UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 11, 2025

Shad Banks, Jr.

Press Conference

UTSA 61, Rice 13

Q. Shad, you guys get the big win tonight. What did it feel like in the locker room having some success?

SHAD BANKS JR: Shoot, man, I was celebrating so hard. But, shoot, all the guys happy. Shoot, I think this week it was big. I mean, I think a lot just -- guys coach reminded a lot of the guys to look back of like what they why is and why they play the game and why they do it, like before you was chasing the league and stuff like that.

So I think like that really opened guys' eyes up. And I'm not playing ball to get to the league. I'm playing ball because I love it. Yeah, so yeah, it's fun.

Q. What do you think led to this success on the field tonight from an Xs and Os standpoint?

SHAD BANKS JR: I just think we was just flying around. Offense players are making plays, defensive players are out there flying around, hitting. Everybody is being discipline and doing they job and not trying to do too much, doing they 1/11th, and it's just what it is.

Q. What are the biggest things you guys had to be locked in on an when you're up against an option attack like this?

SHAD BANKS JR: Just being disciplined, doing your job. You know, when you're going against a team like that they going to run the same plays over and over. On defense you can run the same plays over and over. Just can't get tired of doing the same thing over and over and doing your job over and over. That's just what it was.

Q. Seemed like you guys as a whole defense were playing downhill and the physicality was at a pretty high level out of the gate. Did you notice a difference in that way?

SHAD BANKS JR: Yeah, man, we finally played four full quarters of football. Yeah, man, we just got to keep stacking from here. Yeah, guys was -- man, I think a lot of dudes just really just look back on they why today. I think that really just made them want to go harder, you know what I'm saying?

Q. And you got in the end zone yourself with the fumble return from. What did you see on that play?

SHAD BANKS JR: Yeah, finally. Man, you know, going from receiver in high school, scoring all the touchdowns and get to college and I don't get the ball in my hands ever, so, man, it felt so good to get in the end zone.

I just want to give a shoutout to my guys for making a play and allowing me to be there to make the play. So my job was really easy. It was all them.

Q. What is the, I guess, confidence level overall with the team right now?

SHAD BANKS JR: I would say like the confidence -- it's been there. Like through the wins, losses it's just there. Like because we know how good we are and we know what we can achieve. So like I don't think anybody like, you know, put their head down.

It's just next week, every time.

Q. When you look at the film, how do you think you'll see the defense played this week? Do you think there is a trend of steady improvement?

SHAD BANKS JR: It's never as good as you think and never as bad as you think. I know I'm going to see guys flying around and hitting people. That's a good thing always.

Q. What can a win like this do for the rest of the season going forward?

SHAD BANKS JR: We just finally seeing like us click as a whole, you know. We been knowing we can do it. We just haven't got there yet. After this I feel like everybody see that we can, so I think we are just going to keep stacking and building up from here.