What UTSA Head Coach Jeff Traylor Said About ECU Ahead of Saturday’s Showdown
East Carolina heads to San Antonio this weekend with a chance to stay in the thick of the American Conference title race. But to keep those dreams alive, the Pirates will have to do something no AAC team has managed to pull off: beat UTSA inside the Alamodome with Jeff Traylor on the sideline.
Since taking over the Roadrunners, Traylor has turned their home turf into a complete dead end for conference opponents. Dating back to their Conference USA run, including both C-USA title games, UTSA is a perfect 24–0 in league home games under his watch. Overall, Traylor has compiled a 51–25 record, with the Roadrunners currently at 5–5 (3–3 in the American Conference).
This week, Traylor held his Monday press conference and had plenty to say about East Carolina, and it was all respect.
On the Difference Between Last Year’s ECU and This Year’s ECU
“It's probably the confidence at quarterback. They've got their guy. They're not rotating. Houser is the guy… I know he's No. 4. I know he's really good.”
Traylor pointed straight to ECU’s stability at QB as the biggest change, noting that Katin Houser taking over full-time has transformed the offense and boosted the Pirates’ win-loss record.
He also praised ECU’s defensive history:
“They've always been great on defense… East Carolina is one of the most proud, rich traditional programs in the entire country. Super fan base. Great infrastructure.”
On the Strength of the American Conference
“It's deep and it's really good… East Carolina is as good as any of them, as obviously their record shows, and beating a really good Memphis team.”
Traylor made it clear UTSA expects a heavyweight matchup. He also called on Roadrunner fans to show up big:
“We’re going to need all of our fans to show up… They're playing for a championship berth. We're trying to get to a bowl game.”
On What Makes ECU’s Defense Difficult
“Yeah, they're Top 15 in offense and defense in the country… they've always flown around and been very physical.”
Traylor noted that Blake Harrell’s defensive identity remains intact even with a new coordinator calling plays:
“They take great pride in being great on defense. They're multiple. They do a lot of things.”
On What He Remembers From Last Year’s Game in Greenville
“I was just very impressed with the program… Really great home field. Very similar to our home field.”
He highlighted the atmosphere, ECU’s physicality, and the tradition the Pirates carry, adding:
“This will be three years in a row we’ve played them… Very proud program. Used to winning a ton of football games.”
On ECU’s Offense and Pace of Play
“They’re very physical… and they snap the football extremely fast on offense. Top 15 in the country on offense.”
Traylor emphasized ECU’s tempo and balance, noting how quickly the Pirates can stress a defense.
The Challenge Ahead for ECU
If the Pirates want to stay alive in the American championship race, they’ll have to hand Traylor his first-ever conference home loss, something 24 straight teams have failed to do.
But the Pirates head to San Antonio confident and riding momentum after a 31-27 win over Memphis, sitting in the top tier of the American Conference standings with everything still on the table heading into mid-November.