Junior wide receiver Peyton Hall learned the hard way that UTSA coach Frank Wilson doesn’t let his team half-step its way into spring practices.

When the Brandeis-ex dropped a pass early in Monday’s first practice for the Roadrunners, Wilson unloaded with a vintage tirade.

Some of it might have been for show as the period was open to the media. But it still highlighted Wilson’s intensity from the opening moments of practice as his team began its spring work.

“You can’t drop passes,” Wilson said a few minutes later after he had a chance to cool down. “That’s not acceptable. It’s all about the ball.”

It appears the rest of his team is approaching the beginning of spring practice with similar determination as they begin work the season after the team’s first bowl appearance.

And if hearing them talk on Monday is any indication, there’s not much satisfaction in merely getting to a bowl game anymore. They want to win the next time around.

UTSA junior running back Jalen Rhodes remembers an empty feeling when he flew back from Albuquerque after his team’s narrow 23-20 loss to New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl.

“I was happy for the experience, but disappointed with the loss,” Rhodes said. “We made history so it was a great thing to do and it was my first time ever to be in Albuquerque. I was disappointed with the loss, but looking forward to doing something this year.”

The Roadrunners didn’t miss by much in a game that was settled by the kicking game on a blustery day on the Lobos’ home field.

Those disappointing memories have been burnished into the Roadrunners’ collective psyche and they are determined not to let it happen again.

“The whole point is to leave the season happy,” Rhodes said. “I want to leave the season with a smile on my face. And whatever I need to do to make that happen, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Rhodes rushed for 827 yards and a team-best nine rushing touchdowns as an emerging offensive weapon in his sophomore season. But those individual accomplishments didn’t detract from his sick feeling as the season ended, saying that none of the team was smiling upon its arrival back to San Antonio.

“No sir, we didn’t,” he said with a sense of determination in his voice.

Wilson said that attitude is noticeable among the entire team.

“A lot of times when you haven’t been there before, contentment can come,” Wilson said. “I don’t think that will happen.

“We wanted more. They want more. So I think it will be very positive for us because just getting to a bowl game isn’t good enough. We want to be able to reach out and grab it and claim victory in the last game of the season.”

Sophomore cornerback Teddrick McGhee shared similar sentiments when he remembered the aftermath of the end of last season.

“It was a good learning experience,” McGhee said. “It humbled you a lot to realize what it takes to get to a higher level. It was a bad feeling. I really felt like I could have done more.”

Throughout the upcoming practices, McGhee said his team is determined to take steps to get there. And if Wilson isn’t the one yelling about a dropped pass or a missed tackle, the rest of the team assuredly will be.

“It’s really important because everybody knows we can’t slack off,” McGhee said. “When we see somebody slacking, we just need to pick them up and keep going and moving forward.”

tgriffin@express-news.net

Twitter: @TimGriffinBig12