The UTEP football team will play 12 games in 2006, including six home games, head coach Mike Price announced on Thursday.
The home schedule is among the most attractive in school history. UTEP will face 2005 bowl participants Texas Tech and Memphis in the Sun Bowl, as well as Interstate 10 rival New Mexico State.
“We’re really excited about it,” Price said. “It’s a very competitive schedule probably one of the most competitive schedules we’ve had. We have an awesome home schedule with Texas Tech, New Mexico State, SMU, Tulane, Rice and ending with Memphis, which will probably be a big game. It’s going to be one of our best home schedules.”
The Miners, coming off back-to-back bowl appearances, will kick off their 2006 slate at San Diego State on Sept. 2. The Aztecs were 5-7 last season and have a new head coach, former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Chuck Long. UTEP and San Diego State have met 21 times in football, including on 16 occasions as members of the Western Athletic Conference from 1978-98.
The home opener is slated for Sept. 9 against Texas Tech, as the perennial Big 12 power Red Raiders face the Miners in El Paso for the first time since 1963. Texas Tech is coming off a 9-3 campaign and a 13-10 loss to Alabama in the SBC Cotton Bowl. The game will match a pair of explosive offenses. The Red Raiders ranked first nationally in passing offense (388.8 ypg) and fourth in scoring offense (39.4 ppg) last season. UTEP was ninth in the country in passing offense (300.6 ypg) while averaging 31.8 points per outing.
Following a bye week on Sept. 16, UTEP will play a pair of rivalry games against New Mexico (Sept. 23) and New Mexico State (Sept. 30). The Miners and Lobos will square off in Albuquerque for the first time in five years. UTEP will complete the non-conference portion of its schedule versus the Aggies in the Sun Bowl. UTEP swept southwest rivals New Mexico and New Mexico State last season for the first time since 1999.
The Miners will play their first two Conference USA games at home, hosting SMU on Oct. 7 and Tulane on Oct. 14. UTEP will also face Rice (Nov. 4) and Memphis (Nov. 25) in league play at the Sun Bowl. Memphis finished 7-5 last season and upended Akron, 38-31, in the Motor City Bowl.
UTEP will play at Houston (Oct. 21), defending Conference USA champion Tulsa (Oct. 27), UAB (Nov. 10) and Marshall (Nov. 18) in league play. The Tulsa and UAB games are Friday night national telecasts on ESPN2. Additional nationally televised games will be announced at a later date.
Houston and Tulsa join Texas Tech and Memphis as the four 2005 bowl teams on UTEP’s schedule. Houston dropped a 42-13 decision to Kansas in the Fort Worth Bowl, and Tulsa downed Fresno State 31-24 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
UTEP will be playing at Houston, UAB and Marshall for the first time in football this fall.
The Conference USA championship game is slated for Dec. 2 at a to-be-determined site.
|
|
