The UTEP football program hasn't had many big games in the past 38 years. Not many at all. That's what happens when you have just five winning seasons since 1967.
The few Miner outings that qualify as "big games" include the Air Force game in 1988, in which the Miners clinched its first bowl berth since the '67 Sun Bowl; the '88 Independence Bowl -- the Miners first bowl appearance since the '67 Sun Bowl; and more recently, the Rice game in 2000 that garnered the Miners a co-WAC championship; and the followup appearance in the crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl.
And last year, the EV1.net Houston Bowl was UTEP's first bowl game in four years.
UTEP's (6-1, 4-1 in Conference USA) showdown today with Tulsa (5-3, 4-1) is for the league's West Division supremacy and certainly qualifies as a "big game." The winner will be the favorite to play in the Dec. 3 conference championship game.
But perhaps more importantly for the Miners, it's a chance to show the nation that the program has staying power, that it has departed from its dark days, and that last year's accomplishments weren't a fluke.
A capacity crowd in the Sun Bowl will be on hand to watch the Miners and Golden Hurricane duke it out for all the marbles.
"This is huge," said athletic director Bob Stull, who was coach of the '88 team. "It puts us in the position to win the championship for the first time since 2000. And the other thing that's at stake, whoever wins this game -- let's say we beat Tulsa -- and later we lose another game, we would have two losses, and (Houston and Tulsa) would have two losses. But because we beat Tulsa and Houston, we still win the division, and the (Conference USA championship) game is still here. So whoever wins this game is important as far as positioning."
It's a big game with an edge to it, too.
Last year, Tulsa beat UTEP 37-35 in the last game of the season. The upset loss knocked the Miners out of the top 25 and put a damper on what had been a storybook season.
The Golden Hurricane has had the Miner's number the last three years. Players have recognized that.
"I know coach Price talked about there not being revenge, but there's revenge," said sophomore tailback Marcus Thomas. "We were ranked 24th in the nation (when they beat us last year).
Payback."
To win, UTEP must cut down on turnovers. The Miners turned the ball over 12 times in the month of October, and, last year against Tulsa, three turnovers translated to 21 Golden Hurricane points.
This year, Tulsa ranks sixth nationally in turnovers gained with 13 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries for a total of 22 takeaways. Eleven of those takeaways have occurred in the last three games.
"Obviously, turnovers are huge," Price said. "Them getting turnovers, and then protecting the ball. And they're going to try and ball-control us with their passing game, and keep the ball away from our offense. And they play hard. And they have big offensive linemen. They protect (quarterback Paul Smith), and he gets rid of it quick. And he throws the intermediate routes real well, and they catch it real well.
"Their secondary is real good. Top in our conference, and (fourth in passing defense)."
UTEP junior quarterback Jordan Palmer threw two critical interceptions last week against Rice. On the season, Palmer has averaged 293.6 yards a game, including 17 touchdowns against 9 interceptions.
"We just have to be smarter on every play," Palmer said. "We've been making a lot of good plays, then, oh shoot, we slipped up right here, or something went wrong there. Every now and then, something's going to go wrong. Like, last year, I threw two tipped picks against them. You can't do anything about those. Obviously, stuff happens. But that hadn't been the case this year. All the picks I've thrown this year haven't been tipped-picks, they've been either bad reads or bad throws."
Last week, Palmer said he felt he played well most of the game.
"I think I was real smart with the ball last week, except for one play," he said. "I just rolled out and tried to force it. On the other, I got hit, and threw it behind him. This is what I'm telling myself this week: Big plays are going to happen regardless. I'm going to make a couple of good throws, I'm going to miss some throws. (Receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins) and these guys are going to break some tackles, and we are going to bust some screens. So big plays are going to happen. I don't need to force them."
Also last week, Thomas fumbled for the first time in his UTEP career. This week, he took steps to make sure that doesn't happen Saturday, going through ball security drills.
"When I fumbled, that's all I was thinking about because it almost cost us the game," he said. "This week, especially, I've been taking it really seriously. Tucking the ball in real tight, holding the ball with two hands. Stuff like that.
"(Senior tailback Matt Austin) fumbled two or three times in a row, and (senior tailback Tyler) Ebell did the same thing. So I've got to break that curse that we've got. I'm going to try and hold onto the ball this weekend."
One thing Price promised would be improved from last year: The kicking game. Last year, Tulsa kick returner Ashlan Davis burned the Miners for a 74-yard return for a touchdown, and provided the Hurricane good field position all game. The long returns were also the result of kicker Reagan Schneider's injured leg, which impaired his ability to kick the ball deep.
Schneider is healthy this year.
"If there's anything that we'll be better in, I promise you, we'll be better in the kicking game than we were a year ago," Price said.
The Miners don't have to play perfect. But they do have to play close to it.
"We just have to not to turn the ball over," Thomas said. "Because if we turn the ball over, we'll lose the game. Especially against a team like this."
Today's game
Time: 7:05 p.m. today.
Location: Sun Bowl (51,500).
Surface: AstroPlay.
Line: UTEP by 9.
The Series: Tulsa leads, 8-5.
Weather: Clear, 70 degrees, no chance rain; wind, 6 mph.
Coaches: Mike Price, UTEP (second season); Steve Kragthorpe, Tulsa (third season).
Players to watch: Tulsa: TE Garrett Mills (nation's leading tight end wtih 58 receptions for 774 yards, a 13.3 average and seven touchdowns; he has had five 100+ receiving games this year; KR Ashlan Davis (set an NCAA single-season mark last year against UTEP with five kickoff returns for touchdowns; tied the NCAA mark for kickoff returns for touchdowns in a career, which had stood for 30 years); CB Nick Graham (five interceptions, each in a separate game; 37 tackles, 28 solo, and 3 pass breakups); QB Paul Smith (141 of 228 passes for 1,661 yards and 11 touchdowns this season).
UTEP: TB Tyler Ebell (96 yards on 16 carries at Rice last week, with three touchdowns, 2 rush, 1 pass); WR Chris Francies (4 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown last week, including a 54-yarder on the first play from scrimmage; 38 consecutive games with a catch); WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (scored a touchdown in 5 of last 6 games, and 14 of his last 17 dating back to 2004, and 13 punt returns for 196 yards, 10th best in the nation); LB Jeremy Jones (92 tackles on season, 40 solo); LB Troy Collavo (67 tackles on season, 19 solo, game-saving stop last week against Rice).
The few Miner outings that qualify as "big games" include the Air Force game in 1988, in which the Miners clinched its first bowl berth since the '67 Sun Bowl; the '88 Independence Bowl -- the Miners first bowl appearance since the '67 Sun Bowl; and more recently, the Rice game in 2000 that garnered the Miners a co-WAC championship; and the followup appearance in the crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl.
And last year, the EV1.net Houston Bowl was UTEP's first bowl game in four years.
UTEP's (6-1, 4-1 in Conference USA) showdown today with Tulsa (5-3, 4-1) is for the league's West Division supremacy and certainly qualifies as a "big game." The winner will be the favorite to play in the Dec. 3 conference championship game.
But perhaps more importantly for the Miners, it's a chance to show the nation that the program has staying power, that it has departed from its dark days, and that last year's accomplishments weren't a fluke.
A capacity crowd in the Sun Bowl will be on hand to watch the Miners and Golden Hurricane duke it out for all the marbles.
"This is huge," said athletic director Bob Stull, who was coach of the '88 team. "It puts us in the position to win the championship for the first time since 2000. And the other thing that's at stake, whoever wins this game -- let's say we beat Tulsa -- and later we lose another game, we would have two losses, and (Houston and Tulsa) would have two losses. But because we beat Tulsa and Houston, we still win the division, and the (Conference USA championship) game is still here. So whoever wins this game is important as far as positioning."
It's a big game with an edge to it, too.
Last year, Tulsa beat UTEP 37-35 in the last game of the season. The upset loss knocked the Miners out of the top 25 and put a damper on what had been a storybook season.
The Golden Hurricane has had the Miner's number the last three years. Players have recognized that.
"I know coach Price talked about there not being revenge, but there's revenge," said sophomore tailback Marcus Thomas. "We were ranked 24th in the nation (when they beat us last year).
Payback."
To win, UTEP must cut down on turnovers. The Miners turned the ball over 12 times in the month of October, and, last year against Tulsa, three turnovers translated to 21 Golden Hurricane points.
This year, Tulsa ranks sixth nationally in turnovers gained with 13 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries for a total of 22 takeaways. Eleven of those takeaways have occurred in the last three games.
"Obviously, turnovers are huge," Price said. "Them getting turnovers, and then protecting the ball. And they're going to try and ball-control us with their passing game, and keep the ball away from our offense. And they play hard. And they have big offensive linemen. They protect (quarterback Paul Smith), and he gets rid of it quick. And he throws the intermediate routes real well, and they catch it real well.
"Their secondary is real good. Top in our conference, and (fourth in passing defense)."
UTEP junior quarterback Jordan Palmer threw two critical interceptions last week against Rice. On the season, Palmer has averaged 293.6 yards a game, including 17 touchdowns against 9 interceptions.
"We just have to be smarter on every play," Palmer said. "We've been making a lot of good plays, then, oh shoot, we slipped up right here, or something went wrong there. Every now and then, something's going to go wrong. Like, last year, I threw two tipped picks against them. You can't do anything about those. Obviously, stuff happens. But that hadn't been the case this year. All the picks I've thrown this year haven't been tipped-picks, they've been either bad reads or bad throws."
Last week, Palmer said he felt he played well most of the game.
"I think I was real smart with the ball last week, except for one play," he said. "I just rolled out and tried to force it. On the other, I got hit, and threw it behind him. This is what I'm telling myself this week: Big plays are going to happen regardless. I'm going to make a couple of good throws, I'm going to miss some throws. (Receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins) and these guys are going to break some tackles, and we are going to bust some screens. So big plays are going to happen. I don't need to force them."
Also last week, Thomas fumbled for the first time in his UTEP career. This week, he took steps to make sure that doesn't happen Saturday, going through ball security drills.
"When I fumbled, that's all I was thinking about because it almost cost us the game," he said. "This week, especially, I've been taking it really seriously. Tucking the ball in real tight, holding the ball with two hands. Stuff like that.
"(Senior tailback Matt Austin) fumbled two or three times in a row, and (senior tailback Tyler) Ebell did the same thing. So I've got to break that curse that we've got. I'm going to try and hold onto the ball this weekend."
One thing Price promised would be improved from last year: The kicking game. Last year, Tulsa kick returner Ashlan Davis burned the Miners for a 74-yard return for a touchdown, and provided the Hurricane good field position all game. The long returns were also the result of kicker Reagan Schneider's injured leg, which impaired his ability to kick the ball deep.
Schneider is healthy this year.
"If there's anything that we'll be better in, I promise you, we'll be better in the kicking game than we were a year ago," Price said.
The Miners don't have to play perfect. But they do have to play close to it.
"We just have to not to turn the ball over," Thomas said. "Because if we turn the ball over, we'll lose the game. Especially against a team like this."
Today's game
Time: 7:05 p.m. today.
Location: Sun Bowl (51,500).
Surface: AstroPlay.
Line: UTEP by 9.
The Series: Tulsa leads, 8-5.
Weather: Clear, 70 degrees, no chance rain; wind, 6 mph.
Coaches: Mike Price, UTEP (second season); Steve Kragthorpe, Tulsa (third season).
Players to watch: Tulsa: TE Garrett Mills (nation's leading tight end wtih 58 receptions for 774 yards, a 13.3 average and seven touchdowns; he has had five 100+ receiving games this year; KR Ashlan Davis (set an NCAA single-season mark last year against UTEP with five kickoff returns for touchdowns; tied the NCAA mark for kickoff returns for touchdowns in a career, which had stood for 30 years); CB Nick Graham (five interceptions, each in a separate game; 37 tackles, 28 solo, and 3 pass breakups); QB Paul Smith (141 of 228 passes for 1,661 yards and 11 touchdowns this season).
UTEP: TB Tyler Ebell (96 yards on 16 carries at Rice last week, with three touchdowns, 2 rush, 1 pass); WR Chris Francies (4 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown last week, including a 54-yarder on the first play from scrimmage; 38 consecutive games with a catch); WR Johnnie Lee Higgins (scored a touchdown in 5 of last 6 games, and 14 of his last 17 dating back to 2004, and 13 punt returns for 196 yards, 10th best in the nation); LB Jeremy Jones (92 tackles on season, 40 solo); LB Troy Collavo (67 tackles on season, 19 solo, game-saving stop last week against Rice).
