UTEP Miners

Oct. 1, 2007

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UTEP Home For Three Straight Games, All Versus `06 Bowl Teams

UTEP (3-2, 1-0 C-USA) opens a three-game homestand -- its longest of the season -- on Saturday, when the Miners host Tulsa (3-1, 1-0 C-USA) in a matchup of teams tied for first place in Conference USA's Western Division. Kickoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. MST. The Miners will host East Carolina on Oct. 13 and Houston on Oct. 27. Tulsa appeared in last year's Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, while East Carolina played in the Papajohns.com Bowl and Houston advanced to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl as the C-USA champion. Last year the Miners swept three straight home games for the first time since 1965, upending New Mexico State, SMU and Tulane in consecutive weeks in the Sun Bowl. UTEP is 2-0 at home this season with wins over New Mexico (10-6) and Texas Southern (52-12). The Miners' home mark under head coach Mike Price is 15-5. Tulsa has won its only road game of 2007, 35-17 at Lousiana-Monroe to christen the season on Aug. 30.

The UTEP-Tulsa Ledger

Tulsa holds a 9-6 edge in a series that has traditionally been dominated by the road team. UTEP is 2-5 versus the Golden Hurricane in El Paso, and 4-4 in games played in Tulsa. Some order has been restored in the series of late, however, with the home team prevailing in the last three matchups between the schools. UTEP and Tulsa have combined to score 285 points in the last four meetings -- an average of 73.1 per game between the two teams. Tulsa is 3-1 in those last four games.

The Last Meeting

A 20-6 lead vanished in the second half as Tulsa roared back to knock off UTEP, 30-20, at Skelly Stadium on Oct. 27, 2006. The Miners took their largest lead of the game early in the third quarter after Jordan Palmer found Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. for a 69-yard touchdown pass. From that point on it was all Golden Hurricane as it scored the next 24 points. Tulsa sliced the deficit to 20-13 following a Paul Smith four-yard toss to Dan Johnson. After UTEP went three downs and out, Jarod Tracy drilled a 39-yard field goal to bring the Golden Hurricane within four points heading into the final quarter. On the ensuing possession, Chris Chamberlain intercepted Palmer on first down and took it to the end zone to bestow Tulsa its first advantage, 23-20. The Miners' offense, which was clicking on all cylinders in the opening period, continued to stall down the stretch. Following another three and out, the Golden Hurricane put away UTEP courtesy of a one-yard touchdown plunge by Courtney Tennial. The Miner defense dominated in the opening 30 minutes, limiting Tulsa to a pair of field goals and 117 yards. Additionally, UTEP forced a pair of turnovers. Palmer completed 21 of 37 passes for 253 yards, including 12 of 16 in the first half. Higgins was his favorite target, reeling in 10 passes for 153 yards. Marcus Thomas accounted for the lone touchdown in the initial half, scampering in from 15 yards to cap a six-play, 83-yard drive. His effort put UTEP up 10-3.

The Last Meeting in El Paso

The Miners took a big step forward in the race for the Conference USA Western Division crown with a dramatic 41-38 win over Tulsa in the Sun Bowl on Nov. 5, 2005. UTEP took its only lead of the game with two seconds remaining, when Reagan Schneider connected on the game-winning 23-yard field goal. The Miners trailed by as many as 10 points (17-7) earlier in the contest before rallying for the victory. Brandon Diles' six-yard touchdown run gave the Golden Hurricane a 38-31 advantage with 8:12 to play. However, Jordan Palmer hit Chris Francies for a 23-yard touchdown on fourth down with 3:41 remaining to tie the game for the fifth time. UTEP stopped Tulsa on its next possession and Palmer opened the final drive with a 48-yard pass to Francies, setting up the winning score. Palmer completed 25 of 34 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He became UTEP's all-time leader for touchdown passes and touchdowns responsible for in the process. Francies reeled in nine catches for 170 yards and two scores. Marcus Thomas added 117 yards rushing on 23 carries for the Miners. UTEP linebacker Thomas Howard was the primary defender assigned to Golden Hurricane tight end Garrett Mills, who came into the game leading all tight ends nationally with 58 receptions for 774 yards. Howard helped limit Mills to 42 yards on four catches.

Last Week: UTEP 48, SMU 45 (OT)

Marcus Thomas rushed for a career-high 207 yards and three touchdowns, including a 10-yard score in overtime, to lead UTEP to a dramatic 48-45 victory against SMU in the Conference USA opener on Sept. 29 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. UTEP improved to 3-0 in conference openers under head coach Mike Price. The Miners also moved to 3-1 in overtime under Price, including 3-0 in conference games. The Miners rallied from deficits of 28-7 and 42-28 to capture the win. UTEP trailed by 14 points early in the fourth quarter, but Trevor Vittatoe hooked up with Jeff Moturi and Jake Sears for TD passes of 17 and nine yards, respectively, to force overtime. After SMU went ahead 45-42 in the extra session on a 23-yard field goal by Thomas Morstead, UTEP inserted Lorne Sam at quarterback and he got the Miners to the Mustang 10-yard line with back-to-back rushing plays of his own -- setting up Thomas' winning score. Sam rushed nine times for 106 yards and caught five passes for 88 yards. Vittatoe completed 17 of 33 passes for 255 yards and two TDs.

UTEP in the NCAA/C-USA Stats

Through the games of Sept. 29, the Miners rated 14th nationally in net punting (38.6 avg.), 18th in turnover margin (1.0), 35th in scoring offense (33.0 ppg) and punt returns (12.9 avg.), 37th in rushing offense (184.4 ypg), 43rd in kickoff returns (22.8 avg.) and 45th in sacks allowed (1.6 avg.). Individually, senior RB Marcus Thomas was 12th in rushing (117.8 ypg), freshman Kyle Petersen was 23rd in punting (43.5 avg.), and sophomore DB Braxton Amy was tied for 35th in tackles (9.8 avg.). UTEP was first in Conference USA in punting, second in scoring defense (27.4 ppg), rushing defense (147.0 ypg) and turnover margin, and third in rushing offense and punt returns. Individually, sophomore DB Cornelius Brown was third in passes defended (1.4 avg.), junior K Jose Martinez was tied for first in PAT kicking percentage (1.000) and senior RB Marcus Thomas was second in scoring (12.0 ppg) and third in rushing.

Career-High 207 Yards For Thomas

Senior RB Marcus Thomas rushed 35 times for 207 yards -- both career highs -- at SMU last week. The 207 yards rushing tied for the sixth-top game total in school annals, and the most since Toraino Singleton rambled for 237 yards against Valdosta State in 1995. It was the most rushing yards by a Miner versus a Division I-A opponent since Singleton accumulated 217 yards at New Mexico on Nov. 19, 1994. Thomas is the seventh UTEP player to have a 200-yard rushing game. The others are Robert Elliott, John Harvey, Elzie Johnson, Singleton, Ed Smith and Fred Wendt. Thomas rushed for 105 yards the previous week against Texas Southern. He had four straight 100-yard rushing games, a school-record streak, during his sophomore season (2005). Thomas' six career 100-yard games put him in ninth place on the UTEP career chart. Joseph Polk (1995-98) is in eighth place with seven 100-yard games. Thomas' three rushing TDs at SMU tied the third-top game total in school annals. He has rushed for eight touchdowns in only four games this season. With two more, he will tie four players for eighth place on the school seasonal list. Thomas' eight rushing TDs double his career total (four) entering the season. Additionally, Thomas is now 10th in school history with 1,920 rushing yards. His next target on the chart is Ken Heineman (ninth place), who ran for 2,001 yards from 1937-40. Thomas has led the Miners in rushing in his last 20 games dating back to 2005. His 207 yards at SMU snapped a string of 16 straight games versus Division I-A opponents that the Miners did not have a 100-yard rusher.

Miners Tie Second-Largest Comeback

In overcoming a 28-7 deficit to beat SMU, UTEP tied the second-largest comeback in school history. The comeback record is 22 points, as the Miners trailed BYU 25-3 at Provo on Oct. 26, 1968 before rallying for a 31-25 victory. UTEP also trailed by 21 points, 21-0, at Wyoming on Sept. 28, 1991 before battling back to tie the Cowboys 28-28.

A Whole Lotta Rushing Yards ...

The Miners piled up 308 rushing yards against SMU, their most in a game since Sept. 16, 1995 versus Valdosta State (346). It was their most against a Division I-A opponent since compiling 309 at New Mexico on Nov. 19, 1994. UTEP also had two players rush for over 100 yards against the Mustangs (Lorne Sam and Marcus Thomas) for the first time since Oct. 25, 2003, when Matt Austin had 112 yards rushing and Howard Jackson added 100 at Hawaii. Sam had 106 yards rushing and Thomas had 207 versus SMU. UTEP is averaging 184.4 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry in 2007. Last year, the Miners averaged 57.6 yards rushing per contest and 2.4 per attempt. UTEP has 922 yards rushing in five games this season after compiling 691 in 12 games a year ago. The Miners also have 12 rushing TDs, up from eight in 2006. The Miners are on pace to rush for 2,213 yards this season, which would be their most since 1988 (2,414). With 471 yards rushing in 2007, Thomas stands to become UTEP's first 1,000-yard man since Howard Jackson in 2004. UTEP has had six players run for 1,000 yards in a season in its football history. UTEP has registered more than 200 yards rushing as a team in consecutive games for the first time in the Mike Price era. It marks the first time the Miners have achieved the feat since the 2003 campaign, when they strung together four straight contests with 200+ rushing yards.

Heck, a Lotta Yards Period ...

UTEP's 558 yards of total offense at SMU marked its most under Mike Price and its top game total since Nov. 8, 2003 against San Jose State (630 yards). It was the most yards for the Miners in a road game since Oct. 7, 1995 at Air Force (595). It was UTEP's sixth 500-yard game under Price. The Miners had 528 yards versus SMU in 2004, 553 versus Houston in 2005, 505 at Memphis in 2005, 532 at Rice in 2005 and 537 versus New Mexico State in 2006. The Miners have scored a total of 100 points in their last two games. The last time they hit the century mark in consecutive contests was during the 1967 season, when they put up 75 points at New Mexico and 46 at home versus New Mexico State. UTEP has scored 40+ points in back-to-back games for the third time under Price after achieving this feat once in 2004 and once in 2005.

Miners Recognizing 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division

UTEP players are wearing a patch on their helmets this season in honor of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (4BCT) of the 1st Cavalry Division, headquartered in Fort Hood, Texas. The 4BCT consists of approximately 4,000 soldiers, of which nearly 3,800 are deployed to central and northern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 4BCT activation took place at Fort Bliss in October 2005. At that point the unit began individual and collective training to prepare for deployment and combat operation in the Fall of 2006. The unit will return to El Paso in full no later than mid-January 2008.

Pressure? What Pressure?

QB Trevor Vittatoe certainly did not play like a rookie at SMU when the game was on the line. With his team trailing 42-35 and 3:34 left in the contest, Vittatoe calmly marched the Miners down the field for the game-tying-score by completing 6-of-7 passes. He capped the 10-play, 66-yard drive with a nine-yard TD pass to Jake Sears. Overall Vittatoe was 10-of-13 in the final quarter for 131 yards and two TD passes.

Sam Does It All

Senior QB/WR Lorne Sam did a little bit of everything in UTEP's victory at SMU. He rushed for a career-high 106 yards and two touchdowns, while also making five catches for 88 yards. Of the five catches, four gave the Miners first downs, including three third-down conversions.

Martinez Has Onside Kicks Down

Junior kicker Jose Martinez has shown an uncanny ability this year to put good touch on onside kicks. The Miners have recovered both onside kick attempts in 2007, including one on the opening play of the second half against SMU. Martinez is also 4-for-5 on field goals (only miss from 53 yards) and 21-for-21 on PATs in 2007.

Only Brumbelow Has More

Head Coach Mike Price's UTEP teams have been prolific offensively, scoring 40 points or more on 11 occasions (UTEP is 11-0 in those games). The eleven 40-point games for Price are the second-most by any UTEP coach behind the 14 registered by Mike Brumbelow's squads from 1950-56.

Petersen Continues To Excel

Freshman Kyle Petersen turned in another solid effort against SMU, averaging 41.6 yards on five punts. Two of his punts were downed inside the 20 yard line. His most impressive play, though, came when Petersen improvised after a bad snap and rambled 22 yards to pick up a crucial first down. The Miners eventually scored on the drive to tie the contest at 28.

Vittatoe Climbing Single-Season Freshman Charts

Trevor Vittatoe has been quite impressive through five games in 2007, throwing for 976 yards and seven touchdown passes. Those figures rank third and tied for second, respectively, in program history among freshman quarterbacks. John Rayborn (1995) holds school freshman records with 1,913 yards passing and 16 touchdown passes. UTEP's all-time leading passer, Jordan Palmer (2003), checks in second in each category, having thrown for 1,168 yards and seven scores as a rookie.

Moturi on TD Streak

Sophomore Jeff Moturi has become a big part of the Miners' receiving corps this fall after Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. took his talents to the NFL. Moturi leads the team in catches (18) and TD receptions (five), and is second in yardage (278). He has scored a touchdown in UTEP's last four games, including his first multiple TD performance as a Miner versus Texas Southern on Sept. 22. Higgins had a four-game TD streak in 2006, a five-game skein in 2005 and an eight-game run in 2004. Moturi recorded his first career 100-yard game at New Mexico State on Sept. 15, finishing with six catches for 105 yards. The school sophomore record for receiving touchdowns is 10, shared by Higgins (2004) and David Karns (1966).

Demps Tied For Lead in Interceptions Among Active Players

Senior DB Quintin Demps is tied for third place in school history with 14 interceptions, five behind the leader Charlie West who had 19 from 1965-67. Demps is tied with Boston College's DeJuan Tribble for the national lead among active Division I-A players with 14 career interceptions. Demps is second among active players with 301 interception yards behind Indiana's Tracy Porter (364). The 301 interception yards are also a UTEP school standard, eclipsing the previous mark of 256 yards by Richie Wright from 1986-88. Demps' 100-yard interception return in the first quarter at New Mexico State tied the longest in school history. Demps became the fourth player in school annals to have a 100-yard interception return, and the first since Michael Hicks at BYU in 1996. He has 117 yards on interceptions in 2007, already the sixth-best seasonal total in UTEP history. Demps is on preseason watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player in college football) and the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back). He landed on preseason All-America teams by The Sporting News and Street & Smith's.

Penalties Hurting The Miners

UTEP has been quite kind to its opponents this year, giving foes 15 first downs courtesy of penalties -- including five to SMU last week. Overall, the Miners have been whistled for 41 infractions which have cost them 392 yards, including 26 penalties over the last three games. UTEP is 95th out of 119 Division I-A schools with an average of eight penalties per contest, and tied for 110th in penalty yards per game (78.4).

Nice To Be Balanced

UTEP has done a good job of being balanced offensively in 2007, something it wasn't able to accomplish a year ago. The Miners have amassed 922 yards rushing and 1,056 passing this year Additionally, of UTEP's 99 first downs on the campaign, 51 have been of the rushing variety and 41 have come through the air. Seven have been a result of penalties.

30 Points Usually a Key to Success

UTEP is 20-5 under coach Mike Price when scoring 30 points or more, and 4-12 when being held under 30 points. The twenty-five 30-point games for Price tie Bobby Dobbs for the most among all-time Miner coaches.

Making `Em Count

UTEP's receivers have caught a total of 71 passes this season -- an average of only 14.2 per game -- but they've made the most out of their catches. UTEP's yards per catch average is 14.9, the team's best figure since 1994 (15.0) and its fourth-best effort in the last 40 years. The Miners averaged 16.2 yards per reception in 1974 and 15.8 yards per reception in 1977. Senior Joe West leads the Miners with 20.6 yards per catch, which if it stands would tie for the second-best seasonal total in school history. Volley Murphy averaged 21.9 yards per catch in 1967.

Success In The Red Zone

The Miners have done a good job of converting in the red zone in 2007, as they have scored on 16 of their 19 trips with 13 touchdowns. Over the last three games, UTEP is 12-for-13 in the red zone with 10 TDs and two field goals.

Safeties Leading Stop Troops

Three of UTEP's top four tacklers -- sophomores Braxton Amy and Da'Mon Cromartie Smith and senior Quintin Demps -- are safeties. Amy has posted 49 stops in five games, while Cromartie-Smith has 35 tackles and Demps has 34. Amy has started only one game this season, but has had double-digit stops in three contests. He was credited with a personal best 16 tackles at Texas Tech. Demps had a career-high 16 tackles in the opener versus New Mexico, and Cromartie-Smith's 14 stops at TTU were a personal best. The last safety to lead UTEP in tackles for a full season was D.J. Walker in 2002.

Felix a Staple in the Starting Lineup

Junior Robby Felix is on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy -- presented to the top center in college football -- for the second consecutive season. Felix is the veteran of the Miner O-line, having started all 29 games since his freshman season of 2005. He was appointed third team All-Conference USA by league media and honorable mention by the coaches a year ago -- significant achievements considering that UTEP averaged just 57.6 yards rushing.

Price Already Tied For Fourth in Wins at UTEP

In only his fourth season at UTEP, Mike Price is tied for fourth in school history with 24 coaching victories. Bobby Dobbs is in third place with 41 wins. Price owns 153 career victories, placing him tied for 11th among active Division I-A head coaches.

Miner Nuggets

UTEP has won three straight conference openers for the first time since winning five consecutive openers in the Border Conference from 1956-60 ... UTEP is averaging 22.8 yards on kickoff returns, its best average since 2003 (23.0) and third-best average since 1957 ... UTEP ranks fourth nationally in kickoff return yardage defense (17.0 yards per return), and 31st in punt return yardage defense (6.4 yards per return) ... UTEP has won the time of possession battle just 12 times in 40 games under coach Mike Price. The Miners are 9-3 under Price when leading in time of possession, and 15-14 when trailing. UTEP has lost nine of its last 14 games dating back to 2005 when opponents enjoy an edge in time of possession ... UTEP's offensive line has allowed just eight sacks in five games. Last year Miner quarterbacks were sacked an average of 2.1 times per contest ... UTEP has enjoyed four separate winning streaks of at least three straight games in the Mike Price era. Putting that into perspective, the Miners achieved winning streaks of three games or more on just four occasions from 1975-2003 ... Price and Bob Stull are the only coaches in UTEP history whose teams haven't been shut out in a game.