As the rivalry game between Texas State and UTSA continues to reach a fever pitch, this will be the second showdown between the teacher and the student in UTSA Head Coach Jeff Traylor and Texas State Head Coach G.J. Kinne.
The history between the two has gained notoriety over the past two years with Traylor famously coaching Kinne at Gilmer High School in East Texas. Despite being head coaches of one of the fiercest rivalries in the Group of Five, Traylor and Kinne still maintain a positive connection.
“The relationship between me and Coach Traylor is pretty solid,” Kinne said. “He is someone that I lean on in a lot of areas. He is an unbelievable coach, father and husband. He is a real role model for myself and young coaches everywhere. The only difference this year is that people think [our teams] are really good this year. They are the big dogs, and we have to knock them off.”
Traylor has the same feeling.
“As far as my relationship with G.J. Kinne, it is pretty well documented,” Traylor said. “He was my quarterback in high school, and he is like a son to me in every sense of the word. We communicate frequently, and I don’t talk to very many head coaches. But he is one I talk to quite a bit. I am very happy with his success, and it doesn’t surprise me at all. I coached with him at SMU and Arkansas.
“I would say he would speak of me as one of his mentors or a father figure, and I would say the same about him. He is literally like one of my kids, and I’ll be rooting for him every single day until 3 p.m. on Saturday.”
Traylor has respect for many of the coaches on the Texas State coaching staff who worked with him during his stops at SMU and Arkansas.
“I have a ton of respect for G.J. and that staff there,” Traylor said. “Coach [Chad] Morris is on that staff who I worked for. Mack Leftwich, who is a kid I have known forever. His father and I are really good friends. I’ve been with Will [Bryant]; he’s been on my staff. Daniel De Prato and I worked with him, and he has worked for me.”
“A lot of close relationships and recruiting battles. There are a lot of players on their team we tried to get, and a lot of players on our team they tried to get. We have players that have played for them, so it’s a lot of familiarity and respect from us towards them for sure.”
On the rivalry itself, Traylor acknowledged how popular the series has gotten over the past couple of years while keeping his team’s focus on trying to play it as a normal game.
“The two fan bases really enjoy playing each other,” Traylor said. “Those kinds of things are really fun. But for us, it’s another game. We have to get prepared and go to work. It’s game two, and we have stuff to work on. We have a lot of problems right now, and we have to get them fixed. But I know the fans really enjoy playing with each other.”
Kinne also acknowledges the fierce rivalry between the Bobcats and the Roadrunners while noting Texas State’s 0-5 record against UTSA on the football field.
“It’s really cool,” Kinne said. “We need to step up, do our part and make this… game what it needs to be. We need to get one in the win column.”
Heading into this Saturday’s showdown, one of the main battles in the game will be the Texas State offense and the UTSA defense.
For Traylor, the Bobcat offense is similar to what he and Kinne were running at Gilmer.
“I have coached that style before,” Traylor said. “It’s similar to how me and G.J. played together in high school. I have just changed as I’ve gotten older, and I have adapted to other things. But the young Jeff Traylor back when I was flat bellied and had hair like G.J. would probably be just like him, having a blast slinging that sucker deep and playing fast as possible. Much respect to him, but we just don’t play that fast anymore.”
On facing that style of offense, Traylor admitted it was going to be a challenge with the number of playmakers the Bobcats have.
“It’s the style and Mack does a great job of calling [plays],” Traylor said. “They have two fantastic receivers that make them go, a running back that is really freaking good, the [offensive line] is massive and has done a great job of getting those guys in there and then he got one of the best quarterbacks in the country. So good luck trying to stop those guys.”
Kickoff of Texas State-UTSA is scheduled for Saturday Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. The game will also be broadcast on ESPNU.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
