KICKING OFF: UTEP (8-3, 5-3 C-USA) tangles with Toledo (8-3, 6-2 MAC) in the 2005 GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala. ... kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. MST on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 40,646-seat Ladd Peebles Stadium (field turf) ... the game will be nationally televised by ESPN ... it marks the ninth national television appearance for the Miners this season and the 13th all-time (6-6 record, 6-2 in 2005) ... UTEP is 3-0 when playing on ESPN networks in 2005 (1-0 on ESPN, 1-0 on ESPN2, 1-0 on ESPNU) ... UTEP finished second in the Western Division of Conference USA ... Toledo tied Northern Illinois for the Mid-American Conference West Division regular season title, but NIU advanced to the league championship game by virtue of its 35-17 victory over the Rockets on Nov. 16 ... UTEP and Toledo have never met in football ... the Miners are 1-2 all-time versus MAC schools ... UTEP won at Northern Illinois, 37-6, on Sept. 28, 1996 ... the Miners lost to Bowling Green, 21-0, on Nov. 19, 1960 in El Paso ... UTEP was also beaten by Kent State, 51-24, on Oct. 12, 1985 in Kent, Ohio ... the Miners are making only their second trip all-time to the state of Alabama ... UTEP dropped a 56-7 decision to the Alabama Crimson Tide in its last visit to the state on Oct. 6, 2001 ... the game was played in Birmingham ... the Miners, of course, will be making more regular visits to the state of Alabama as UAB is a member of the relaunched Conference USA ... UTEP hosted UAB this season, falling to the Blazers 35-23 on Nov. 19 ... UTEP is making its 12th bowl appearance (second consecutive) in the GMAC Bowl, and Toledo is making its 10th bowl appearance (second straight and fourth in the last five years) ... UTEP has been designated the home team in the GMAC Bowl.
TRAVEL INFORMATION: The Miners are tentatively slated to depart El Paso in the morning of Friday, Dec. 16 by charter plane, arriving in Mobile in the afternoon ... the team headquarters is the Riverview Plaza Hotel, 64 South Water Street, (251) 438-4000 ... UTEP’s practice site is Murphy High School, located at 100 South Carlen Street.
BOWL HISTORY: UTEP is 5-6 in bowls ... UTEP is appearing in a bowl game in back-to-back years for the first time since 1954, and only the third time in school history ... the Miners played in the Sun Bowl in 1949 and 1950, again in 1954 and 1955 ... the Miners have lost in their last three bowl appearances, including 33-28 to Big 12 North Division champion Colorado in the 2004 EV1.net Houston Bowl ... UTEP’s last bowl victory came on Dec. 30, 1967, 14-7 over Mississippi in the Sun Bowl ... the 2005 GMAC Bowl marks the fifth different bowl that the Miners have played in ... UTEP has participated in the Sun Bowl eight times and played in the Independence, Humanitarian and Houston bowls once each ... Toledo is 6-3 in bowl games ... the Rockets went to the Motor City Bowl in 2001, 2002 and 2004 ... Toledo was beaten by Boston College, 51-25, in the 2002 Motor City Bowl and by Colorado, 39-10, in the 2004 Motor City Bowl ... the Rockets have also played in the Tangerine Bowl (1969, 1970 and 1971), the California Bowl (1981 and 1984) and the Las Vegas Bowl (1995) ... Toledo met then-Conference USA member Cincinnati in the 2001 Motor City Bowl, winning 23-16.
THE MATCHUP: The GMAC Bowl features two high-powered offenses ... UTEP ranks sixth nationally in passing offense (310.5 ypg), 18th in passing efficiency (142.52), 19th in total offense (438 ypg) and 21st in scoring offense (33.6 ppg) ... Toledo is 12th in rushing offense (221.6 ypg), 14th in scoring offense (34.9 ppg) and 16th in total offense (445.2 ypg) ... The Rockets are also 22nd in the country in total defense, yielding 322.5 yards per outing ... quarterbacks Jordan Palmer (UTEP) and Bruce Gradkowski (Toledo) have combined to pass for 16,253 yards and 141 touchdowns in their college careers ... Palmer, a junior, is UTEP’s all-time leader for passing yardage (7,326), TD passes (61), completions (555), attempts (965), total offense (7,397 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (67) ... Palmer is only the third Miner signal-caller to throw for 3,000 yards in a season, totaling 3,340 through the air in 2005 ... Gradkowski, a senior, has completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 8,927 yards and 80 touchdowns as a Rocket ... his completion percentage was a remarkable .712 in 2003 and .702 in 2004 (.626 this season) ... Toledo senior Trinity Dawson rates 21st nationally in rushing with 106.4 yards per game ... UTEP counters with the two-headed monster of senior Tyler Ebell and sophomore Marcus Thomas, who have combined to rush for 1,256 yards and 10 scores ... Thomas has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last four games ... UTEP and Toledo have similar statistics defensively ... the Miners have allowed 24.2 points and 364.8 yards per game, while forcing 21 turnovers ... Toledo has surrendered 22.5 points and 323.4 yards per outing, while totaling 23 takeaways.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: UTEP is trying to end a season with a victory for the first time since 1986. The Miners have dropped their last 18 season finales ... UTEP is trying to win a bowl game for the first time since 1967 ... the Miners are trying to post the third nine-win season in school history, and the first since 1988.
THE COACHES: UTEP Coach Mike Price is 145-129 in his 24th season as a collegiate head coach ... Price is 16-7 in his second year with the Miners ... Price is 3-3 in bowls (lost his last two) ... Toledo coach Tom Amstutz has a 44-18 mark in his fifth year as a collegiate head coach, all with the Rockets ... he is 1-2 in bowls ... Price and Amstutz haven’t faced one another as head coaches or assistants.
UTEP IN DECEMBER: The Miners are 6-6 all-time in games played in December ... UTEP played seven non-bowl games in December during the 1923, 1938, 1948, 1950, 1963, 1973 and 1985 seasons ... the Miners haven’t won a game in December since Dec. 30, 1967, a 14-7 victory over Mississippi in the Sun Bowl ... UTEP is 2-3 in December bowls.
MINERS COULD HAVE REINFORCEMENTS: UTEP could get as many as four injured players back for the GMAC Bowl ... senior RB Matt Austin has missed the last three games, senior WR Jayson Boyd has been sidelined for five of the last six contests, senior RB Tyler Ebell has been out for the last five games and senior DL Chris Mineo has missed the last seven games ... Boyd, Ebell and Mineo were all starters earlier in the year and Austin is a 1,000-yard career rusher ... Boyd owns 951 career receiving yards ... Ebell went over 2,000 yards rushing for his career in his last game at Rice ... Mineo was putting up monster numbers (eight tackles for losses, six sacks) in the first four games before having his season cut short.
A WINNING PROGRAM: That’s a moniker that hasn’t typically been associated with UTEP football, but there’s no doubt that the fortunes of the Miner program have changed under coach Mike Price ... following three winning seasons in 33 years from 1971-2003, UTEP has racked up 16 victories in two years under Price ... it marks the second-winningest two-year period in school history behind the 17 victories by Bob Stull in 1987 and 1988 ... UTEP has won eight games in consecutive seasons just twice previously in school annals (1948-49, 1953-54) ... the Miners have put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since going 7-4 in 1987 and 10-3 in 1988 ... with a victory over Toledo in the GMAC Bowl, UTEP could win nine games for only the third time ever ... the Miners captured nine wins in 1956 and the school-record 10 in 1988.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS: Ten UTEP football players were tabbed to the All-Conference USA Team on Nov. 29, as voted on by league head coaches and media ... seven Miners were named second team All-Conference, and three earned third team honors ... UTEP tied Tulsa for the conference lead with 10 players recognized ... junior Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. was a multiple second team selection as a wide receiver and punt returner ... joining Higgins on the second team were quarterback Jordan Palmer, offensive linemen Jose Garcia and Josh House, defensive lineman Alex Obomese and linebackers Thomas Howard and Jeremy Jones ... Higgins and Howard were second team All-Western Athletic Conference picks in 2004 ... UTEP’s third team honorees included running back Tyler Ebell, wide receiver Chris Francies and linebacker Troy Collavo ... UTEP has had 10 players earn All-Conference recognition in each of the last two years, one shy of the school-record 11 Miners honored in 2000 by the WAC ... in addition, UTEP center Robby Felix and defensive lineman James Olalekan were appointed to the 2005 C-USA All-Freshman Team.
NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS: Troy Collavo: t50th-tackles (8.9); Quintin Demps: t68th-interceptions (0.3), t99th-passes defended (0.8); Nate Draughon: t69th-passes defended (0.9); Chris Francies: 31st-receiving yards per game (83.4), 69th-receptions per game (4.7); Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.: 36th-all-purpose runners (129.4), 44th-punt returns (9.4), 53rd-receiving yards per game (73.4), t57th-kickoff returns (22.4), t90th-receptions per game (4.3); Ryan Hotchkiss: 73rd-punting (39.1); Jeremy Jones: t10th-forced fumbles (0.4), t12th-tackles (11.0), t43rd-solo tackles (5.5), t48th-tackles for losses (1.2); Alex Obomese: t56th-sacks (0.6); Jordan Palmer: eighth-total offense (301.6), 18th-passing efficiency (144.9); Reagan Schneider: 19th-field goals (1.5), t36th-scoring (8.0); Marcus Thomas: 51st-all-purpose runners (122.7), 68th-rushing (72.0).
NCAA TEAM RANKINGS: Rushing Offense: 81st (127.6); Passing Offense: 6th (310.5); Total Offense: 19th (438.0); Scoring Offense: 21st (33.6); Rushing Defense: 71st (160.4); Passing Efficiency Defense: 46th (119.6); Total Defense: 53rd (364.8); Scoring Defense: 53rd (24.2); Net Punting: 26th (36.3); Punt Returns: 32nd (11.2); Kickoff Returns: 75th (19.9); Turnover Margin: 108th (-1.0); Pass Defense: 42nd (204.5); Passing Efficiency: 18th (142.5).
CONFERENCE USA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS: Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.: 3rd-all-purpose yards (129.4); Jeremy Jones: t2nd-forced fumbles (0.4), 3rd-tackles (11.0), t3rd-tackles for losses (1.2); Alex Obomese: 3rd-sacks (0.6); Jordan Palmer: 1st-passing (303.6), 1st-passing efficiency (144.9), 1st-total offense (301.6); Reagan Schneider: t1st - PAT percentage (100.0), 3rd-kicking scoring (8.0).
CONFERENCE USA TEAM RANKINGS: The Miners are first in scoring offense (33.5), passing offense (310.5), first downs (254), sacks (29) and PAT percentage (1.000) ... UTEP is second in total offense (438.0), passing efficiency (142.5), third down conversions (.433), opponent third down conversions (.353) and kickoff coverage (42.6) ... the Miners are third in total defense (364.8) and punting (36.3).
THE MAGIC NUMBER: UTEP is 7-0 when scoring 30 or more points this season ... the Miners are 1-3 when being held to less than 30 points ... UTEP is 14-2 under coach Mike Price when reaching the 30-point barometer ... the only losses came to Boise State (47-31) and at Tulsa (37-35) during the 2004 season ... UTEP is 2-5 under Price when being limited to fewer than 30 points.
UTEP’s HIGH POWERED OFFENSE: UTEP’s offense already ranks as one of the best in school history ...the Miners have gained 4,818 yards of total offense, which rates second-best in school history ... the school record is 5,046 yards, set over 13 games in 1988 ... UTEP’s average of 438 yards per game is best in school history ... UTEP currently ranks 19th in the country in yards per game.
HOW ABOUT HIGH-SCORING, TOO: UTEP has put up 369 points in 11 games, making it the third-best scoring offense in school history ... UTEP set the record with 429 points last season ... the Miners have scored 798 points over the last two seasons, the highest point total over a two-year period in school history ... UTEP’s previous high scoring total over two years was 730 points from 1987-88 ... with 31 points in the bowl game, the Miners will score 400 points in a season for the third time (427, 1988; 429, 2004) ... UTEP’s average of 33.5 points per game rates fifth-best in school history.
MORE THAN WE'RE USED TO: UTEP has 80 penalties for 724 yards in 11 games this year ... last year UTEP was penalized 74 times for 631 yards in 12 games ... the Miners rank tied for 94th out of 117 Division I-A schools, giving up 69.2 yards per game due to penalties ... UTEP ranks tied for 73rd nationally with 7.3 penalties per game, and 86th with 65.8 penalty yards per contest ... UTEP had a school-record 109 penalties during the 2003 season.
FIRST DOWN MINERS!: UTEP had 30 first downs against UAB, which is tied for the third-most in school history ... it also tied the record for most first downs in a loss, originally established against BYU in 1977 and duplicated versus Fresno State in 1999 ... UTEP has set school records for first downs (254) and passing first downs (153) this season.
USELESS PASSING STAT: The Miners have attempted 26 or more passes in all 11 games this season ... it is the first time UTEP has had 26+ pass attempts in every game of a season since 1968 (10 games) ... the Miners also achieved this feat over all 10 games in 1967 ... from 1966-68 UTEP had 21-consecutive games with 26 or more passing attempts ... UTEP has now gone 15-consecutive games with 26 passes or more dating back to 2004.
PALMER, UTEP'S ULTIMATE PASSER: Jordan Palmer broke the school record for passing yards in a career against Texas Southern on Nov. 12 ... he now has 7,326 yards passing. The mark breaks Billy Stevens’ previous record of 6,485 yards, set from 1965-67 ... Palmer also smashed Sammy Garza’s record for completions versus the Tigers ... Palmer has 555 completions in his career, and Garza had 483 from 1983-86 ... Palmer holds the record for touchdown passes in a career with 61, breaking Billy Stevens’ mark of 51 set from 1965-67 ... in UTEP’s last game at SMU (Nov. 26), Palmer eclipsed Stevens’ record for passing attempts ... Palmer now has 965 attempts, 44 more than Stevens’ 921.
TOTAL OFFENSE RECORDS OWNED BY PALMER AS WELL: Jordan Palmer also holds the school record for total offense ... he has recorded 7,397 career yards (7,326 passing, 71 rushing) to top his former coach Sammy Garza (1983-86) ... Garza had 6,056 yards of offense during his career ... Palmer is also responsible for 67 touchdowns, which is the school record ... Billy Stevens (1965-67) held the previous standard with 56.
PALMER RATES HIGH ON THIS LIST: Jordan Palmer holds a career passing efficiency rating of 131.99, which would be the top total in program history ... Pat Hegarty (1987-88) holds the school record for passing efficiency with a 127.50 rating.
PRETTY EFFICIENT: Jordan Palmer had the second-best passing efficiency rating of his career against Texas Southern on Nov. 12 ... Palmer finished with a rating of 217.53 by going 16 of 23 for 248 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions ... it marked the second time this year that Palmer has had a rating over 200 ... Palmer rated 208.03 at Rice earlier in the season ... Palmer’s top game of his career came against SMU in 2004 when he rated out at 233.24.
PALMER ON THE SEASON PASSING CHARTS: Jordan Palmer already ranks first on the UTEP season passing charts with 3,340 yards through the air in 2005 ... he also rates first in passing yards per game (303.6) and passing touchdowns (28) ... he is second in completions (244), needing 14 to catch Sammy Garza (1986, 258) ... he is third in passing efficiency (144.88) behind Rocky Perez (2000, 147.14) and Jay Stuckey (1999, 146.49) ... he is also third in completion percentage (60.8) behind Stuckey (1999, 64.4) and Garza (1986, 62.9) ... Palmer is third in passing attempts (401), nine behind Garza (1986, 410) and 31 behind the record-holder Billy Stevens (1965, 432).
MULTI-TOUCHDOWN MAN: Jordan Palmer has thrown for three touchdowns in eight games this season (New Mexico State, Houston, Tulane, Marshall, Rice, Texas Southern, UAB, SMU) ... for his career, Palmer has had 12 games with three or more touchdown passes ... Palmer has also had multiple touchdown performances in 16 of his last 18 contests.
PALMER'S TD STREAK: Jordan Palmer has thrown for 2,596 yards (324.5 avg.) over his last eight games, completing 187 of 293 passes (63.8 percent) with 21 touchdowns ... during this run Palmer has thrown for over 275 yards in six games, and over 350 yards in three contests ... he has also thrown for three touchdowns or more in five of his last seven contests ... Palmer has an active streak of 19 consecutive games with a touchdown pass ... during this stretch, he has thrown for 52 scores.
HOT HAND: Jordan Palmer has completed 68 percent (164 of 240) of his passes over the last seven games ... Palmer competed only 49.7 percent (80 of 161) of his attempts during the first four games of the season ... on the year he has completed 60.8 percent of his passes, which rates as the third-best percentage in a single season at UTEP.
YOU CAN START HIM UP: Jordan Palmer has started at quarterback in UTEP’s last 23 games, posting a 16-7 record during this span ... Palmer’s starting streak is the longest by a Miner signal-caller since Sammy Garza also started 23-consecutive games from 1985-86 ... Palmer is the first Miner quarterback to lead the team in passing in consecutive years since 1990-91 (Mike Perez).
PICKIN' ON PALMER: UTEP seems to go as Jordan Palmer goes ... the Miners are 0-3 when he throws three interceptions this season and 8-0 when he throws two picks or fewer ... during his career, UTEP is 1-7 when Palmer throws three interceptions or more (0-5 with three picks; 1-2 with four picks) ... UTEP is 7-3 when Palmer doesn’t throw a pick, 6-2 when he has one interception and 4-3 when he has two interceptions.
PASSING THEM UP: UTEP’s all-time leading passer, Jordan Palmer, added his name to the Miner record books again versus UAB ... Palmer had 62 offensive plays, which ranks fifth in school history ... his 33 completions against the Blazers rate second-best to Sammy Garza’s 36 against Northern Michigan in 1986 ... his 52 passing attempts versus UAB are tied for sixth-best figure in school annals.
THE 300 CLUB: Jordan Palmer now holds the school record for 300-yard passing games in a career with 10 ... the old record of seven was held by Billy Stevens (1965-67) ... Palmer has thrown for over 300 yards six times this season, including in four of the last five games ... he tallied a career-high 431 yards passing at Memphis earlier this year ... if he throws for 300 yards or more in the GMAC Bowl, Palmer will tie his personal long streak of 300-yard passing games -- three -- established over the last three games of the 2004 season.
TOTAL OFFENSE KIND OF GUY TOO: Jordan Palmer is eighth in the country and first in the conference with 301.6 total offensive yards per game ... his 3,318 yards of total offense and 301.6 average are school seasonal records ... Palmer’s 30 touchdowns responsible for are the top figure in C-USA this season and rate second in school annals ... Rocky Perez holds the record with 32 touchdowns responsible for in 2000 ... Palmer was responsible for 27 touchdowns in 12 games last year.
PUNTER NEED NOT APPLY: UTEP went without a punt for the second time this season on Nov. 19 against UAB ... Ryan Hotchkiss also didn’t have a punt at Rice on Oct. 29 ... Since 1950, UTEP has never had a season with two games with no punts ... Hotchkiss has punted 40 times for an average of 39 yards in 2005 ... UTEP has not had a season with under 50 punts since 1960, when the Miners punted 44 times ... since 1950, UTEP has had five seasons with under 50 punts (37, 1954; 47, 1955; 47, 1956; 45, 1959; 44, 1960).
MINERS CAN THROW THE BALL: Jordan Palmer, Orlando Cruz and the Miners have completed 251 passes this season, which ranks second in the record books ... UTEP completed 270 passes in 1986 ... UTEP’s 310.5 yards passing per game ranks second-best in program history and sixth-best in the NCAA this season ... UTEP averaged 342.6 yards passing per game in 1965 ... this UTEP team is tied for first in the record books with 28 passing touchdowns (duplicating the 1967 mark), and third in completion percentage (60.2) ... the Miners have passed for 3,415 yards, which marks only the fifth time in school history that UTEP has thrown for over 3,000 yards in a season (3,426 in 1965; 3,234 in 1986; 3,147 in 1999; 3,016 in 2004) ... it is the first time UTEP has passed for over 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in school history.
PLENTY OF PLAYS: UTEP ran 95 offensive plays against UAB on Nov. 19 ... the total is tied for the seventh-highest number in school history ... it is the largest number of plays for UTEP since 1999, when the Miners ran 96 plays and lost 24-23 at Fresno State ... UTEP is now 4-7-2 when running 93 or more plays in a game ... UTEP is 1-2 when running more offensive plays than its opponent in 2005 ... under Mike Price, UTEP is 6-3 when running more plays than its opponents.
HUNT TAKES CHARGE: Versus UAB, Jamar Hunt became the first tight end to lead the team in receiving since Jonas Crafts did so against Louisville with three catches for 42 yards in 2003 ... Hunt had 10 catches for 88 yards in a loss to the Blazers ... teammate Aaron Givens also had 10 receptions ... it marked the first time a Miner player had 10 receptions in a game since Jimmy Carpenter (11 catches) did so against San Diego State in 1998 ... the 10 catches for Hunt were the most by a tight end since Arnie Adkison had 10 versus Utah in 1987 ... Hunt holds bragging rights in his family with 26 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns this season ... his brother, fellow TE Justin Hunt (2000-04), caught 22 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns in an injury-riddled Miner career.
ALL-PURPOSE BACK: Marcus Thomas has been piling up all-purpose yards ... he has 1,227 in 10 games this season, with 1,154 coming in the last seven contests (164.9 yards per game) ... Thomas had 203 all-purpose yards (93 rushing, 110 receiving) at Tulane, 128 (54 rushing, 38 receiving, 36 kickoff returns) at Rice, 167 (117 rushing, 21 receiving, 29 kickoff returns) versus Tulsa, 181 (112 rushing, 69 receiving) versus Texas Southern, 162 (122 rushing, 40 receiving) against UAB and a career-high 238 (118 rushing, 120 receiving) at SMU ... Thomas was held out of the season-opener at New Mexico State with intentions of redshirting in 2005.
FOUR 100-YARD GAMES IN A ROW: Marcus Thomas has rushed for over 100 yards in each of UTEP’s last four games ... Thomas rushed for 117 yards against Tulsa, 112 versus Texas Southern, a career-high 122 against UAB and 118 at SMU ... he is the first Miner ever to register four straight 100-yard rushing games ... Thomas has now rushed for 90 or more yards in five out of 10 games played this season ... in his last four games, Thomas is averaging 117.3 yards per game on 92 attempts (5.1 yards per carry).
FRANCIES KEEPS STREAK ALIVE: Chris Francies has the fourth-longest consecutive games with a catch streak in the nation ... entering the GMAC Bowl, he has caught a pass in 42 straight contests ... Texas Tech’s Taurean Henderson has the longest run with a catch in 50 consecutive games ... Francies has had 100 receiving yards or more in four out of his last six contests ... Francies had career highs for catches (nine) and yards (170), while also reeling in two touchdown passes against Tulsa on Nov. 5 ... he had 120 yards at Memphis on Oct. 1, 126 at Rice on Oct. 29 and 126 at SMU on Nov. 26 ... Francies tied his career-high for catches with nine versus the Mustangs in the Miners’ last game ... Francies has had five career 100-yard games, with his other coming in 2003 against Rice ... since returning from an injury for the last five games, Francies has caught 27 passes for 518 yards and four touchdowns with a 103.6 yards per game average.
RECORD WATCHER: Chris Francies has climbed into the UTEP top 10 for career catches and receiving yards ... Francies has 126 catches, which ranks tied for sixth on the list ... up next is Ed Puishes (1969-71), who had 138 receptions during his career ... Francies’ 1,999 receiving yards rank sixth-best in school history behind Bob Wallace (1965-67), who had 2,161 yards ... he is ninth with 12 receiving touchdowns, needing two to match Cedric Johnson (1993-96) and David Karns (1966-68).
MOVING THE BALL ON THE GROUND: UTEP has gotten its ground game going over the past seven games ... the Miners have averaged 141.1 yards rushing per outing during this time ... the Miners are 5-1 this season when rushing for over 100 yards ... the Miners are 11-2 under Mike Price when rushing for over 100 yards, and 5-5 when they don’t ... over the past seven games, Marcus Thomas is averaging 95.7 yards rushing (670 total) ... UTEP has had five 100-yard individual performances in 2005 (Tyler Ebell, 149 yards against Houston; Thomas, 117 yards against Tulsa, 112 yards versus Texas Southern, 122 versus UAB and 118 at SMU) ... UTEP is 7-3 under Price when having a 100-yard rusher ... UTEP is 3-0 this season when rushing for over 150 yards and passing for over 200 in the same game ... UTEP had 162 yards on the ground and 248 yards in the air against Texas Southern ... the Miners had 194 yards rushing and 215 yards passing against Marshall ... UTEP had 174 yards on the ground and 379 yards through the air versus Houston ... during the Price era, UTEP is 7-1 when having over 150 yards rushing and 200 yards passing in the same game.
MINERS SEE 100 IN SUN BOWL: UTEP picked up its 100th victory in the Sun Bowl with a 31-3 win over Marshall on Oct. 22 ... since the stadium opened on Sept. 21, 1963, UTEP is 102-138-3 in 243 contests, including 10-2 at home under Mike Price.
A NOTE ON TURNOVERS: UTEP has committed 32 turnovers in 2005 (18 interceptions/14 fumbles lost), while forcing 21 turnovers (12 interceptions/nine fumble recoveries) ... in their three losses this season, the Miners have coughed up the ball 17 times, leading to 58 opponent points (19.3 per game) ... under Mike Price, UTEP is 14-1 when having equal or fewer turnovers than its opponents, including 6-0 this season ... UTEP finished the 2004 campaign +2 in turnover margin ... the Miners’ turnover margin is currently -11 on the year ... the Miners are 3-6 under Price when having more turnovers than foes.
DEFENSIVE NOTES: The Miners are 22nd in the country in tackles for losses per game (7.5) ... UTEP is tied for 31st nationally in sacks per game (2.7) ... the Miners haven’t had a sack in each of their last two games, and haven’t forced a turnover in two of their last three contests ... since Tim Hundley came on board as defensive coordinator in 2004, UTEP has held four teams to less than 100 yards on the ground (twice in 2004, twice in 2005) ... the Miners haven’t surrendered less than 100 yards rushing in three games since 2000 (five times) ... UTEP is limiting its opponents to 3.8 yards per carry this season ... since 1970, UTEP has held opponents to less than four yards per carry on three occasions counting this season ... the others were 1991 (3.8 ypc) and 2004 (3.7 ypc) ... UTEP has given up fewer than 300 yards of offense five times under Hundley, including 146 to Texas Southern on Nov. 12 and 285 to New Mexico on Sept. 24 ... Hundley’s defense surrendered less than 150 yards through the air for the fifth time this season and the 10th time in two years on Nov. 12 against Texas Southern ... UTEP allowed 41 passing yards to the Tigers and gave up 108 yards passing to Rice ... UTEP allowed just 125 yards passing against Marshall, 122 at Memphis and 136 against New Mexico ... the Miners allowed 146 yards to Texas Southern, marking the fourth time in 2005 that they have surrendered under 350 yards of total offense ... UTEP allowed 340 yards versus Marshall, 285 to New Mexico and 330 at New Mexico State ... UTEP is 9-1 over the last two seasons when yielding 350 yards of total offense or less.
OFFENSIVE NOTES: Under head coach Mike Price, the Miners have rushed more times than they have passed in eight out of 23 games ... on the year, UTEP has rushed the ball 47 percent of the time and passed 53 percent of the time ... UTEP has had four 40-point performances this season, and eight in 23 games under Price ... Price is the first Miner coach to have teams put together eight 40-point games in his first two seasons at the school ... Mike Brumbelow had six in 1950 and 1951 ... UTEP is 8-0 under Price when reaching the 40-point barometer ... the Miners have had over 400 yards of offense in the last eight games ... the Miners have had 500+ yards in three games this season (most since four in 1988).
THANK YOU EL PASO: UTEP set the school record with 287,394 fans for home games this season, topping the 1987 total of 252,513 fans ... UTEP also broke the record for average home attendance ... UTEP averaged 47,899 fans this year, besting the previous mark of 44,715 set in 2000 ... UTEP ranks 43rd out of 123 NCAA I-A schools in total attendance, and 44th in average attendance ... the Miners also rank 46th nationally, having filled the Sun Bowl to 92.1 percent capacity in 2005 ... the Miners lead C-USA in home attendance average ... since the Sun Bowl opened in 1963, 5,671,905 fans have crossed through the gates ... since Mike Price has been the head coach at UTEP, the Miners have averaged 44,554 (534,650) fans in 12 games at home ... UTEP has broken the school record with six games of over 40,000 fans this season ... the previous record was four set in 2004 ... UTEP has also had a school-record 10 consecutive games with 40,000 or more fans in attendance.
MAN WITH A PURPOSE: Johnny Lee Higgins, Jr. has compiled 1,423 all-purpose yards in 2005, the third-most by a receiver in UTEP annals ... only Chuck Hughes (1965, 2,044 yards) and Cedric Johnson (1995, 1,532 yards) compiled more all-purpose yards among wideouts ... Higgins’ season average (129.4) ranks sixth in school history and his yardage total rates eighth ... he has 2,824 all-purpose yards (1,869 as a receiver, 755 as a kick returner, 170 as a punt returner and 30 as a running back) in his career and needs 61 in 2005 to reach the top 10 and catch Paul Smith (1996-99), who gained 2,885 yards ... only three receivers are in the career top-10 for all-purpose yards (Cedric Johnson, 4,135; Chuck Hughes, 3,989; Lee Mays, 3,565) ... Higgins has had 100 or more all-purpose yards in 14 of 36 career games, including seven of 11 in 2005.
MORE ON “TD” LEE: With 18 career touchdown receptions, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. rates sixth in school annals ... ahead of him are Chuck Hughes, Reggie Barrett, Bob Wallace and Volley Murphy, part of a four-way tie for second place with 19 each ... the record-holder is Lee Mays, who had 28 touchdown catches from 1998-2001 ... Higgins has had 90 or more yards receiving in nine games during his career ... for his career, he has averaged 17.6 yards per catch (106 rec-1,869 yards) ... he ranks eighth in career receiving yardage, 65 yards behind Brian Natkin (1,934 yards, 1997-00) and 130 behind teammate Chris Francies ... Higgins is ninth in career receptions (106) behind Bob Wallace (123 catches, 1965-67).
KICKING IT UP A NOTCH: Junior Reagan Schneider -- one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award -- now is first in Miner history with 102 point after touchdowns, third with 198 kicking points and fifth with 32 field goals made ... Schneider has also converted on his last 91 PAT tries ... Schneider set a school record with five field goals against Houston ... the previous UTEP standard of four field goals was held by four players, including Schneider ... Schneider has now scored 10 points or more seven times during his career ... he is 15-for-20 (.750) on field goal attempts of 40 yards or more over the last two seasons ... during the same span Schneider is 16-for-22 (.727) on attempts from less than 40 yards ... he is seven-for-nine on field goals of 40+ yards in 2005 ... Schneider kicked the game winner from 23 yards out with two seconds remaining against eventual Conference USA champion Tulsa on Nov. 3.
1,000-YARD CLUB: UTEP could have four receivers with over 1,000 yards in their careers at season’s end ... senior Chris Francies (1,999 yards) and junior Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. (1,869 yards) have already reached the milestone ... senior Jayson Boyd has 951 yards, with 782 coming at UTEP (he also played at Oregon State in 2002) ... junior Chris Marrow has tallied 976 yards ... all four of the aforementioned wideouts have had 100-yard games at UTEP ... Boyd reeled in a career-high seven catches for 140 yards in the EV1.net Houston Bowl last season ... Francies posted a personal best 170 yards versus Tulsa on Nov. 5 ... Higgins has had five 100-yard performances, including 156 yards against Houston on Oct. 16 ... Marrow registered 116 yards versus Weber State a year ago.
LINEBACKERS LEAD THE WAY: UTEP’s top three tacklers are linebackers Jeremy Jones, Troy Collavo and Thomas Howard ... Jones has 121 stops and is tied for 12th nationally with 11 tackles per game ... he also leads the Miners with 13.5 tackles for losses and four forced fumbles ... Collavo has 98 stops (11 for losses) and Howard has 79 ... Howard has tallied 290 tackles, 34 tackles for losses and 13 sacks in a distinguished career in El Paso ... he came to UTEP as a 195-pound walk-on defensive back in 2001 ... easily UTEP’s top pro prospect, the 240-pound Howard is being mentioned as a possible early-round choice in the 2006 NFL Draft ... he was named the preseason defensive player of the year in the state of Texas by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine ... it marked the first time in the 46-year history of the prestigious publication that UTEP has had a defensive player of the year on either side of the ball ... his father, Thomas Howard Sr., was also a linebacker who enjoyed a lengthy NFL career with Kansas City and St. Louis.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START: UTEP has outscored opponents 190-93 in the first quarter under Mike Price, including 91-34 so far this season ... the Miners have allowed an average of 4.0 points in the opening period under Price ... UTEP has surrendered just four touchdowns in the first quarter this season, including two to Tulsa on Nov. 5 ... the Miners haven’t allowed a touchdown in the first quarter in their last three games.
FROM THE WEIGHT ROOM: UTEP Coach Mike Price says this is the fastest team he has ever coached. The team average in the 40-yard dash is 4.73 seconds (4.95 two years ago), led by junior WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.’s clocking of 4.18 seconds. Other significant 40 times belong to junior DB Nate Draughon (4.29), senior LB Thomas Howard (4.33) and senior RB Tyler Ebell (4.37) ... six Miners achieved vertical jumps of 40 inches or better in winter testing, double the number from the previous year. They are sophomore DB Emeri Spence (44 inches), senior DB Cedric Click (43), Draughon (42), senior WR Jayson Boyd (41), senior DB Marshall Sanford (40.5) and freshman RB Jon Lane (40) ... UTEP’s average standing long jump has increased from 8-5 to 8-10 1/4 in two years, and the average 10-yard dash time has improved from 1.6 seconds to 1.53 seconds. The average vertical jump has increased from 31.8 inches to 33.3 inches over one year ... junior WR David Sutton has the top standing long jump on the team at 10-10.
UTEP GRADUATES: Two Miners -- senior LB Gabe Macias and senior DL Chris Mineo -- are earning degrees this month ... both are kinesiology majors ... Macias and Mineo will join senior DL Tevita Fifita as UTEP graduates for the GMAC Bowl ... Fifita earned his degree in communication in December, 2004 and is working on his master’s in public administration.
MINER NUGGETS: UTEP is 37 of 48 (77.1 percent) in the red zone this season, and its opponents are 31 of 40 (77.5 percent) ... UTEP has had 11 interceptions this season, bringing two back for touchdowns. Josh Ferguson scored on a 62-yard interception against Tulsa, and Joe Fleskoski did so against New Mexico. Fleskoski has three career interceptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. His two interceptions for touchdowns rank second-best in school history ... defensive back Fred Patton and defensive lineman James Olalekan are the only true freshmen to see action for the Miners this fall ... Price was able to keep his coaching staff together during the offseason, a rarity for UTEP football. It marks the first time since 1987-88 that the Miner staff has remained intact from one season to the next ... two former Miners were inducted into the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept 23. Fred Carr (1965-67) was one of the greatest linebackers in school history, and went on to play for Green Bay in the NFL (he is a member of the Packer Hall of Fame). Fred Wendt (1942, 1946-48) was the only player in school history to rush for 300 yards in a game, rocketing for 326 yards versus New Mexico State in 1948 ... all 12 of Jayson Boyd’s receptions this season have resulted in a first down ... Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. has had 30 plays of over 20 yards gained this season (17 receptions, nine kickoff returns, four punt returns) ... UTEP ranks seventh in the country in punt return defense, allowing 4.2 yards per return ... UTEP is 31st nationally in kickoff return defense, allowing 18.8 yards per return ... Jordan Palmer ranks tied for eighth among active I-A players with 61 passing touchdowns. He is also 13th with 67 touchdowns responsible for, 17th with 7,326 yards passing and 19th with 7,397 yards of total offense ... unless someone declares early for the NFL Draft, Palmer would rank fourth among returning quarterbacks for 2006 with 7,326 yards passing behind Houston’s Kevin Kolb (8,941 yards at the conclusion of the regular season), Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn (8,050) and Florida’s Chris Leak (7,993 ... Chris Francies has made some timely catches for the Miners in 2005. Eighty-three percent (35 of 42) of his receptions have resulted in a first down (34), a touchdown (five) or both.
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