UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 18, 2023

Frank Harris

Press Conference

UTSA 49, South Florida 21

Q. Frank, what are you feeling right now? What are the emotions?

FRANK HARRIS: Honestly hasn't hit me yet. Probably hit me when the season is over with. Or maybe later on. I couldn't really tell you. I mean, I'm just excited I went out there and got a win for the seniors.

Still undefeated, and excited to go against Tulane. Great atmosphere and a great test for us.

Q. This was, I think when you look back at it, an all-time performance by you tonight. Did you feel something different coming into this game?

FRANK HARRIS: I just give credit to God. I felt like he wanted me to play my last game Alamodome and go out that way, and it couldn't have been any better for me, and God gets the credit for that.

I really don't know what else to say besides Him getting all the glory.

Q. You know how basketball players talk about the hoop getting bigger when they're hot. Is there something similar like that for quarterbacks? How early in a game do you realize oh, we're in flow and this is going to be a big one for us?

FRANK HARRIS: I think Coach does a great job letting the game come to me, calling plays to get me going, and then eventually calling the big plays, letting me get in a rhythm. Just credit to the coaching staff and my teammates for going throughout and executing and making me look way better than I actually am.

Credit to those guys.

Q. You told us during the week you thought you would cry in the Senior Day ceremony. What was that moment like?

FRANK HARRIS: I didn't cry, but I did cry giving my senior speech. I did cry with that. I couldn't talk. I just started crying.

But I didn't cry during Senior Night. I just think because we have some more games left. The job is not done yet. It's bittersweet not to play in the Alamodome no more. I have lots of emotion when I think about the Alamodome. I was blessed to play couple games here in high school and to play my whole college career here.

Definitely going to miss is. I will miss some Alamodome cookies. Every home game I get Alamodome cookies and they're the best, so going to miss those. Have to find a way to get those still.

Just a blessing to come out here and play the game I love with my teammates, and definitely going to soak it up.

Q. You set a new school record for individual total offense with 513 yards. What does it mean to you that your last game in the Alamodome was historic like that?

FRANK HARRIS: Yeah, just a testament to God once again, battling through all the injuries this off-season alone, start of the season, missing two games, all these things, to end it the way I ended it was -- I mean, you couldn't have wrote it any better.

Just credit to my teammates for believing in me, never giving up on me, and the coaching staff as well, and the fans and everybody else. Just a bittersweet moment and I appreciate everybody.

Q. You guys have won seven in a row, and next week going to play for a chance to get to the championship game. Just what does that mean to you to, especially the way the season started?

FRANK HARRIS: It means a lot, especially battling adversity the first couple games and everybody writing us off, to now we've always believed we had the culture. We never turned on one another. Coach Traylor did a great job of just having faith in us and making sure we still have you faith in one another, not turn on one another.

He just kept saying, one game at time and we'll be okay, and sure enough we are. We are excited to go play against Tulane, a great team, a new conference, and we're going to maybe be able to play for a conference championship and that means a lot and just a testament to Coach Traylor.

Q. Go back to last April or May when you were going through what Drew went through with the surgery and the infection. Did you think you would get back to this point?

FRANK HARRIS: Honestly, I didn't think I would be able to walk again. I was in the wheelchair. My parents lived we me for two, three weeks. I couldn't do anything alone. Couldn't sleep at night. I was in a dark stage. I lost like 20 points. I looked terrible.

I told Coach Traylor I was done with football; I wanted to medically retire. It was too much on my mental. Told me if it didn't get any better they might have to amputate my leg. Once you hear that it's like, I don't even want to play football, I don't know if I can walk again.

It's real life, hit me, like football is not on my mind right now. I just want to be able to walk me.

That was definitely a dark stage for me, but God is everything for a reason. I'm reaping the benefits now and I wouldn't be the person I am if I didn't go through those injuries, and just a testament to my teammates and the coaching staff for believing in me. They were with me through the whole thing, my family.

I'm just blessed to be out here being able to walk, and play football is just a cherry on top. I don't take it for granted at all and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Q. I want to talk about the way you closed the first half and opened up the second half of the game. Both times you made a rushing touchdown. Those are quick game-time decisions. What was your decision to make that yourself?

FRANK HARRIS: I didn't know I did that honestly. Coach talks about the middle eight all the time. The last four minutes of first half and the first four minutes of the second half. He always says that's the most important part of the game to get momentum and just get everything going.

Went out and executed right before halftime and came out and got the ball first and executed. I did not know I had those two touchdowns. I think the play calling was perfectly designed and everybody executed and did their 1/11th, and just so happened I had the ball in my hands and I was the one with the touchdown.

Definitely a team effort. Without those guys I wouldn't have got in the end zone.

Q. Among all that you accomplished in your career, where do you think a night like tonight will rank?

FRANK HARRIS: I don't really look at my accolades, to be honest. I'm going to remember this moment because it was my last game in the Alamodome with my teammates, coaching staff, and all the fans.

So I'm not going to look at it about my performance and stats. I'm going to look at it that we won and it was my last time playing at the Alamodome, and going to cherish it, and definitely means a lot.

Q. This is the first time in your career I believe you've had three rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns in the same game. What does it mean that this deep in your career you can still do things you've never done before?

FRANK HARRIS: You know, I didn't realize I had that until somebody told me on the sideline. Like I said, just take what the defense gives, let the game come to you. There were a lot of runs that I had to pull the ball and try to make something happen.

I just went out there and scored. It wasn't nothing that I did that was spectacular. It was kind of wide open and I just kind of ran. Receivers did a great job just going out there and making plays. O-line protecting me, hats off to those guys. They are not getting the credit they rightfully deserve. I'm going to get all the credit, but without those guys I wouldn't be here right now, so credit to those guys.

Q. You were honored with 17 other seniors tonight. Been here for a long time. What does that group mean to you?

FRANK HARRIS: Yeah, just means a lot. I mean, I've been here so long nobody is in my class that's still here. They already graduated. So just seeing all those guys, like Tykee, Kelechi, Trumane, those guys are a grade younger than me so we been through it all together, and the grade younger, like Rashad and all those guys, just means a lot just seeing all these guys grow. Tykee, seeing him grow as a person and a football player just means a lot. I'm just blessed to say I was a part of that process. Just seeing where we came from as little boys, 18 years old, 24, grown men, seeing how much we matured and changed as men just means a lot to see the progression and everything we went through to get where we are now.

Q. Frank, what was the end of the game like for you when you walked off the field? I didn't see you. Did you go hide? Just describe that last time walking off the field.

FRANK HARRIS: I went to go talk to the fans. I kind of took a lap. I took a very long time. Eventually my mom came over to get me because she said she hasn't seen me yet, so I had to go talk to my parents and siblings who came out to support me. I just took a lap talking to all the fans, thanking them for all the support over the years and signing autographs, whatever they wanted me to do, and just thanked them. It just means a lot that I have so much support and I don't take it for granted.

Q. You had the opportunity to check out of the game there in the fourth quarter and wave to the fans. What was that experience like for you?

FRANK HARRIS: Honestly, I didn't think I was going to go back in the game, but I think Coach Traylor did that intentionally so I could get that standing ovation. It just meant a lot, the love and support, like I said, that I received from the fans and my teammates. I cherish it for sure, and I just thank Coach Traylor for giving me an opportunity to go out in that fashion and get the ovation like that.

It's not a feeling that you can explain. Definitely don't take it for granted.

Q. You mentioned the fans. This is possibly your last game in San Antonio. Do you have a message for the fans that come out game after game, supported you throughout your long career as you part for the final games?

FRANK HARRIS: Yeah, like I said on social media, I just thank them for everything. Been a rocky career for me. Even when I wasn't playing they still showed love and support. Even when I had bad games, you know, they still showed love and support.

Just thank them for everything they've done for me and USTA as a whole. It means a lot to us and we cherish it. Without them we wouldn't be where we are today. We hope to see them in the near future and in the years to come and just keep growing this program. We feed off their momentum, and we just thank and love them forever.

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