One month ago, as preparations for Tulsa were beginning, Mike Price faced the media and gave the usual litany of injuries his team had spent the year trying to overcome. It was a weekly ritual at that point.
Monday he conducted a press conference for the first time since then, to hype the New Mexico Bowl date with Brigham Young, and this definitely had a different feel.
"The whole team is healthier," Price said. "The biggest change in the last three weeks is getting healthy. Tanner Cullumber is back, Eloy Atkinson is back, Nathan McCage. We have three centers who can play the game.
"Buckram is better, Kris Adams is better. The linebackers are all better and practicing. The safeties are better.
"Now we need to be careful what
we do in practice."
The one injured player who hasn't improved on the health front is gimpy quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, and Price put some special praise on how he has dealt with an ankle injury.
"Trevor's no worse, Trevor's no better," Price said. "Nothing can happen to make it worse than it is right now. He's coming in Monday to get it operated on, it will be an extensive operation. ...
"He could have pulled himself out anytime; he should have gone in for surgery and been ready for the combine and been ready for the all-star games. "But without Trevor we wouldn't have been here. Without Trevor we won't win Saturday."
Vittatoe wouldn't trade any of this.
"This is an exciting time for all 26 seniors," Vittatoe said. "It finally paid off, all the work we did. We're going to take this as a business trip. There are things we have to do before the game, but once we get back to the hotel, it's business.
"We're determined to win."
As Price said, pulling off an upset will take a big game from the senior quarterback.
"Our pass offense has to be good," Price said. "Vittatoe has to throw and we have to make catches. We'll run when we can, but for us to win we have to get the ball downfield. ...
"I've got a feeling they will stack the box and not allow us to run. They will force us to throw the ball."
That's also UTEP's strategy against BYU's freshman quarterback Jake Heaps.
"On defense the key to victory is stopping the run and putting them in long yardage situations, making the quarterback make plays," Price said.
He is, though, impressed with Heaps.
"He has 12 games under his belt," Price said. "I would have liked to have faced him first game out. He will be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of Brigham Young. He will be a great player and he's a very, very good player now."
Price went on to say he's half of the equation that enabled BYU to turn a 2-5 start into a bowl bid.
As for the other half, "defense has been the biggest difference since the first five or six games," Price said. "Coach (Bronco) Mendenall took over the chore of calling the plays. ... They've played better defense.
"Just going with one quarterback rather than having Riley (Nelson) and Heaps alternate helped them. Those two changes enabled them to win four of their last five."
Price is hoping some improved health will lead UTEP to winning its last one, and that opportunity will come Saturday in Albuquerque.
Monday he conducted a press conference for the first time since then, to hype the New Mexico Bowl date with Brigham Young, and this definitely had a different feel.
"The whole team is healthier," Price said. "The biggest change in the last three weeks is getting healthy. Tanner Cullumber is back, Eloy Atkinson is back, Nathan McCage. We have three centers who can play the game.
"Buckram is better, Kris Adams is better. The linebackers are all better and practicing. The safeties are better.
"Now we need to be careful what
we do in practice."
The one injured player who hasn't improved on the health front is gimpy quarterback Trevor Vittatoe, and Price put some special praise on how he has dealt with an ankle injury.
"Trevor's no worse, Trevor's no better," Price said. "Nothing can happen to make it worse than it is right now. He's coming in Monday to get it operated on, it will be an extensive operation. ...
"He could have pulled himself out anytime; he should have gone in for surgery and been ready for the combine and been ready for the all-star games. "But without Trevor we wouldn't have been here. Without Trevor we won't win Saturday."
Vittatoe wouldn't trade any of this.
"This is an exciting time for all 26 seniors," Vittatoe said. "It finally paid off, all the work we did. We're going to take this as a business trip. There are things we have to do before the game, but once we get back to the hotel, it's business.
"We're determined to win."
As Price said, pulling off an upset will take a big game from the senior quarterback.
"Our pass offense has to be good," Price said. "Vittatoe has to throw and we have to make catches. We'll run when we can, but for us to win we have to get the ball downfield. ...
"I've got a feeling they will stack the box and not allow us to run. They will force us to throw the ball."
That's also UTEP's strategy against BYU's freshman quarterback Jake Heaps.
"On defense the key to victory is stopping the run and putting them in long yardage situations, making the quarterback make plays," Price said.
He is, though, impressed with Heaps.
"He has 12 games under his belt," Price said. "I would have liked to have faced him first game out. He will be one of the best quarterbacks in the history of Brigham Young. He will be a great player and he's a very, very good player now."
Price went on to say he's half of the equation that enabled BYU to turn a 2-5 start into a bowl bid.
As for the other half, "defense has been the biggest difference since the first five or six games," Price said. "Coach (Bronco) Mendenall took over the chore of calling the plays. ... They've played better defense.
"Just going with one quarterback rather than having Riley (Nelson) and Heaps alternate helped them. Those two changes enabled them to win four of their last five."
Price is hoping some improved health will lead UTEP to winning its last one, and that opportunity will come Saturday in Albuquerque.
