KICKING OFF: UTEP (2-0) and New Mexico (3-0) will rekindle their long-standing rivalry for the first time since 2001 when the Lobos defeated the Miners in Albuquerque, 26-6, to open the season ... Saturday’s game will be played before a national television (CSTV) audience ... UTEP’s home opener against Houston last week was carried on ESPN2 ... UTEP is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 1988 ... the Miners haven’t opened a season with a 3-0 mark since 1987, when they were victorious in their first four outings ... since World War II (59 seasons of football), the Miners have won their initial three games of the year seven times (1947, 1948, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1987).
LAST WEEK: UTEP twice rallied from two-touchdown deficits to edge Houston, 44-41 in double overtime, in its inaugural Conference USA game on Friday, Sept. 16 ... Quintin Demps had two of the Miners’ five interceptions in the game ... his second pick came with the Cougars facing a second-and-10 situation on their own 13-yard line in the second overtime, preserving the UTEP victory ... Tyler Ebell rushed for 149 yards for the Miners and had 280 all-purpose yards, including a rushing TD ... Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. snagged six passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns, while returning two punts for 41 yards and one kickoff for 59 yards ... the teams combined for 1,067 yards of offense, but also committed 10 turnovers between them and were whistled for 27 penalties totaling 220 yards ... Reagan Schneider set a school record with five field goals, including a 42-yarder in the second overtime that proved to be the winning points ... New Mexico ran its record to 3-0 with a 38-21 victory over New Mexico State in Albuquerque ... the Lobos built a 38-7 lead through three quarters ... Kole McKamey (152 yards) and DonTrell Moore (120) teamed to rush for 272 yards, while McKamey threw for 172 yards and a pair of TDs.
THE SERIES: UTEP and New Mexico met regularly from 1934-99, with the exception of the 1943-45 and 1953-54 seasons (UTEP did not field a team from 1943-45 due to World War II) ... the Miners and the Lobos were joint members of the Border Conference in football from 1935-50, and the Western Athletic Conference from 1968-98 ... New Mexico leads the series 41-28-3 ... the Lobos beat the Miners 17 straight times from 1970-86, the longest winning streak by either team in the 72-game series ... UTEP has won five of the last seven meetings between the regional rivals in El Paso, including a 13-10 decision in the 1999 season opener -- the last time the schools faced one another in the Sun Bowl.
THE LAST MEETING: The date was Sept. 1, 2001 at University Stadium in Albuquerque ... the Miners, coming off an 8-4 season and Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl appearance, were dominated by New Mexico 26-6 ... the Lobos forced five turnovers and held the Miners to 170 yards of total offense, including minus-53 rushing ... UNM piled up 271 yards on the ground led by Jarrod Baxter, who picked up 184 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries ... Wesley Phillips made his debut as the Miners’ starting quarterback, completing 18 of 30 passes for 221 yards with a touchdown and a interception.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: UTEP has won its last five games in the Sun Bowl ... it is the Miners’ longest home winning skein since 2000-01 when they reeled off seven straight victories in the Sun Bowl ... the Miners are 6-1 when playing in the Sun Bowl under Mike Price ... UTEP is averaging 42.1 points (295 total) and has an average margin of victory of 24.6 points with two shutouts at home under Price ... the Miners have also averaged 41,831 fans per home game since Price arrived on campus.
PACK THE HOUSE: UTEP has a legitimate shot at selling out the Sun Bowl for the first time since the 2000 season on Saturday versus New Mexico, considering that both teams are unbeaten and a mere 260 miles separate the two schools ... the last time the 51,500-seat venue was filled to capacity was on Nov. 11, 2000, when an overflow crowd of 53,304 watched UTEP clinch at least a share of its first WAC title with a 38-21 conquest of Rice ... UTEP has had four crowds of 50,000+ all-time in the Sun Bowl, including New Mexico State in 1999 (52,247), Fresno State in 2000 (52,085) and New Mexico State in 2000 (50,068) ... last weekend, 45,558 fans witnessed the Miners’ double-overtime triumph over Houston ... the crowd was the 11th-largest in stadium history and the third-biggest for a home opener (1987, 1992) ... UTEP is unbeaten (4-0) at home when 50,000 or more fans are in attendance ... UTEP’s largest audience for a home game under Mike Price was 46,123 versus New Mexico State a year ago ... UTEP is 5-0 when playing before 40,000+ spectators under Price.
LONG VS. PRICE: New Mexico’s Rocky Long and UTEP’s Mike Price will be meeting for the 10th time as coaches, but for the first time as head coaches on Saturday ... teams Price has been associated with have posted a 7-2 mark versus squads that Long has been a part of ... the two were first on opposite sidelines in 1980, when Price was coaching the quarterbacks and receivers at Missouri and Long was grooming the secondary at New Mexico ... Missouri won the contest, 47-16, in Columbia ... as head coach at Washington State, Price faced Long-affiliated teams at TCU (1990), Oregon State (1991-95) and UCLA (1996-97) ... Price has never met New Mexico as a head coach ... Long is 1-2 against the Miners as a head coach.
UTEP/NEW MEXICO CONNECTIONS: New Mexico cornerbacks coach Troy Reffett was a four-year letterwinner at UTEP (1986-89). He served as a Miner assistant coach from 1990-2003, including as defensive coordinator in 2002 and 2003 ... UNM’s Thomas Wilson and Garth Archibald and UTEP’s Mark Parrish attended Butte College. They were never teammates, as Parrish was already at UTEP when Wilson and Archibald started at Butte ... UTEP defensive coordinator Tim Hundley coached UNM defensive coordinator Osia Lewis when the latter was a standout linebacker at Oregon State from 1982-85 ... Hundley was on the same staff as UNM running back coach Cornell Jackson at Washington from 2002-03 ... the lone New Mexico product on the UTEP roster is Justin Watson, who hails from Farmington ... Watson attended Farmington High and New Mexico Highlands before coming to UTEP.
NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS: Tyler Ebell: 21st-rushing (106.0 ypg), 81st-kick returns (18.8 ypr), 2nd-all-purpose yards (206.0 ypg); Jordan Palmer: 44th-passing efficiency (135.51), 18th-total offense (283.5 ypg); Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.: tied 36th-receiving yards per game (78.0 ypg), 6th-punt returns (22.0 ypr), tied 46th-scoring (9.0 ppg), 23rd-all-purpose yards (152.0 ypg); Quintin Demps: tied 2nd-interceptions (1.0 ipg); Josh Ferguson: tied 37th-interceptions (0.5 ipg); Joe Fleskoski: tied 37th-interceptions (0.5 ipg); Jason McQuay: tied 37th-interceptions (0.5 ipg); Thomas Howard: tied 37th-interceptions (0.5 ipg); Alex Obomese: tied 37th-interceptions (0.5 ipg); Jeremy Jones: tied 37th-interceptions (0.5 ipg); Ryan Hotchkiss: 31st-punting (41.7 ypp); Reagan Schneider: 2nd-field goals (3.5 fgpg), 5th-scoring (14.0 ppg).
NCAA TEAM RANKINGS: Rushing Offense: 67th (135.5); Passing Offense: 16th (291.5); Total Offense: 35th (427.0); Scoring Offense: 19th (39.0); Rushing Defense: 23rd (83.0); Passing Efficiency Defense: 50th (119.7); Total Defense: 92nd (422.0); Scoring Defense: 82nd (29.0); Net Punting: 12th (39.4); Punt Returns: 9th (20.0); Kickoff Returns: 34th (23.7); Turnover Margin: 3rd (+2.50); Pass Defense: 114th (339.0); Passing Efficiency: 59th (128.31).
CONFERENCE USA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS: Tyler Ebell: 2nd-rushing (106.0 ypg), 1st-all-purpose yards (206.0 ypg); Jordan Palmer: 1st-points responsible for (21.0 prfpg), 2nd-total offense (283.5 ypg); Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.: 1st-punt returns (22.0 ypr), tied 3rd-scoring (9.0 ppg); Quintin Demps: tied 1st-interceptions (1.0 ipg); Ryan Hotchkiss: 3rd-punting (41.7 ypp); Reagan Schneider: 1st-field goals (3.5 fgpg), 1st-scoring (14.0 ppg).
CONFERENCE USA TEAM RANKINGS: UTEP leads the league in kickoff returns (23.7), passing offense (291.5), passes intercepted (8), rushing defense (83.0), scoring offense (39.0), turnovers gained (10) and turnover margin (+2.50)...the Miners are second in punt returns (20.0), and third in net punting (39.4) and total offense (427.0).
WE'LL TAKE THAT: Under Mike Price, UTEP is 10-1 when having equal or fewer turnovers than its opponents ... UTEP currently has a +5 turnover margin (lost two interceptions/three fumbles; gained eight interceptions, two fumbles) ... the Miners are tied for third in the nation with 10 turnovers gained behind Georgia Tech (12) and Georgia (12) ... UTEP was 4-1 with plus takeaways, 4-0 with equal turnovers and 0-3 with more turnovers than its opponents in 2004 ... UTEP finished the year plus-two in turnover margin ... UTEP has not had consecutive seasons with a positive turnover margin since 1987-88-89 ... since the 1950 season (55 years), UTEP has registered a positive turnover margin on 17 occasions.
WE TAKE THEM BY THE SACK: The Miners are third in the country with 12.0 sacks this season ... Nebraska leads with 20.0, followed by Louisville with 13.0 ... Chris Mineo is second in the NCAA with 5.0 sacks this season ... Mineo is also tied for seventh with five tackles for losses as well.
MORE DEFENSIVE TIDBITS: Quintin Demps is tied for second in the country with five passes defended (three breakups, two interceptions) ... Thomas Howard ranks tied for sixth with four passes defended (three breakups, one interception).
THIRD AND REALLY LONG: UTEP is 115th out of 117 NCAA Division I-A schools in third down conversions ... UTEP has converted six of 28 attempts on third down for a 21.4 conversion percentage ... UTEP converted two of 14 attempts on third down against Houston, which was the lowest third down percentage for the Miners since going one for 12 versus Texas Tech to open the 1998 season.
LINE THEM UP: Jordan Palmer has started at quarterback in UTEP’s last 14 games, posting a 10-4 record during this span ... Palmer’s starting streak is the longest by a Miner signal-caller since Sammy Garza started 23 consecutive games from 1985-86.
PALMER AND PASSING RECORDS: Jordan Palmer now has 39 passing touchdowns in his career ... the total is second in school history behind 51 by Billy Stevens (1965-67) ... Palmer also has 4,552 passing yards (fifth-best), 352 completions (fourth-best) and 641 attempts (fifth-best) ... all three records stand a chance at falling in 2005 with him needing 1,933 yards to tie Stevens, 131 completions to catch Garza and 302 attempts to match Stevens.
PALMER AND TOTAL OFFENSE RECORDS: With a strong season Jordan Palmer could become the school’s career total offense leader this fall ... he has recorded 4,646 career yards (4,552 passing, 94 rushing) to rank sixth in school annals, 1,410 yards behind leader Sammy Garza (1983-86) ... he is also responsible for 44 touchdowns, which ranks fourth-best in school history ... Billy Stevens (1965-67) holds the record with 56.
MORE ON PALMER: Jordan Palmer had a career-high 51 passing attempts and 379 yards passing last week against Houston ... the attempts ties for the eighth-best single game total in the Miner record book, while his yardage ranks 10th-best ... Palmer has now thrown for over 300 yards five times in his career, two shy of Billy Stevens’ school record (seven times) ... Palmer has thrown for over 300 yards in four of his last five games dating back to 2004 ... Palmer looks to become the first Miner quarterback to lead the team in passing for consecutive years since 1990-91 when Mike Perez threw for 1,920 and 1,913 yards, respectively.
EBELL AND HIGGINS, QUITE A TEAM: The duo of Tyler Ebell and Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. piled up 531 all-purpose yards and scored all four of the Miners’ touchdowns against Houston ... Ebell rushed for 149 yards, caught four passes for 60 yards and had 71 yards on kickoff returns for 280 all-purpose yards ... it marked the seventh-best single-game all-purpose output in UTEP history ... Higgins chalked up 156 yards receiving, minus-five rushing, 41 yards on punt returns and 59 yards on a kickoff return for 256 total yards, just missing making the top 10 list for single-game yards ... Ebell is currently second in the nation with 206.0 all-purpose yards per game, while Higgins ranks 23rd with 152.0 yards per game ... Higgins’ performance against Houston was quite the bounce-back after having just 48 all-purpose yards and zero catches versus New Mexico State on Sept. 3.
MR. CONSISTENCY: Chris Francies continues to be one of the most consistent pass catchers in the country ... entering the New Mexico game, he has posted a reception in 35 consecutive games ... the run is third-longest in the country behind Wyoming’s Jovon Bouknight (39 games) and Bowling Green’s Charles Sharon (37 games) ... UTEP’s Chris Marrow, meanwhile, has caught a pass in his last 21 appearances.
HIGGINS ON THE RISE, AS EXPECTED: “T.D. Lee,” Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr., returned to the end zone three times against Houston ... Higgins now has 13 career touchdown receptions, which rates eighth-best in school history ... his next touchdown reception will tie him with Cedric Johnson (1993-96) and David Karns (1966-68) for sixth place on the school list ... Higgins reeled in five catches for 145 yards and all three of his scores after halftime versus the Cougars ... he has caught a touchdown pass in 10 of his last 12 games played.
MORE ON HIGGINS: Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. had his fourth career 100-yard receiving game against Houston ... the three TDs tied the second-best single-game total in school history ... Higgins has had 100 yards receiving in two of his last three games.
TRADING IN THE RED SHIRT: Marcus Thomas and James Olalekan will not be spectators this year after all ... they were pulled out of redshirt and made their season debuts against Houston last week ... Thomas, a sophomore and former Parade All-American running back, had four carries for 19 yards and caught two passes for 18 yards ... Olalekan, a true freshman, saw time on the defensive line in a reserve role ... Olalekan and Fred Patton are the only true freshmen who have played in 2005.
MIGHTY MOUSE SAVES THE DAY: Tyler Ebell posted the eighth 100-yard rushing game of his career, and his first as a Miner, last week against Houston ... Ebell carried 24 times for 149 yards and a touchdown ... he last rushed for 100 yards on Nov. 8, 2003 against Washington State while at UCLA ... Ebell posted six consecutive 100-yard games in 2002, the year he was named a second team freshman All-America by The Sporting News ... Ebell has already amassed 106 yards receiving in 2005, which tops his totals of 72 and 68 in 2002 and 2003.
KICKING IT UP A NOTCH: Reagan Schneider now ranks fifth in school annals with 69 career point after touchdowns, seventh with 138 kicking points and eighth with 23 field goals ... Schneider has also converted on his last 59 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 six times during his career ... he connected on two field goals of 42 yards against Houston, making him 12-for-15 (.800) on attempts of 40 yards or more over the last two seasons ... during the same span Schneider is 10-for-14 (.714) on attempts from less than 40 yards ... he misfired on a 24-yard try at NMSU and on a 27-yarder versus Houston ... Schneider has handled kickoffs this season as well (62.7 avg.), with five of his 15 attempts resulting in touchbacks.
LOTS OF PICKS: UTEP has already registered eight interceptions this season ... the total is second only to Georgia Tech (10) in the nation this season ... UTEP’s five picks against Houston marked its highest total in a game since recording six versus San Diego State in 1989 ... seven different Miners have collected interceptions this season -- Quintin Demps, Josh Ferguson, Joe Fleskoski, Thomas Howard, Jeremy Jones, Jason McQuay and Alex Obomese ... Demps leads the group with four career picks (two in 2005).
OVERTIME STARTS, DEMPS ENDS IT: For the second time in his young career, sophomore Quintin Demps preserved a UTEP victory with a defensive play in overtime against Houston ... he intercepted a Kevin Kolb pass on second down in the second overtime to secure the Miners’ 44-41 win over the Cougars ... last year, Demps forced a fumble in the second overtime which was recovered by Robert Rodriguez to seal UTEP’s 35-28 conquest of Rice ... Demps has now registered four interceptions in 13 career games.
TACKLE BATTLE: Thomas Howard doesn’t have to contend with Robert Rodriguez for the team tackle lead this season, but so far he has gotten some stiff competition from fellow linebacker Jeremy Jones ... Howard leads the team with 24 tackles (13 solos), but Jones is right on his tail with 23 stops (18 solos) ... Howard had a game-high 14 tackles against Houston, while Jones had 11 including three for losses ... Jones led the stop troops in the opener at New Mexico State with 12 takedowns.
NOT MISSING A BEAT: UTEP’s new punter, junior transfer Ryan Hotchkiss, has picked up where four-year starter Bryce Benekos (2001-04) left off ... Hotchkiss is averaging 41.7 yards per punt, with four of his 11 tries landing inside the 20-yard line ... excellent elevation on his punts has resulted in three fair catches ... Benekos averaged 44.1 yards per punt in each of his last two seasons with the Miners and was in two NFL training camps (Green Bay, Oakland) earlier this year ... Benekos ranked seventh in the country in punting in 2004 ... Hotchkiss is presently 31st nationally through two games.
MINEO IS THE MAN: Senior Chris Mineo has recorded 177 tackles (76 solos) during his career including 27 tackles for losses (107 yards) and 15 sacks (82 yards) ... his sack total ranks tied for third in the career record books with Melvin Besses ... Gonzalo Floyd holds the record with 20.0 sacks from 1990-91, 93 ... Mineo has also recorded an interception (17 yards, TD), broken up a pass, recovered five fumbles and forced three fumbles during his career.
DEFENSIVE CAREER HIGHS VERSUS HOUSTON: Troy Collavo for tackles (12), sacks (one, tie) and TFLs (2.0, tie); Jeremy Jones for TFLs (3.0); Alex Obomese for tackles (10), interceptions (one) and forced fumbles (one, tie); Justin Hanel for tackles (seven); Quintin Demps for interceptions (two); Joe Fleskoski for interceptions (one); Sir James Delgardo for tackles (seven); Reggie Miles, Jr. for tackles (six); Justin Watson for tackles (four); Ricky Van for tackles (three), TFLs (one) and sacks (one).
OFFENSIVE CAREER HIGHS VERSUS HOUSTON: Jordan Palmer for passing attempts (51) and passing yards (379); Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. for receiving yards (156), punt returns (two, tie) and touchdown receptions (three); Tyler Ebell for receiving yards (60), receptions (four) and kickoff return yards (71); Justin Hunt for receptions (two) and receiving yards (32); Marcus Thomas for receptions (two) and receiving yards (18); Reagan Schneider for points (18) and field goals made (five).
STARTING EXPERIENCE: Chris Francies and Chris Mineo have both started 32 games to tie for the lead among active UTEP players ... Robbie Felix (center), James Riley (right guard), Luis Espinosa (right tackle) and Tyler Ebell (tailback) made their first career starts for the UTEP offense at New Mexico State ... DL Tevita Fifita made his fifth career start and his first since 2003 against Houston ... DL Justin Hanel started for the second time in his career and for the first time in 2005 versus the Cougars.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START: UTEP has outscored opponents 118-59 in the first quarter under Mike Price ... the Miners have allowed an average of 4.2 points in the opening period under Price ... UTEP has surrendered just 22 points in the first quarter in its last seven games (3.1 ppg) ... UTEP hasn’t allowed a point in the first quarter this season, outscoring foes 19-0 in the period ... the Miners have allowed just one touchdown in the first quarter in their last six outings.
GRIZZLED VETERANS: Offensive linemen Jose Garcia and Josh House are both in their sixth year with the UTEP football program ... both came to UTEP in the fall of 2000 and attended preseason training camp in Socorro, N.M. before taking on “gray shirt” status ... they redshirted during the 2001 campaign ... Garcia and House have started 24 and 14 games for the Miners, respectively ... House has gained 50 pounds since coming to UTEP and earned honorable mention All-Conference honors in 2004, his first year as a starter.
THE GRADUATE: DL Tevita Fifita earned his bachelor’s degree in communication in December and is working on his master’s degree in public administration ... Fifita has played in 30 games for the Miners, making five starts.
EBELL TIME: Former UCLA standout Tyler Ebell made his highly-anticipated Miner debut on Sept. 3 at New Mexico State ... he will have one year of eligibility with the Miners after redshirting his freshman year (2001) with the Bruins ... Ebell rushed for 1,495 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons at UCLA (2002-03) before sitting out last season per NCAA transfer rules ... the native of Ventura, Calif., was a Parade and PrepStar All-American as a prep, setting national records for rushing yardage (4,495) and rushing touchdowns (64) as a senior ... he is one of three former prep All-Americans on the 2005 Miner roster ... the others are junior quarterback/wide receiver Lorne Sam (PrepStar All-American) and sophomore running back Marcus Thomas (Parade All-American) ... Sam is sitting out this season after transferring from Florida State, and will have two years of eligibility at UTEP beginning in 2006.
1,000-YARD CLUB: Barring injury, UTEP will likely have four receivers with over 1,000 yards in their careers at season’s end ... senior Chris Francies (1,348 yards) and junior Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. (1,218 yards) have already joined the 1,000-yard club ... senior Jayson Boyd has 818 yards, with 649 coming at UTEP (he also played at Oregon State in 2002) ... junior Chris Marrow has tallied 834 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 ... he finished the 2004 season with 17 catches for 353 yards over the last three games (117.7 ypg) ... Francies posted 104 yards receiving versus Rice in 2002 ... Higgins has had four 100-yard performances, including a personal best 156 yards against Houston last Saturday ... Marrow registered 116 yards against Weber State a year ago.
QB NO QUESTION MARK: UTEP entered the 2005 season with an established quarterback for the first time since 2000, when Rocky Perez was the clear-cut starter ... Jordan Palmer started all 12 contests a year ago, throwing for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns ... the last time UTEP returned a 2,000-yard passer was 1990, when senior Howard Gasser was coming off a 2,586-yard campaign ... Palmer became only the second Miner sophomore to pass for 2,000 yards in 2004, joining Billy Stevens who achieved this feat in 1965 (3,032 yards).
WHERE’S THE BEEF? IN THE O-LINE: UTEP’s depth chart for the New Mexico game features four projected starters in the offensive line who weigh 300 pounds ... left guard Jose Garcia is 320 pounds, right tackle Luis Espinosa is 305, left tackle Josh House is 300 and right guard James Riley is 300 ... UTEP has never opened a season with at least four starting O-linemen weighing 300 pounds ... UTEP’s projected starting O-line for the New Mexico game averages 6-3 and 300 pounds.
HOWARD AMONG NATION’S FINEST: Senior linebacker Thomas Howard was recently named the preseason Defensive Player of the Year in the state of Texas by Dave Campbell’s magazine ... it marks the first time in the 46-year history of the prestigious publication that UTEP has had a preseason player of the year on either side of the ball ... a Lubbock native, Howard came to UTEP as a walk-on defensive back in 2001 ... at the time he weighed 195 pounds, now he’s up to 240 ... his father, Thomas Howard Sr., was also a linebacker who enjoyed a lengthy NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals ... Thomas Howard Jr. has posted 235 tackles in 38 games for the Miners, including 29 for losses and 11 sacks ... he ranks eighth in school history with 29 tackles for losses behind Elroy Stoglin, Pete Shufelt and Michael Comer (31.0, tied for fifth) ... he ranks tied for 11th with 11 career sacks as well ... Howard tied Chris Mineo for the team lead in sacks last season with eight ... the sack total is tied for fourth place on the Miner seasonal chart ... he also had 14 stops for losses in 2004 (tied for ninth place in school annals).
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Free safety Quintin Demps made quite an impact as a freshman last season ... he contributed 58 tackles, two interceptions and four pass break-ups while starting all 11 games he appeared in ... he was tabbed the co-WAC Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-America by three agencies (Football Writers Association of America, Scripps, The Sporting News) ... Demps showed a flair for making big plays ... his forced fumble in the second overtime sealed the Miners’ 35-28 win over Rice in the Sun Bowl ... he also had a 51-yard fumble recovery for a score against Boise State, and a 43-yard interception for a TD versus SMU ... Demps joined LB Thomas Howard and DL Chris Mineo as All-Texas defensive selections by Dave Campbell’s preseason magazine.
CONGRATULATIONS: Five Miners were awarded scholarships on Aug. 20, including three seniors ... they are freshman WR Dustin Bell (Dallas, Texas), senior WR Jacob Gonzales (San Antonio, Texas), senior LB Gabe Macias (El Paso, Texas), junior DB Bryant Tisdale (Clearwater, Fla.) and senior OL Jordan Tubig (San Antonio, Texas).
MINERS PICKED FIRST: UTEP is projected to finish first in the Western Division of Conference USA this season, based on a preseason poll of league head coaches ... the Miners received 68 votes, more than any other C-USA school ... Southern Miss, the preseason favorite in the Eastern Division, was second with 64 votes ... rounding out the Western Division are Houston (59 votes), Tulane (46), Tulsa (31), Rice (27) and SMU (21).
WATCH LISTS: Seven Miners have been named to watch lists for various post-season awards ... senior LB Thomas Howard is on watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, presented to the nation’s top defensive player; the Rotary Lombardi Award, presented to the top interior lineman; and the Dick Butkus Award, presented to the top linebacker ... senior DL Chris Mineo is also on the Rotary Lombardi Award list ... junior Jordan Palmer is on the watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award (top quarterback) ... senior Tyler Ebell is on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award (top running back) ... junior Reagan Schneider is on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award (top placekicker) ... junior Alex Obomese is on the watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award (top defensive end) ... junior Ryan Hotchkiss is on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award (top punter).
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 ON THE TUBE: Eight Miner games are slated for national television in 2005 ... three will air on ESPN networks and five on CSTV affiliates ... ESPNU televised UTEP’s game at New Mexico State ... the home opener versus Houston (Sept. 16) was carried on ESPN2, and the game at Tulane (Oct. 14) will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2 ... CSTV or its affiliate, the i network (formerly PAX), will carry UTEP’s games against New Mexico (Sept. 24), Memphis (Oct. 1), Marshall (Oct. 22), Rice (Oct. 29) and UAB (Nov. 19) ... prior to this season, a total of four UTEP games all-time have aired on national television, including the 2004 EV1.net Houston Bowl on ESPN.
MINER NUGGETS: UTEP’s 12 penalties against Houston were the most by a Miner team under Mike Price. The previous high was nine penalties in a double overtime victory versus Rice in 2004 ... 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 will be inducted into the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday. 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 ... second-string tailback Matt Austin, an El Paso native, has never started a game for the Miners but still owns 990 career rushing yards ... Mike Price is off to the best 14-game start by a Miner head coach since Mack Saxon (1929-41). Price is 10-4, while Saxon posted a record of 10-2-2 through 14 games ... Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr. and Tyler Ebell have carried the load in terms of all-purpose yards. The duo has amassed 716 combined all-purpose yards, 59.3 percent of the team total.
USELESS STAT OF THE GAME: Since the school name was changed to the University of Texas at El Paso during the 1966-67 school year, the Miners are 11-24 against the Lobos of New Mexico ... the Miners went 10-5 against New Mexico when the school was known as Texas Western College, and 7-12-3 versus the Lobos when the school was known as Texas College of Mines ... there are no plans to change the school name prior to Saturday’s game.
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