UTEP Miners

Nov. 6, 2007

Complete Notes in PDF Format

Miners Make First Trip to The Big Easy

UTEP (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) will play its first-ever game in the city of New Orleans on Saturday, when the Miners face the Tulane Green Wave (2-7, 1-4 C-USA) at the Louisiana Superdome, home of the New Orleans Saints. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. MST. UTEP will be playing a game in an NFL Stadium for the fourth time in four years under head coach Mike Price. The Miners met Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium in 2004, Colorado at Reliant Stadium in the 2004 EV1.net Houston Bowl, and San Diego State at Qualcomm Stadium in 2006.

Tulane features the national rushing leader in senior Matt Forte, who is averaging 182.4 yards per game. The Miners just completed a four-game stretch against teams that played in bowls a year ago, posting a 1-3 record. UTEP is attempting to snap a three-game losing streak, which ties its longest skid under Price. The Miners also dropped three straight games in 2005 and 2006. UTEP is also shooting for a reversal of fortune in the month of November. The Miners have lost six of their last seven games in November dating back to 2005, including last week's 56-48 setback at Rice.

UTEP is 1-3 on the road this season, including 1-1 in Conference USA play. Tulane is 1-5 at home (0-3 in league action) with a win over Southeastern Louisiana (35-27) and losses to Mississippi State (38-17), Houston (34-10), LSU (34-9), Memphis (28-27) and Tulsa (49-25). The Green Wave is in its first season under the direction of former UCLA head coach Bob Toledo. Toledo and Price faced one another five times as head coaches from 1996-2002 when Price was at Washington State, with Price's Cougars winning three of those games.

Series Notes

UTEP has won each of the two previous matchups between the schools. The Miners knocked off the Green Wave in Ruston, La. in 2005, 45-21, and again in the Sun Bowl last year, 34-20.

The Last Meeting

Spurred on by Jordan Palmer's three touchdown passes and a Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. 88-yard punt return for a score, UTEP cruised past Tulane, 34-20, on Oct. 14, 2006 at the Sun Bowl.

Higgins became the first Miner to score a touchdown off a return in back-to-back games in 40 years. The Miners dominated time of possession, controlling the clock for 36:27 to the Green Wave's 23:33. And while UTEP's defense allowed 481 yards of offense, it countered by forcing five turnovers. Three of them ended Tulane drives in UTEP territory.

After a quiet first quarter in which Reagan Schneider's 30-yard field goal accounted for the only points, the Miners exploded for 21 points in the second period. Joe West grabbed a 19-yard pass from Palmer to start things off.

Tulane got on the board thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Ross Thevenot, but UTEP answered with a pair of touchdowns in the final four minutes to take a commanding 24-3 lead into halftime.

First it was Palmer finding Jamar Hunt from three yards. On the ensuing possession, Tulane's drive was halted at its own 39-yard line. Chris Beckman unleashed a booming punt that sent Higgins back to the UTEP 12. After catching it, Higgins brought the crowd to its feet with an electric return for the score.

After the two teams traded field goals to open the quarter, the Miners seized their largest lead of the game, 34-6, thanks to Higgins reeling in a 39-yard strike from Palmer.

Tulane scored twice in the final quarter. Both touchdowns came on runs by Matt Forte, whose effort of 147 yards on just 17 carries was wasted.

The Last Meeting at Tulane

Marcus Thomas had a big game in his first career start, propelling UTEP to a 45-21 victory over Tulane on Oct. 14, 2005. The contest, designated as a home game for the Green Wave, was moved from New Orleans to Ruston, La. due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Thomas rushed 12 times for 93 yards and caught five passes totaling 110 yards for the Miners, who played an error-free game two weeks after turning over the ball six times in a loss at Memphis.

Jordan Palmer completed 22 of 32 passes for 278 yards with three touchdowns. Trailing 17-14, Tulane committed a pair of costly turnovers in the final minutes of the first half. First, Josh Lumar fumbled a punt return at the 38-yard line -- setting up Palmer's 22-yard touchdown pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.

Later, Troy Collavo forced a fumble by Lester Ricard and Josh Ferguson recovered at the Miner six yard-line to end a Green Wave scoring threat.

Tulane pulled within a touchdown, 24-21, on a three-yard pass from Ricard to Preston Brown early in the third quarter.

The Miners responded by again capitalizing on a Green Wave turnover, as Jeremy Jones scored on a 25-yard fumble return for a 31-21 advantage with 8:07 to go in the third period.

UTEP extended its lead to 38-21 early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard pass from Palmer to Casey Mauch, and added a nine-yard touchdown run by Thomas with 10:34 left in the game.

Last Game: Rice 56, UTEP 48

Chase Clement set school records for passing yards, total yards and passing touchdowns, leading Rice to a come-from-behind 56-48 victory over UTEP last Saturday in Houston.

Clement completed 32 of 58 attempts for 395 yards and six scores as the Owls posted their first win in four home games.

Clement also rushed for 103 yards, and Jarett Dillard caught 11 passes totaling 168 yards to lead Rice. The Owls trailed 48-28 in the fourth quarter before erupting for 28 unanswered points. Clement hit Tommy Henderson, Toren Dixon and Dillard for short TDs, then ran for a nine-yard score with 3:38 to go to put his team up by eight points.

The Owls finished with 558 yards of offense, including 192 in the fourth quarter. UTEP had 422 yards. Trevor Vittatoe completed 30 of 57 passes for 373 yards for UTEP. Fred Rouse was the Miners' leading receiver with five catches for a career-high 100 yards. Lorne Sam had nine receptions for 86 yards.

The game started on an ominous note for the Miners. Marcus Thomas fumbled on UTEP's first offensive play, giving the Owls the ball at the Miner 11-yard line. On the very next play, Clement connected with Dixon for an 11-yard touchdown.

The Miners scored 17 straight points to start the second period in turning a 14-3 deficit into a 20-14 lead. After Rice went ahead 21-20 at the half, UTEP scored 22 third-quarter points to take a 42-28 lead heading into the final period.

Vittatoe's 23-yard pass to Joe West increased the Miners' advantage to 48-28 with 14:44 remaining before the Owls rallied for the victory.

UTEP in the NCAA Stats

Through the games of Nov. 3, the Miners rated eighth nationally in turnover margin (1.22), 13th in punt returns (14.8 avg.), 17th in scoring offense (37.1 ppg), 22nd in passing efficiency (141.42), 25th in total offense (436.4 ypg), 29th in passing offense (268 ypg), 44th in rushing offense (168.4 ypg), tied for 46th in sacks allowed (1.7 avg.) and 50th in kickoff returns (22.2 avg.).

Individually, sophomore DB Braxton Amy was tied for 47th in tackles per game (9.3); sophomore DB Cornelius Brown was tied for 27th in interceptions (0.4 avg.); senior DB Quintin Demps was 13th in punt returns (15.2 avg.) and tied for 27th in interceptions (0.4 avg.); junior K Jose Martinez was tied for 42nd in field goals (1.3 avg.) and tied for 48th in scoring (8.2 ppg); sophomore WR Jeff Moturi was 44th in receiving yards per game (77.1); freshman Kyle Petersen was 46th in punting (41.6 avg.); senior RB Marcus Thomas was second in scoring (11.3 ppg), 18th in rushing (117.1 ypg) and 39th in all-purpose yardage (137.0 ypg); and freshman QB Trevor Vittatoe was 22nd in passing efficiency (142.46) and 46th in total offense (234.9 ypg).

UTEP in the C-USA Stats

Through the games of Nov. 3, UTEP led Conference USA in punt returns (14.8 avg.). The Miners were second in turnover margin (1.22), and third in kickoff returns (22.2 avg.), passing efficiency (141.4), scoring offense (37.1 ppg) and total offense (436.4 ypg).

The Miners' Braxton Amy was seventh in tackles (9.3 avg.); Cornelius Brown was tied for first in interceptions (0.4 avg.) and tied for third in passes defended (1.3 avg.); Quintin Demps was tied for first in interceptions (0.4 avg.), fifth in kickoff returns (23.8 avg.), sixth in passes defended (1.2 avg.) and tied for eighth in fumble recoveries (0.2 avg.); Jeremy Jones was tied for second in forced fumbles (0.3 avg.), and tied for ninth in tackles for losses (1.0 avg.); Jose Martinez was tied for first in kicking scoring (8.2 ppg), third in field goals (1.3 avg.), tied for sixth in scoring (8.2 ppg) and ninth in PAT kicking percentage (95.0); Chris Moore was second in fumble recoveries (0.4 avg.); Jeff Moturi was sixth in receiving yards per game (77.1) and tied for sixth in receptions per game (5.0); Kyle Petersen was fifth in punting (41.6 avg.); Fred Rouse was fourth in kickoff returns (24.6 avg.); Marcus Thomas was second in scoring (11.2 ppg), fourth in rushing (117.1 ypg) and sixth in all-purpose yardage (137.0 ypg); and Trevor Vittatoe was third in passing efficiency (142.5), fourth in passing average (245.7 ypg) and sixth in total offense (234.9 ypg).

Another Wild One

Six C-USA league games have seen both teams score over 40 points this season, and four of those games have involved UTEP. The Miners beat SMU (48-45) and Tulsa (48-47), and lost to East Carolina (45-42) and Rice (56-48). Houston beat Rice, 56-48, on Oct. 13 and East Carolina beat Memphis, 56-40, on Nov. 3.

UTEP has tied the school record by scoring 40 points or more five times this season -- all over the last six games. The Miners also had five 40 point games in 1950.

On the other hand, the Miners have allowed 40+ points five times in 2007 for the first time since 2003, when they did so on six occasions.

UTEP is on a pace to score 445 points this season, which would eclipse the school record of 429 points scored in 2004. The Miners are also projected to give up 425 points, which would be the most they have surrendered in a season since 2003 (498 over a 13-game schedule). UTEP has never had a season where it has both scored and allowed over 400 points.

Not For the Weak of Heart

UTEP played its fifth straight game decided by eight points or less last week at Rice. The Miners' last five contests have been determined by a total of 18 points, or an average of 3.6 per game.

Overall seven of the Miners' nine games have been decided by eight points or less. The Miners have trailed in the fourth quarter in three of their four wins. UTEP has had a lead in the fourth quarter in four of its five losses, and the Miners were tied with Texas Tech, 31-31, heading into the final period.

Thomas Closing in on 1,000 Yards

Senior RB Marcus Thomas is just 63 yards shy of 1,000 for the year. He stands to become the seventh Minet player to compile 1,000 yards rushing in a season, joining Robert Elliott (1977), John Harvey (1987), Howard Jackson (2003-04), Toraino Singleton (1994-95), Paul Smith (1999) and Fred Wendt (1948).

Thomas ranks sixth in school history in rushing yardage (2,386), tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns (23) and tied for fifth in 100-yard games (nine). His 13 rushing touchdowns in 2007 are the third-top seasonal total in Miner history, and his 937 yards rushing rate ninth in program annals.

Thomas has led the Miners in rushing in his last 24 games dating back to 2005.

Thomas Moves Up in Scoring, Down in Rushing

Marcus Thomas' school-record streak of 100-yard rushing games ended at five last week at Rice. Thomas compiled 51 yards rushing against the Owls, all in the second half, dropping him from eighth in the nation in rushing to 18th. Thomas is averaging 117.1 yards per game. He did, however, move up from fifth in the country in scoring to second by reaching the end zone twice against Rice. Thomas is averaging 11.3 points per game. UCF RB Kevin Smith is the national leader at 12.7 points per contest.

Moturi Extends TD Catch Streak

Sophomore WR Jeff Moturi has now had a touchdown reception in eight straight games after snaring an 11-yard scoring pass from Trevor Vittatoe in the third quarter last week at Rice. It is the longest touchdown reception streak by a Miner player since Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr. also had an eight-game string in 2004. Before that, Lee Mays had a 10-game TD streak in 2000.

Moturi's 11 touchdown catches are a new school sophomore record. David Karns and Higgins had shared the previous mark with 10 TD receptions apiece in 1966 and 2004, respectively. Moturi's 11 TD catches are the fifth-best seasonal figure in program history. Mays is the record-holder with 15 touchdown receptions in 2000, a total which led the nation that year.

A Couple More Tidbits on Moturi

Jeff Moturi's 11 touchdown catches are tied for the third-top total among all Division I-A wide receivers. Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree has 18 TD receptions, while Air Force's Chad Hall and Indiana's James Hardy have 13 each. Missouri's Jeremy Maclin and New Mexico State's Chris Williams have 11 apiece. Moturi is the only sophomore on this list.

Moturi has made 45 catches for 694 yards in 2007. Thirty-one of his receptions have been good for first downs.

Freshman Records are Vittatoe's

Trevor Vittatoe's 2,211 yards passing and 21 TD passes are UTEP freshman records. John Rayborn was the previous record-holder with 1,913 yards passing and 16 touchdowns in 1995.

Vittatoe threw for a career-high five TDs last week at Rice, tied for the third-top figure in Miner annals. It also tied the school record for touchdown passes by a freshman; Rayborn had five at Air Force in 1995.

Vittatoe already has the ninth-best season passing yardage total in school history with a minimum of three games remaining. His TD pass count is tied for the fifth-best seasonal total in UTEP lore. Vittatoe's 142.46 passing efficiency rating, if it stands, would be fourth in school history.

Even more impressive, Vittatoe is averaging 95 pass attempts between interceptions. He is on pace to throw only four picks this season, which would be the lowest total by a UTEP quarterback with a minimum of 200 pass attempts. Rayborn had six picks in 258 attempts in 1998, and Rocky Perez had six interceptions in 338 attempts in 2000. Perez averaged 56 pass attempts between interceptions, the current school record. Vittatoe enters the Tulane game with a streak of 84 pass attempts without an interception.

More on Vittatoe

QB Trevor Vittatoe ranks second among all Division I-A freshmen with 2,211 yards passing behind Minnesota's Adam Weber (2,353 yards). Vittatoe's 142.5 passing efficiency rating ranks fourth among freshmen behind Oklahoma's Sam Bradford (175.1), Nevada's Colin Kaepernick (155.0) and Houston's Case Keenum (143.4).

Vittatoe's interception count is tied for the lowest total among the nation's top-100 passers (minimum 250 pass attempts). Iowa's Jake Christensen also has three picks in 308 pass attempts. Vittatoe is eighth nationally among quarterbacks and second among freshmen with 14.08 yards per completion behind Nevada's Colin Kaepernick (15.41), Rutgers' Mike Teel (15.23), Tulsa's Paul Smith (14.94), Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson (14.80), Florida's Tim Tebow (14.75), Syracuse's Andrew Robinson (14.65) and Miami [Fla.]'s Kyle Wright (14.09).

Mr. First Down

Senior QB/WR Lorne Sam has made 38 catches for 537 yards this season. Twenty-nine of those catches have produced first downs, including 17 on either third or fourth down. He has completed 12 passes for 144 yards, with eight resulting in first downs. Sam has also rushed for 19 first downs this season.

UTEP on the Road

UTEP is 9-11 in road games under Mike Price, significant because UTEP posted a 1-18 away record in the three seasons (2001-03) prior to his arrival. The Miners are 4-6 in Conference USA road games since joining the league for the 2005 season.

Miners Force Seven Turnovers

UTEP had seven takeaways at Rice last week, the most turnovers the Miners have forced in a game since 1989 versus San Diego State (seven). Incidentally, UTEP also lost that game by a score of 34-31.

The Rice game marked the seventh time since 1965 that UTEP has forced seven or more turnovers in a contest. The Miners registered nine takeaways versus Pacific in 1971. UTEP recorded eight takeaways against New Mexico in 1967. UTEP forced seven turnovers versus New Mexico State in 1968 and 1977, BYU in 1987 and San Diego State in 1989.

UTEP has forced 26 turnovers this season, the sixth-best total in the country behind Cincinnati (34), Florida Atlantic (27), South Florida (27), Michigan (27) and Kansas (27). The Miners' 16 interceptions are tied for the seventh-top total in the country behind Cincinnati (21), Connecticut (19), Boston College (18), Kansas (18), Louisiana Tech (17) and Kansas State (17).

Price Ties Brumbelow For Most 40-Point Games Among UTEP Coaches

Last week's 56-48 loss at Rice marked the 14th time under head coach Mike Price that the Miners have put 40 or more points on the board. Price is now tied with Mike Brumbelow (1950-56) for the most 40-point games among all-time UTEP coaches. Price also ranks first among all UTEP head coaches with twenty-nine 30-point games. UTEP is 21-8 under Price when scoring 30 points or more (3-4 this season), and 12-2 when scoring 40 points or more (3-2 in 2007).

Demps Has 16 Career Picks

Senior DB Quintin Demps is tied for second in school history with 16 interceptions, three behind the leader Charlie West who had 19 from 1965-67.

Demps' career interception total ranks first among active NCAA Division I-A players. Boston College's DeJuan Tribble is second with 15 picks. Demps is third among active players with 304 interception yards behind Indiana's Tracy Porter (400) and Arizona's Antoine Cason (307). The 304 interception yards are also a UTEP school record.

Demps has 120 yards on interceptions in 2007, the sixth-best seasonal total in UTEP history.

Special Season For Martinez

Junior college transfer Jose Martinez has been nothing short of sensational in his first year as a Miner. Martinez is 12-for-14 on field goals (only misses from 53 and 51 yards) and 38-for-40 on PATs. He is also a remarkable 4-for-4 on onside kicks, including 2-for-2 at Rice last week.

Martinez has been chosen the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week on two occasions this season -- first for tying the school record with five field goals against East Carolina, then for nailing a league record 57-yard field goal versus Houston.

Martinez made 28 straight extra points to start the season.

Miners Getting More Pressure on the QB

The UTEP defense has had nine sacks over the last three games, including a season-high four against Houston. The Miners had a total of four sacks in the first six games of the season.

UTEP defensive linemen have been credited with a total of 4.5 sacks over the last three contests -- 1.5 by sophomore DT Steve Riddick, 1.0 by junior DT Ja-Boy Leomiti, 1.0 by freshman DT Craig Wood, 0.5 by junior DE Jason Boyce and 0.5 by junior DT James Olalekan. The line had one sack combined in the first six games of the season.

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.

Miner Nuggets

Cornelius Brown has three interceptions in Conference USA games, tying him for the league lead with Houston's Kenneth Fontenette and UCF's Sha'reff Rashad ... Fred Rouse became the fourth Miner receiver to have a 100-yard game at Rice last week, tallying five catches for 100 yards. Jeff Moturi has had three 100-yard performances, Lorne Sam had 127 yards against East Carolina and Joe West produced 101 yards at Texas Tech ... twenty different players have made starts for UTEP on defense this season ... UTEP has picked off four passes in two games this season (Texas Southern, East Carolina) for the first time since 1967, when the Miners had four interceptions versus UC-Santa Barbara and New Mexico and five at Arizona State. UTEP has 16 picks on the year and is on pace for 21, which would be its most since 1988 (22) ... UTEP has scored on 31 of 34 trips to the red zone this season, with 26 touchdowns and five field goals. The Miners are 27-for-28 in the red zone over the last seven games with 23 TDs. The Miners had scored on 23 straight trips to the Red Zone spanning over seven games before Thomas was stuffed at the Owl one-yard line on fourth down early in the second quarter. UTEP had also been 16-for-16 in the Red Zone in Conference USA games prior to the play ... junior C Robby Felix has started every game for the Miners since his freshman year of 2005 (33 total).