard, the defensive line attempts to fire up the field while all three linebackers begin to read their keys. Slot receiver Kam Jones looks in for a screen, causing South's nickleback to sprint up to cover him. If Kevin Brown is as good of an OC as I think he is, Jones should be a legit option for a screen pass if South Alabama threatens with a blitz here. Fortunately for Glasco, they do not. Hoog seals off the strongside end with a perfect hook block. Leonard and Harris combo block the noseguard while Walker leaves the weakside end for Soza to read off of. Okotcha releases in front of Soza and Glasco to take out the weakside linebacker. No decoy or fake necessary. Thankfully Hoog has blocked off the strongside end so well that Soza has two good options on the play (again, three being a screen to Kam if Brown is smart).

Here's where the Roadrunner's luck on the play begins to turn. Both the middle linebacker and weak side linebacker play up to the line of scrimmage after seeing the end left open. At this point in the play, Glasco already has the ball and a half yard of separation from Soza, yet the two Jaguar defenders are looking and standing elsewhere. Afraid of the play action threat, the Jaguar secondary is slow to react.

Oh baby. South Alabama's defense has totally taken themselves out of this play to the point where poor Cody Harris doesn't even have anyone to hit, nor does Josh Walker have anyone to kick out on. Leonard manages to pancake the noseguard after receiving an assist from Harris. Soza does a great job of faking a keep, which leads to the linebackers biting away from the ball. Hoog has his defensive end three steps away from Glasco and Inskeep makes sure to seal off the strongside backer on his right shoulder, ensuring he won't be able to sneak by to blow the play up. Weakside end Romelle Jones tries to chase after David, but 275 pound guys aren't very good at that.

And with that, it's off to the races. USA's free safety takes a horrible, lazy angle on Glasco, who wisely cuts away. The Jaguars will finally catch up to El Magnifico 51 yards later.



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33 Big Blowout Spectacular Season Preview

This week on the show we have WackJack, aka Jack Hopkins of Bobcat Report fame and WacJack blog, Darrell of RowdyReport and of course, Adam, Shafer, and Jared.

We cover the schedule, the depth chart, Soza/Carter, expectations, attendance and much more. Get in contact with us at podcast@cokerchronicles.com or @cokerchronicles.


You can find the links to the episode on the iTunes on Stitcher or just subscribe directly to the podcast.

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Inspecting the first official UTSA football roster

Usually seen as a team-killer, the majority of the attrition UTSA has "suffered" since the release of its first official roster has been a benefit. Following the sudden and mysterious departure of starting offensive tackle Drew Phillips, only 36% of those 69 players are still on the roster. Sure, the losses of dudes like Phillips and Marlon Smith hurt, but the overwhelming majority of losses are non-DI talent from the likes of undersized and slow walk-ons. Comparing walk-ons from two years ago to legitimate DI athletes like Aaron Grub and Jerry Bynum is pretty hard to do. Additionally, many of the players that have been dismissed were trouble-makers or suffered from poor attitudes. Team chemistry is always important, but incredibly more-so on a fragile start-up program.

Most interesting to me is some of the insane size changes these guys have seen. Defensive tackle Richard Burge has gone from 235 pounds to 275! Crosby Adams added an inch of height and 15 pounds. Cole Hubble is up 20 pounds. 25 pounds for Earon Holmes. The list goes on and on.

There were quite a few noticable position changes on the most current roster. Walk-on Cade Laufer has moved from QB to TE. Baylor transfer Robert Singletary will wisely try to see the field at defensive end next year. All-district Houston running back Jerry Bynum will join the Roadrunners as a wide receiver.

Side note: Noticed Jeremy Hall is missing from the roster and depth chart. Judging from his Twitter account, he still seems to be active on the team. If I were to guess he needs to pass a summer class to regain eligibility before he can get back on to the field, and that may be the case for several player. Hall's absence is good news for new comers like Maurice Poullard, Ja'len James, and Tre Rosser. Walk-on CB Godwin Wyche is also off the roster. Not sure if he's still playing or not. Those are precious reps for guys that need to prove their worth before the season starts.

Sit tight for another two weeks until summer classes end, and pray Drew Phillips is a temporary academic casualty.

Side note deux: Pfleugerville Connally LB Michael Egwuagu plans to commit to UTSA next week. Hat tip to Javi on that one.

Side note trois: PODCAST COMING BACK TOMORROW MAYBE


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UTSA Places Five in THSCA All-Star Game

In three years of recruiting, UTSA has made a habit of recruiting kids that end up in the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star game. This year is no different, as five Roadrunners will be taking the field at the Alamodome on Tuesday. While many colleges prohibit their commits from playing in the game, UTSA has allowed guys like Malcom Scott and Josiah Monroe to compete in the past. The game kicks off at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door and the game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest. This game is always terrific promotion for UTSA football, as the announcers inevitably praise the Alamodome and comment on how cool it is for future Roadrunners to play a game on their home turf.

UTSA players on the THSCA All-Star roster:

Skylar Nelson, Alamo Heights HS (Greyshirt)

Aaron Grubb, La Vernia HS (Walk-on)

Treston Coleman, Frankston HS 

H.B. Rosser, Clarksville HS 

Rileigh Davis, Central HS


UTSA players on THSCA All-Star rosters in previous years:

Josiah Monroe (2011)

Malcolm Scott (2011)*

Payton Rion (2011)

Jeremy Hall (2010)

Kam Jones (2010)

David Glasco (2010)

Cody Rogers (2010)

Chance Vernon (2010)*

Nick Garza (2010)*

Sean Luchnick (2008)

* - No longer with team.

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Walk-On Aaron Grubb

Image via Houston Chronicle

Learned of another new walk-on today in Aaron Grubb. Grubb is in fact the brother of current Roadrunner tight end and PAT holder Seth Grubb. Aaron assumed a do-it-all role at La Vernia, helping lead the team to a state quarterfinal match up with Columbia. Grubb saw time at running back, wide receiver, slot receiver, quarterback, safety, and returned punts last last year. That's just me counting off of his highlight reel too, so there's really no telling where all the kid contributed. Aaron is listed at 5'9", 165 lbs. on his Hudl profile with a 4.37 40 yard dash (woah), 10.76 second 100 yard dash (woah), and a 37" vertical (woah). 315 pounds on the bench press, 455 pounds on the squat rack, and 225 on the clean. Pretty solid numbers for a small guy. Grubb was first team all-district in all three years of his varsity career. Highlight video is available on the Hudl profile linked to above.

Promise we'll get back to talking about more realignment stuff soon. Also, some great news about the future of Coker Chronicles will be posted shortly, so be sure to be checking back.