KICKING OFF: UTEP (3-0, 1-0 C-USA) and Memphis (1-2, 0-1 C-USA) will meet for the first time in football on Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium ... the game will be played before a national television (CSTV) audience ... the Miners are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1987, when they won their first four games ... UTEP has started a season 4-0 just six times since World War II (1948, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1987) ... the Miners won three games in the month of September for the first time since 2000 and only the fourth time in school annals (1987, 1988, 2000) ... UTEP was 5-0 in October last season with three road wins (at Fresno State, at Louisiana Tech, at San Jose State) ... the Miners are 1-0 on the road in 2005, a 34-17 triumph at I-10 rival New Mexico State on Sept. 3 ... UTEP is 4-2 on the road under head coach Mike Price ... the Miners haven’t won their first two road games in a season since 1987, when they beat Colorado State and San Diego State in succession ... UTEP will be on the road for three of its next four games and play just one home contest between now and Nov. 5 ... the Miners received 18 votes in this week’s USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll (34th in the nation) and 15 votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll (33rd).
LAST WEEK: UTEP’s defense and special teams sparked second-half touchdowns in a 21-13 win over New Mexico last Saturday in the Sun Bowl ... the game was played before 50,425 fans -- a record audience for a Miner-Lobo game and the fourth-largest crowd in Sun Bowl Stadium history ... Joe Fleskoski brought back an interception 68 yards for a touchdown to give UTEP the lead for good, 14-10, midway through the third quarter ... three minutes later Chris Francies blocked a punt that was recovered by Nate Draughon in the end zone for another score ... senior Chris Mineo came up big for the Miners, posting seven tackles including three for losses and two sacks ... offensively Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. caught eight passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, while Jordan Palmer completed 16 of 31 attempts for 178 yards ... Memphis received 223 rushing yards from DeAngelo Williams in a 37-31 overtime loss at Tulsa ... the Tigers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime ... Tulsa’s Paul Smith hooked up with Garrett Mills for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play in the extra session ... Memphis lost its second quarterback to injury when redshirt freshman Will Hudgens suffered a fractured fibula and ligament damage to his right leg ... Patrick Byrne broke his right fibula and tibia in the season opener versus Ole Miss.
THE SERIES: Saturday’s game is the first meeting between the schools on the gridiron.
MINERS HIT THE ROAD: Saturday’s game will mark UTEP’s furthest venture east of El Paso since playing at Louisville in 2003 ... UTEP’s trip to Memphis (1,100 miles) is also its longest of the season ... UTEP is 1-10-1 in games played east of the Mississippi River with a victory at Northern Illinois in 1996 and a tie at West Virginia in 1949 ... the losses came at Cincinnati in 1950 & 1951, Xavier in 1963, Kent in 1985, Tennessee in 1986 & 1990, North Carolina in 1993, Clemson in 1997, Kentucky in 2002 and Louisville in 2003 ... Mike Price is 2-5 as a head coach when coaching east of the Mississippi (two wins at Illinois; two losses at Ohio State, loss at Michigan, loss at Tennessee, loss at Pittsburgh).
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: UTEP has won its last six 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 7-1 when playing in the Sun Bowl under Mike Price ... UTEP is averaging 39.5 points (316 total) and has an average margin of victory of 22.3 points with two shutouts at home under Price ... the Miners have also averaged 42,904 fans per home game since Price arrived on campus ... UTEP recorded its fourth-largest attendance in the Sun Bowl on Sept. 24 versus New Mexico (50,425) ... the crowd was the largest since Nov. 11, 2000, when the Miners drew a record 53,304 spectators against Rice ... it also marked the fifth time that UTEP has had over 50,000 in attendance at the Sun Bowl ... UTEP is unbeaten (5-0) at home when 50,000 or more fans are in attendance ... UTEP is 6-0 when playing before 40,000+ spectators at home under Price.
WEST VS. PRICE: UTEP’s Mike Price and Memphis’ Tommy West have never faced one another as head coaches ... West is 1-0 versus UTEP, directing Clemson to a 39-7 win over the Miners on Oct. 4, 1997 in Clemson, S.C. ... Price has never met Memphis during his coaching career.
UTEP/MEMPHIS CONNECTIONS: UTEP’s special team coordinator and safeties coach Jeff Woodruff and Memphis’ offensive line coach Rick Mallory were on the Washington staff together from 1993-94 ... UTEP’s defensive coordinator Tim Hundley and Memphis’ defensive line coach Craig Boller were members of the Oregon State staff from 1982-86 ... former Miner head coach Charlie Bailey (1993-99) also served as head coach at Memphis from 1986-88.
NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS: Tyler Ebell: 11th-all-purpose yards (164.7 ypg), 47th-rushing (84.7 ypg), 93rd-kickoff returns (18.8 ypr); Jordan Palmer: 66th-passing efficiency (126.5), 37th-total offense (250.7 ypg); Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.: 7th-punt returns (22.0 ypr), 28th-all-purpose yards (140.7 ypg); t68th-receptions per game (4.7 rpg), 36th-receiving yards per game (82.3 ypg); Joe Fleskoski: t11th-interceptions (0.7 ipg), t62nd-scoring (8.0 ppg); Quintin Demps: t11th-interceptions (0.7 ipg); Josh Ferguson: t72nd-interceptions (0.3 ipg); Jason McQuay: t72nd-interceptions (0.3 ipg); Thomas Howard: t72nd-interceptions (0.3 ipg); Alex Obomese: t72nd interceptions (0.3 ipg); Jeremy Jones: t72nd-interceptions (0.3 ipg); Ryan Hotchkiss: 37th-punting (41.6 ypp); Reagan Schneider: 4th-field goals (2.3 fgpg), 26th-scoring (10.3 ppg);
NCAA TEAM RANKINGS: Rushing Offense: 84th (113.7); Passing Offense: 36th (253.7); Total Offense: 68th (367.3); Scoring Offense: 32nd (33.0); Rushing Defense: 33rd (105.0); Passing Efficiency Defense: 47th (115.6); Total Defense: 68th (376.3); Scoring Defense: 57th (23.7); Net Punting: 12th (38.7); Punt Returns: 8th (19.5); Kickoff Returns: 37th (24.1); Turnover Margin: t9th (+1.67); Pass Defense: 99th (271.3); Passing Efficiency: 71st (121.8).
CONFERENCE USA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS: Tyler Ebell: 3rd-rushing (84.7 ypg), 3rd-all-purpose yards (164.7 ypg); Jordan Palmer: 3rd-passing (248.0 ypg); Reagan Schneider: 2nd-scoring (10.3 ppg), 1st-field goals (2.3 fgpg), 1st-kicking points (10.3 ppg), 2nd-field goal percentage (.778), t1st-PAT percentage (100.0); Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.: t2nd-scoring (TDs) (8.0 ppg); Jeremy Jones: 1st-tackles (11.7 tpg); Chris Mineo: 1st-sacks (2.2 spg), 1st-TFLs (2.5 tflpg); Quintin Demps: t2nd-passes defended (2.0 pdpg).
CONFERENCE USA TEAM RANKINGS: The Miners lead the league in sacks (15) and are tied for first in PAT percentage (100.0) ... UTEP is second in scoring offense (33.0 ppg), punting (43.9 ypg), turnover margin (+1.67), kickoff returns (24.1 ypr) and punt returns (19.5 ypr) ... the Miners are third in rushing defense (105.0 ypg).
TAKING IT AWAY: Under Mike Price, UTEP is 11-1 when having equal or fewer turnovers than its opponents ... UTEP currently has a +5 turnover margin on the season (lost three interceptions/three fumbles; gained nine interceptions, two fumbles) ... the Miners are tied for eighth in the nation with 11 turnovers forced ... the Miners rank fourth in the country with nine interceptions ... 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 +2 in turnover margin ... UTEP has not had consecutive seasons with a positive turnover margin since 1987-88-89 ... since 1950 (55 years), UTEP has registered a positive turnover margin in 17 seasons.
WE TAKE THEM BY THE SACK: The Miners are third in the country with 15 sacks this season ... Nebraska leads with 20 and Washington State is second with 16 ... UTEP is on pace to register 55 sacks this season after totaling 42 in 2004 ... Chris Mineo is second in the NCAA with 2.2 sacks per game, and fifth with 2.5 tackles for losses per game ... his seven sacks already rank tied for seventh in the school single-season record book ... Alex Obomese is tied for 40th nationally with 0.8 sacks per game ... the Miners are tied for 12th in the country with 27.0 tackles for losses this season.
MORE DEFENSIVE TIDBITS: Jeremy Jones is tied for 12th in the nation with 11.7 tackles per game, tied for 21st with 1.8 tackles for losses per game and tied for 23rd with 6.7 solo tackles per game ... Alex Obomese ranks tied for 89th with 1.2 tackles for losses per game ... Quintin Demps is tied for second in the country with six passes defended (four breakups, two interceptions) ... Nate Draughon is tied for 13th with five passes defended ... Thomas Howard ranks tied for 31st with four passes defended (three breakups, one interception) and tied for 38th with 9.7 tackles per game ... Joe Fleskoski ranks tied for 31st with four passes defended (two interceptions, two breakups) and tied for 50th with 5.7 solo tackles per game ... Josh Ferguson ranks tied for 70th with three passes defended (two breakups, one interception) ... Troy Collavo ranks tied for 65th with 8.7 tackles per game and tied for 81st with 5.0 solo tackles per game.
STOUT DEFENSE: Under defensive coordinator Tim Hundley, the Miners have limited opponents to fewer than 300 yards of total offense four times over the last two seasons ... UTEP is 3-1 when doing so ... the Miners held New Mexico to 285 yards of total offense on Sept. 24 ... UTEP’s rushing defense, which ranks 33rd nationally (105.0 ypg), will be tested this week at Memphis ... the Tigers rank fourth in the country with 284.0 yards per game on the ground, and DeAngelo Williams is second nationally with 171.0 yards rushing per outing.
TIME OF POSSESSION NOT A FACTOR: UTEP had just 57 yards of total offense in the second half against New Mexico on Sept. 24 ... the Miners ran 25 plays in the second half and averaged 2.3 yards per play ... New Mexico controlled the time of possession line in the second half, using 18:59 of the clock to UTEP’s 11:01 ... the Miners have trailed the opposition in possession time in all three games this season ... in fact, under Mike Price the Miners have controlled the time of possession line just five times in 15 games ... UTEP is 5-0 under Price when having an advantage in time of possession and 6-4 (3-0 in 2005) when trailing in that department.
LOT OF DEFENSE: UTEP’s defense was on the field for 11:29 in the third quarter versus New Mexico, and at one point was on the field for 23 consecutive plays covering three Lobo series ... during those series, the UTEP defense had a 68-yard interception for a touchdown and blocked a punt for a touchdown ... the few “breathers” the defense received came on two Miner PATs and two kickoffs.
YOU CAN START HIM UP: Jordan Palmer has started at quarterback in UTEP’s last 15 games, posting a 11-4 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 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 ... Palmer has thrown for over 300 yards five times in his career, two shy of Billy Stevens’ school record (seven times).
PALMER AND PASSING RECORDS: Jordan Palmer now has 40 passing touchdowns in his career ... the total is second in school history behind 51 by Billy Stevens (1965-67) ... Palmer also has 4,730 passing yards (fourth-best), 368 completions (fourth-best) and 672 attempts (fourth-best) ... all three records stand a chance at falling in 2005 with him needing 1,755 yards to tie Stevens, 115 completions to catch Garza and 271 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 4,831 career yards (4,730 passing, 101 rushing) to rank sixth in school annals, 1,225 yards behind leader Sammy Garza (1983-86) ... he is also responsible for 45 touchdowns, which ranks fourth-best in school history ... Billy Stevens (1965-67) holds the record with 56.
ALL-PURPOSE KIND OF GUYS: The duo of Tyler Ebell and Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. have racked up 916 all-purpose yards this season, which is 58.5 percent of UTEP’s total ... Ebell has collected 494 with 254 coming on the ground, 146 as a receiver and 94 on kick returns ... Higgins has picked up 422 with one yard rushing, 247 yards receiving, 88 yards on punt returns and 86 on kickoff returns ... Ebell ranks 11th nationally in all-purpose yardage, while Higgins is 28th.
MR. CONSISTENCY: Chris Francies continues to be one of the most consistent pass catchers in the country ... entering the Memphis game, he has posted a reception in 36 consecutive games ... the run is third-longest in the country behind Wyoming’s Jovon Bouknight (40 games) and Bowling Green’s Charles Sharon (38 games) ... UTEP’s Chris Marrow, meanwhile, has caught a pass in his last 22 appearances.
HIGGINS ON THE RISE, AS EXPECTED: “T.D. Lee,” Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr., returned to the end zone three times against Houston and one more time against New Mexico ... Higgins now has 14 career touchdown receptions, which is tied for sixth-best in school history ... Higgins had a career-high eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown against New Mexico ... he has caught a touchdown pass in 11 of his last 13 games played ... in his career he has caught 63 passes for 1,309 yards and 14 touchdowns ... he has averaged 20.8 yards per catch ... Higgins has had 90 or more yards receiving in seven games during his career, including three of his last four ... in his last six quarters of play he has totaled 13 receptions for 236 yards and four TDs.
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 ... Thomas, a sophomore and former Parade All-American running back, has rushed eight times for 37 yards in two games this season ... Olalekan, a true freshman, had two tackles including one for a loss against New Mexico ... Olalekan and Fred Patton are the only true freshmen who have played in 2005.
KICKING IT UP A NOTCH: Reagan Schneider now ranks fifth in school annals with 72 career point after touchdowns, seventh with 141 kicking points and eighth with 23 field goals ... Schneider has also converted on his last 62 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 (62.5 avg.), with six of his 19 attempts resulting in touchbacks.
LOTS OF PICKS: UTEP has already registered nine interceptions this season ... the total is fourth-best in the nation behind Georgia Tech (10), Louisiana-Monroe (10) and Ohio (10) ... 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 and Fleskoski lead the team with two picks apiece.
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 14 career games ... Demps made another big play right before the half against New Mexico when he snatched the ball from UNM’s Hank Baskett’s hands in the end zone as time expired.
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 is second on the team with 29 tackles (16 solos) ... Jones leads the team with 35 stops (24 solos) ... Howard had a game-high 14 tackles against Houston ... Jones, who previously did not have a game with double-digit stops entering the season, has had 10 or more tackles in all three games this year ... Jones recorded a personal-best 12 tackles against New Mexico State and New Mexico this season ... he also had 10 stops against Houston.
MINEO IS THE MAN: Senior Chris Mineo has recorded 184 tackles (82 solos) during his career, including 30.5 tackles for losses (126 yards) and 17 sacks (98 yards) ... his sack total ranks second in the career record books ... 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 ... Mineo had a tackle for a loss and a sack on back-to-back plays in the third quarter against New Mexico.
STARTING EXPERIENCE: Chris Francies and Chris Mineo have started 33 games to tie for the lead among active UTEP players ... New Mexico native Justin Watson and Sir James Delgardo both made their first career starts against New Mexico on Sept. 24.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START: UTEP has outscored opponents 118-62 in the first quarter under Mike Price, including 19-3 so far this season ... the Miners have allowed an average of 4.1 points in the opening period under Price ... UTEP has surrendered just 25 points in the first quarter in its last eight games (3.1 ppg) ... the Miners have allowed just one touchdown in the first quarter in their last seven outings ... the Miners have also started the second half strong in 2005, outscoring foes 27-10 in the third quarter.
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 25 and 15 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 31 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 (1,361 yards) and junior Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. (1,309 yards) have already joined the 1,000-yard club ... senior Jayson Boyd has 825 yards, with 656 coming at UTEP (he also played at Oregon State in 2002) ... junior Chris Marrow has tallied 839 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 on Oct. 16 ... 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 Memphis 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 Memphis 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 240 tackles in 39 games for the Miners, including 30 for losses and 11 sacks ... he ranks ninth in school history with 30 tackles for losses behind Chris Mineo, 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), showed the New Mexico game on Sept. 24 and will carry UTEP’s matchups against 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: Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. has had nine plays over 20 yards this season (five receptions, two kickoff returns, two punt returns) ... Tyler Ebell has had eight plays of 20 yards or more (three runs, three receptions, two kickoff returns) ... Jordan Palmer completes 60 percent (23 of 38) of his passes on first down ... Joe Fleskoski has three career interceptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns ... his two interceptions for touchdowns rank second-best in school history ... UTEP and its opponents are both nine for 12 inside the red zone ... 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 ... second-string tailback Matt Austin, an El Paso native, has never started a game for the Miners but still owns 991 career rushing yards ... Mike Price is off to the best 15-game start by a Miner head coach since Mack Saxon (1929-41). Price is 11-4, while Saxon posted a record of 11-2-2 through 15 games ... Reagan Schneider leads the team in scoring and also leads the team with four tackles on kickoff coverage ... long snapper Aaron King is the team leader with two tackles on punt coverage.
USELESS STAT OF THE GAME: This is a stretch ... UTEP has never been to Memphis for football ... Memphis has never been to El Paso for football ... however Memphis’ most famous resident, Elvis Presley, traveled to El Paso on June 2, 1976 ... the king brought down the house at the Abraham Chavez Theater in his lone Sun City appearance that evening ... Elvis played all of his favorites that night including the 2001 theme, All Shook Up, Fever, Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog, Funny How Times Slips Away, and more! ... Elvis Aaron Presley passed away one year later on Aug. 16, 1977 at his Graceland home in Memphis ... however his memory lives on ... the soundboard cut from his concert in El Paso, titled “El Goes El Paso,” was released on CD in February, 2005.
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