UTEP Athletics

UTEP Football Opens ’23 Season, CUSA Action at Jax State Saturday on CBSSN

8/25/2023 8:16:00 AM

UTEP Notes | Jax State Notes

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP will open its 106^th season at new Conference USA program Jacksonville State on Saturday, Aug. 26 with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. MT/4:30 CT in Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium in Jacksonville, Ala. The Miners and Gamecocks will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network and can be heard on 600 ESPN El Paso.

The Miners are opening on week 0 for the third consecutive season, while the Aug. 26 kickoff is the earliest UTEP will open a campaign.

UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel returns for his sixth season under the helm. The Miners are looking to be bowl eligible for the second time in three years after their 2021 New Mexico Bowl appearance.

Thirteen Miners who were All-CUSA in 2022 will suit in the new adidas gear as Praise Amaewhule, Deion Hankins, Tyrice Knight, Angelo Tejada, Marcus Bellon, Steven Hubbard, Kobe Hylton, Elijah Klein, Justin Mayers, Andrew Meyer, Joshua Sloan, Keenan Stewart, and Tyrin Smith will suit up in 2023. UTEP returns seven starters on offense, six on defense and five on special teams. Overall, 41 letterwinners return with the Orange and Blue.

Jax State finished its final campaign as an FCS program with a 9-2 overall record and 5-0 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference action. The Gamecocks rushed for over 2,900 yards, while averaging 251.0 yards per game and scored 37 TDs. JSU ranked first in the ASUN and fifth in FCS in rushing. It's scoring offense (36.2 ppg) ranked 10^th in FCS and first in conference.

"Any time a team goes 9-2, they know how to win, I mean, that's a strong season for them.," Dimel said. "They did a great job. They're very, very athletic. They have great team speed on defense. On offense, they have their version of Frank Harris, a seventh-year quarterback coming back. So, I think he's got a little bit of experience to what he does. He's a very good player and very athletic. They got a bevy of runners in the backfield. They've got a lot of depth in their backfield. They got four of their five starters coming back on the offensive line, so they have a lot of depth there."

UTEP came up short of bowl eligibility finishing 5-7 overall and 3-5 in CUSA play. The Miners' run defense was something to talk about last year as they allowed the least rushing yards per game (136.0) since 1967. UTEP's rushing attack gained over 2,000 yards for the first time since the 2016 season.

For Jax State, it's the first time playing as an FBS program, while the Gamecocks are entering their first season in the new CUSA after playing in the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2022, and the Ohio Valley Conference the previous nine seasons (2003-2021).

The Miners will not only face a nine-win team on Saturday, the late-August forecast is calling for a high of 97 degrees and 66 percent humidity.

"We've had a very warm summer, as we all know, in El Paso, and we've run and conditioned at a higher level than we ever have throughout the summer. Our guys are very well conditioned. Our guys are very prepared to handle the elements that the first game will bring," Dimel said.

UTEP (0-0, 0-0) at Jax State (0-0, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 26
Time: 3:30 p.m. MT/4:30 CT
Location: Jacksonville, Ala.
Venue: Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium (24,000)
Twitter Updates: @UTEPFB

TV: CBSSN
PxP: Rich Waltz
Analyst: Aaron Taylor
Sideline: Amanda Guerra

Radio: 600 ESPN El Paso
PxP: Jon Teicher
Analyst: Cole Freytag
Sideline: Mando Medina

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The contest will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz (play-by-play) and Aaron Taylor (analysis) calling the action, and Amanda Guerra on the sidelines. Fans can tune into 600 ESPN El Paso with "The Voice of the Miners" Jon Teicher calling play-by-play in his 43^rd season. 'Teich' is joined by former UTEP WR Cole Freytag (2012, 2014-16) in the booth providing analysis in his second season andMando Medina reporting from the sidelines. The action can also be heard on the UTEP Miners app.

SERIES VS. JAX STATE
The Miners and Gamecocks will square off for the first time ever on August 26, 2023.

ABOUT JAX STATE
The Gamecocks, under the direction of Rich Rodriguez in his first season at the helm, finished 9-2 overall and 5-0 in the Atlantic Sun Conference during the 2022 season. Jax State, in its first season as an FBS program, returns 22 starters and 50 letterwinners for the 2023 campaign. Last season, the Gamecocks averaged over 36 points per game, while yielding just under 23 points. JSU averaged 423.6 yards of total offensive and gave up 398.7 per game. Leading rusher RB Anwar Lewis returns after gaining 818 yards on 115 carries (7.1 avg.) and eight TDs. QB Zion Webb also returns after rushing for a team-high 13 scores and 647 yards (5.6 avg.). Webb added 10 TD passes with 1,737 yards in the air and nine interceptions. Webb completed 55.2 percent (111-210) of his passes with a long toss of 76 yards. RB Ron Wiggins also returns after rushing for 461 yards and four scores. Leading receiver WR Galban Sterling returns after hauling in team bests in receptions (28), receiving yards (433) and receiving scores (three). Four of Webb's O-linemen are returning: LT Will O'Steen, RG Clay Webb, C Treylen Brown and LG Brock Robey. FS Jeremiah Harris returns as the team's leading tackler with 68 (third on the team in '22). DE Chris Hardie returns after leading the defense with 5.5 sacks. BANDIT (OLB/Nickel hybrid) J-Rock Swain tallied 5.0 sacks, ranking second on the squad. Nickel Kolbi Fuqua led the team with two INTs. Rodriguez will enter his 26^th season as a head coach and has 172-career victories.

EARLY START, AGAIN
For a school-record third straight season, the Miners will kick off the year in the month of August. UTEP had previously christened the campaign in the month on consecutive seasons twice, doing so in 1985 and 1986 and 2002 and 2003. Furthermore, the start date (at Jax State, Aug. 26) is the earliest in school history, eclipsing last season's opener (vs. North Texas, Aug. 27) by a single day.

LEAGUE PLAY TO START
For the second straight season, UTEP will be tasked with playing a conference opponent in the opener. It marks the first time that has occurred in 31 years, when the Miners had a three-year stretch (1990-92) when they were members of the WAC. The Orange and Blue will battle new league member Jax State on the road on Aug. 26, hoping for a better start than the 31-13, setback in the season opener against North Texas on Aug. 27, 2022, in the Sun Bowl.

BEEN A LONG TIME
UTEP claimed its league road opener in both 2022 (W, 41-35, at Charlotte, Oct. 1) and 2021 (W, 26-13, at Southern Miss, Oct. 9). If the Miners can pull out a victory at Jax State on Aug. 26, it will mark the first time they've won their first conference road contest in three straight seasons since also doing so from 1948-50.

SMITH CHASING HISTORY
Tyrin Smith reeled in 71 receptions for 1,039 yards in 2022, giving him a chance to become the first player in program history with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons if he can surpass that total again this year. He has already helped the Orange and Blue achieve something that had never happened before, teaming up with former Miner Jacob Cowing (1,354, 2021) to give UTEP 1,000-yard receivers in consecutive campaigns.

AMAEWHULE VYING TO BECOME SACK KING
Praise Amaewhule heads into the 2023 campaign with 17.5 career sacks, which is second at UTEP behind Gonzalo Floyd's school standard (20, 1990-91, 93). He took sole possession of second place in the category last year by recording a pair of sacks, which propelled him past both Herman Whiting (16, 1979-82) and Chris Mineo (16.5, 2002-05).

SUSTAINING SUCCESS UNDER DIMEL
UTEP enters 2023 in search of a third straight season of at least five wins, something it hasn't achieved since it did so from 2004-06. The Miners are also hoping to earn a spot to a bowl game for the second time in the past three seasons, which would make head coach Dana Dimel the first UTEP HC with multiple bowl bids since Mike Price. Prior to that, it hadn't occurred since 1965-67.

LOTS OF ROAD GAMES EARLY ON
UTEP will play its season opener and three of the first four games of the year on the road. That's the first time it has occurred since the 2015 campaign, which included three consecutive road contests out of the gates.

For complete coverage of UTEP Football, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPFB (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.

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