UTEP Kicks Off the ’24 Season, Walden Era at Nebraska on FOX Saturday

8/29/2024 1:55:00 PM

GAME NOTES: UTEP | NEBRASKA | CUSA

EL PASO – The Scotty Walden era kicks off Saturday afternoon on national television as UTEP will play at Big Ten program Nebraska on Aug. 31. The Miners and Cornhuskers are set for a 1:30 p.m. MT/2:30 CT kickoff in Memorial Stadium (82,241) on Tom Osborne Field in Lincoln. Miner fans will get their first look at the new era as the contest will be shown on FOX with Jason Benetti calling play-by-play and Brock Huard providing analysis.

The Miners and Cornhuskers can also be heard on 95.5 FM KLAQ with "The Voice of the UTEP Miners" Jon Teicher calling the action in his 44^th season in the booth, while former UTEP wide receiver Cole Freytag will do color in his third year with "Teich".

UTEP and Nebraska will face each other for the first time on Saturday, while it's the program's first visit to the "Cornhusker State."

Walden, who will be only the third coach since 1965 in program history to open his UTEP career against a power conference opponent, was hired as UTEP 's 27^th head football coach on December 4. The native of Cleburne, Texas, will put on the headset and shades as the Miners' newest head coach on Saturday afternoon.

"We have a big-time test against a Power Four opponent in Nebraska. I have a ton of respect for (Nebraska head coach) Matt Rhule and his program," Walden said. "(Nebraska) is extremely physical on offense running the ball downhill. Defensively, it's going to be by far – in my opinion – I would be shocked if we played a better defense than we'll play in game one. (The defensive unit) returns eight starters and it's by far the most diverse defense that I'll go against."

The Miners are coming off a 3-9 campaign in 2023 as the Dana Dimel era concluded following a loss to no. 22 Liberty to finish the season.

UTEP is returning only eight starters on all sides of the ball, while 60+ new student-athletes were added to the 2024 roster.

The Miners' "Blue Blaze" offense will have a tough task ahead of it as Nebraska yielded just over 18 points per game during head coach Matt Rhule's first season at the helm and El Paso native defensive coordinator Tony White's system. The Cornhuskers finished 5-7 in 2023.

"People say (Nebraska's defense) is a 3-3-stack, and some people think they're going to line up an odd stack – that's what it is, no sir, that ain't it," Walden added. "It'll be four-down in a heartbeat. It will be a one-high, two-high, and Tony White the defensive coordinator over there is a heck of a football coach and El Paso native. I wanted to shout that out. It's awesome to see El Pasoans doing big-time things. He does a great job on that side of the ball and we have got our work cut out for us."

Headlining the defense for the Miners is senior Bandit Maurice Westmoreland, who returns as the team's leading sack leader with 7.5 from a year ago. Senior CB AJ Odums is also a key returner for the Miners. He tied for the team lead with eight pass breakups in 2023. Multiple defensive transfers signed the dotted line as a pair of defensive backs followed Walden from Austin Peay to the Sun City. Senior Spur Kory Chapman and redshirt sophomore S Xavier Smith were key players in defensive coordinator JJ Clark's scheme with the Govs last year.

On the offensive side, the Miners had limited returnees. However, a key player returned as redshirt junior QB Cade McConnell opted to play under Walden's offense. McConnell started six games for the Miners after entering the 2023 campaign as the fourth-string quarterback. Joining McConnell in the QB room is redshirt sophomore QB Skyler Locklear, who transferred from Austin Peay. The offensive line will be revamped following the departure of key players. The O-line will help open holes for returning redshirt freshman RB Ezell Jolly and All-United Athletic Conference redshirt junior RB Jevon Jackson (1,373 rushing yards, 10 rush TDs in '23).

Walden still hasn't named a starting quarterback, but McConnell and Locklear have battled for QB1 in fall camp.

"I would not be against – if (the competition) is close – playing two guys (quarterbacks). It's a been a quarterback battle and it's been close," Walden said. "Sometimes we've played guys two guys in the first two games. Or if it's the first three games, so be it. We're going to do everything we can to find who the right guy behind center is. And with college football, you don't get preseason games. So that makes it difficult. I can do everything in my power in scrimmages to assess (the two quarterbacks) but until I put them in front of 100,000 people, it will be a great test. And it's a no better test than playing at Nebraska."

UTEP (0-0, 0-0) at Nebraska (0-0, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Time: 1:30 p.m. MT/2:30 p.m. CT
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Venue: Memorial Stadium (90,000)
X Updated: @UTEPFB

TV: FOX
PxP: Jason Benetti
Analyst: Brock Huard
Sideline: Allison Williams

Radio: 95.5 FM KLAQ
PxP: Jon Teicher
Analyst: Cole Freytag
Sideline: Mando Medina

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The Miners and Cornhusker will be nationally televised on FOX with Jason Benetti and Brock Huard with the call. The action will be on 95.5 FM KLAQ with "The Voice of the UTEP Miners" Jon Teicher calling play-by-play in his 44^th season. 'Teich', who called his 500^th game last season on Oct. 11, is joined by former UTEP WR Cole Freytag (2012, 2014-16) in the booth providing analysis in his third season. El Paso native and long-running member of the local media Mando Medina will be reporting from the sidelines. The contest can also be heard on the UTEP Miners app.

SERIES VS. NEBRASKA
Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between UTEP and Nebraska.

ABOUT NEBRASKA
The Cornhuskers are coming off a 5-7 campaign under second-year head coach Matt Rhule. Nebraska, after starting 0-2, rebounded to get to 5-3 after winning five of six games. Nebraska started the run with a 35-11 win over NIU on Sept. 16 followed by a victory against Purdue 31-14 on Oct. 28. However the 'Huskers dropped their next four games to close out the '23 season. The skid started with a pair of three-point losses at Michigan State and against Maryland, respectively. That was followed by an overtime setback at Wisconsin, 24-17, and another three-point defeat against Iowa. Nebraska averaged 18.0 points per game and yielded 18.3 per contest. The Cornhuskers averaged 312.8 yard of total offense and gave up 303.5 on defense.

CONNECTIONS
Edward James "Doc" Stewart aka EJ Stewart was the head football coach for the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy (now UTEP) for two seasons (1927, 1928). Before coaching in El Paso, Stewart was the head coach at Nebraska in 1916 and 1917 where he finished 17-14 overall. Nebraska defensive coordinator and associate head coach Tony White is a graduate of Burges High School in El Paso, Texas. Former UTEP basketball coach Doc Sadler was at the helm for two seasons (2004-2006) with the Miners before coaching at Nebraska for six seasons (2006-2012).

GO BIG EARLY
UTEP's game at Nebraska marks the first time since 2017 (L, 56-7, at No. 7 Oklahoma, 9/2/17) that it will be opening the season against a team from a power conference. Overall, it will mark the 12th occasion in the modern era (since 1965) that the Orange and Blue will be kicking off the campaign vs. a power conference foe. The Miners also previously did so in 2017 against the Sooners, in 2015 (L, 48-13, at No. 15 Arkansas, 9/5/15), in 2012 (L, 24-12, at No. 4 Oklahoma, 9/1/12), in 2004 (L, 41-9, at Arizona State, 9/2/04), in 2003 (L, 42-7, at Arizona, 8/30/03), in 2000, (L, 55-14, No. 19 Oklahoma, 9/2/00), in 1998 (L, 35-3, at Texas Tech, 9/5/98), in 1997 (L, 55-3, at No. 10 LSU, 9/6/97), in 1996 (L, 23-3, at Arizona, 8/31/96), in 1993 (at, 24-6, No. 14 Arizona, 9/4/93), in 1984 (L, 20-17, at Texas A&M, 9/1/84) and in 1980 (L, 35-7, at Texas Tech, 9/6/80).

INTO THE LION'S DEN
First-year head coach Scotty Walden is not wasting any time in facing top-tier opposition, locking up with Big Ten member Nebraska on the road in the season opener Saturday. He will become the third Miner head coach since 1965 to christen his career with the Orange and Blue while challenging an opponent from a power conference, joining Mike Price (2004 at Arizona State) and Gary Nord (2000 at no. 19 Oklahoma).

TALKING BIG TEN OPPOSITION
The Miners are facing a team from the Big Ten in back-to-back years for the first time in program history and just the fourth occasion overall. UTEP's first match-up against a Big Ten Conference member came in a 69-7 loss at Iowa on Sept. 27, 1986. The Miners also were bested at Wisconsin, 37-26, on Sept. 22, 2012, before falling at Northwestern, 38-7, on Sept. 9, 2023. Looking into future seasons, UTEP is slated to visit Michigan in 2026 and once against challenge the Cornhuskers in 2028.

THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
The Miners' match-up against Nebraska isn't just their first against the traditional powerhouse, but the initial contest ever against a program from the "Cornhusker State." Nebraska is the lone DI program to field a football team. Chadron State, Nebraska Kearney and Wayne State compete at the DII level while Nebraska Wesleyan does so in DIII.

PLENTY OF EYEBALLS ON US
In addition to the contest at Nebraska being nationally televised by FOX, the Miners will have the chance to play in front of a packed house at iconic Memorial Stadium on Tom Osborne Field. The Cornhuskers have sold out an incredible NCAA-record 396 consecutive contests heading into the 2024 season, a streak that dates to 1962. It will be a sea of red on Saturday, with the stadium's official capacity set at 82,841. The last time UTEP had a game with an attendance of at least 80,000 fans was at No. 9 Oklahoma on Sept. 3, 2022. The Miners fell, 45-13, in front of 83,173 fans. UTEP hasn't had a contest with more than 100,000 fans on site since 2009 at No. 2 Texas (101,144), but that could occur this year when it ventures to the "Volunteer State" to face SEC foe Tennessee. Neyland Stadium's capacity is set at 101,915.

NOT HIS FIRST RODEO
First-year head coach Scotty Walden is no stranger to facing off with power conference programs. He went up against at least one such school in every year on the sidelines during his tenure at Austin Peay (2020-23), including most recently falling, 30-13, at No. 9 Tennessee on Sept. 9, 2023. The Governors trailed by just a touchdown (13-6) at halftime before the Vols pulled away over the final 30 minutes of action. Incidentally, Walden will be back at Neyland Stadium this year when he leads the Miners into action against the Big Orange on Nov. 23.

FIRST OF TWO POWER CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Miners will face two power conference opponents in back-to-back seasons. Last year, UTEP challenged both Northwestern (Big Ten) and Arizona (Pac 12) on the road. This season, the Miners open the campaign at Nebraska (Big Ten) before locking up with SEC foe Tennessee on Nov. 23 in Knoxville. In 2014 the Orange and Blue battled a pair of Big 12 opponents (Kansas State, Texas Tech). The following campaign in 2015, the Miners challenged the Red Raiders and SEC member Arkansas. UTEP had a four-year streak of multiple power conference opponents from 1997-2000. The nine total games were in 1997 (LSU-SEC, Clemson-ACC), 1998 (Texas Tech-Big 12 and Oregon-1998), 1999 (Oregon-Pac 12, Kansas State-Big 12 and Arizona-Pac 12) and 2000 (Texas A&M-Big 12 and Texas-Big 12). Overall, 2024 will mark the 15th campaign since 1965 with multiple tilts against power conference members.

THE HISTORY VS. POWER CONFERENCE TEAMS
UTEP is 0-38 all-time versus power conference programs since 1998 (inception of BCS). The Miners stand 1-59 against schools from power conferences, with the lone victory coming against SEC member Ole Miss (14-7) in the 1967 Sun Bowl.

ALL ABOUT THAT AUGUST START
For the fourth straight year and the 14th occasion in program history, the Miners will be opening the football season with a contest in the month of August. UTEP also previously did so in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2014, 2008, 2006, 2003, 2002, 1996, 1991, 1986 and 1985. The Miners are 7-6 in those games.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
For the second straight season and the third time in the past four years, UTEP will open the year on the road. Prior to the stretch starting in 2021, the Miners had kicked off the campaign at home in three straight and four of five seasons.

HIS FIRST CLASS IS FIRST CLASS
UTEP Head Coach Scotty Walden's first ever signing class included multiple three-star rated student-athletes by 247Sports, while his first class ranked no. 1 in Conference USA according to Rivals.com and no. 2 according to 247Sports.

QUICK RUNDOWN OF NSD 2024
During the early signing day period, 23 players were inked in December before revealing nine midyear transfers during the month of January. On Feb. 7, 2024, National Signing Day, Scotty Walden added 14 freshmen to the roster.

INSTILLING THE BRAND AND CULTURE
Eleven players from Austin Peay transferred to UTEP following Scotty Walden's hire. Spur Kory Chapman, WR Trey Goodman, RB Jevon Jackson, QB Skyler Locklear, WR Ashton Nickelberry, WR Kenny Odom, OL Brennan Smith, S Xavier Smith, RB Marquez Taylor, Miner Back Kam Thomas and OL Isaiah Wrightare now Miners and have been vital in helping the spread Walden's style and culture in the program.

HOME COOKING
UTEP's 2024 roster features 21 players from El Paso. OL Luis Carlos Aranda (Franklin HS), OL Rolando Beltran (Eastlake HS), OL Juan Camacho Jr. (Bowie HS), OL Christopher Day (Canutillo HS), CB Malachi Do (Andress HS), OL Ivan Escobar (Montwood HS), WR Lucas Flores (Ysleta HS), Bandit Edgar Garcia (El Paso HS), S Jaime Guerrero (Eastlake HS), S Cam Harrelson (Montwood HS), OL Joseph Immediato(Eastwood HS), DL Rafael Jaquez (Pebble Hills HS), RB Xavier Johnson (Hanks HS), TE Julian Lopez(Chapin HS), OL Tyrone D. McDuffie III (Parkland HS), WR Miles McWhorter (Franklin HS), QB Zach Rodriguez (El Paso HS), QB Shay Smith (Franklin HS), QB Michael Southern (Montwood HS), WR Marcus Torres (Pebble Hills HS) and OL Craig Wydra (Andress HS) are playing for their hometown Miners.

YOUNG ENERGY
New UTEP Football Head Coach Scotty Walden is the second youngest head coach in the nation at 34 years young. Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham, 34, is about five months younger than Walden. Texas State's GJ Kinne and Boise State's Spencer Danielson are both 35. Sean Lewis (San Diego State), Dan Lanning (Oregon), Sherrone Moore (Michigan), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Eric Morris (North Texas) and Michael Desmormeaux (Louisiana) are 38.

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
The Miners' coaching staff is the third youngest in the nation at 34.7 years old. UTEP ranks behind Old Dominion (34.5) and Georgia Southern (33.2). Indiana (38.2), Sam Houston (38.9), UTSA (39.2) and Iowa State (40.0) round out the top seven youngest staffs.

YOUNG GUNS
UTEP football assistants running backs coach Jourdan McNeill and wefense coordinator Joe Pappalardowere recognized to the prestigious 247Sports annual 30Under30 list on Aug. 7. The initial list in 2017 included multiple future FBS head coaches, including current head coach Scotty Walden.

UNDER CENTER
Head coach Scotty Walden, who also played under center in his playing career, will have six arms in the quarterback's room in 2024. UTEP leading passer from 2023 QB Cade McConnell and Austin Peay transfer QB Skyler Locklear have been vying for the starting quarterback position, while freshmen QB Shay Smithand QB JP Pickles have been getting snaps under center during camp. El Paso High School graduate QB Zack Rodriguez enters his fifth season as a redshirt junior with the Miners while another local player in Montwood's QB Michael Southern joined the program as a true freshman.

CADE'S BIG GAMES
QB Cade McConnell entered the 2023 season as fourth on the quarterback depth chart but stepped in after injures early in the season. McConnell came into relief against LA Tech on Sept. 29, passing for 48 yards on four completions. But it was at FIU on national television where McConnell made a name for himself when he made his first career start under the pink and purple skies of South Beach. He went on to complete 11-of-17 while passing for 262 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder. The Miners beat the Panthers, 27-14. McConnell rallied the Miners past Sam Houston 37-34 after being down by 14 points. McConnell followed that with his first 300+ yard game with a career-best 364 yards and two TDs at Middle Tennessee a few weeks later.

ALL-CONFERENCE BACK
RB Jevon Jackson comes to UTEP after rushing for 1,373 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns at Austin Peay last season. He was named a 2023 first team All-United Athletic Conference performer. Jackson ranked fifth in FCS in total rushing yards and sixth in rushing yards per game (114.4). The 5-8, 200-pound bruising back totaled 11 touchdowns and hit 100+ yards in seven games in 2023. Jackson's career high was a 197-yard effort on 26 carries (7.6 avg.) and a touchdown at SFA. The redshirt junior also gained 192 yards on 38 carries (5.1 avg.) against Utah Tech.

TREY IS GOOD, MAN
WR Trey Goodman is using his final season of college football for play at UTEP. Goodman played at Austin Peay for Scotty Walden the last three seasons. In 2023, Goodman tallied 721 yards on only 34 receptions (21.2 avg.) and hauled in seven touchdowns. He ranked second with the Govs in receiving yards and third in receptions. Following his stellar junior season, Goodman was named a first team All-United Athletic Conference performer.

GOODMAN ON EARL CAMPBELL TYLER ROSE AWARD WATCH LIST
WR Trey Goodman was selected to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List on Aug. 21. Goodman, a senior transfer wide receiver, brings stellar numbers to the 915 after following new UTEP head coach Scotty Walden from Austin Peay. The product of Atlanta, Ga., started in all 12 games at Austin Peay in 2023, helping to lead the Governors to a 9-3 overall record, a 6-0 mark and championship title in the United Athletic Conference, and an FCS playoff berth. Goodman was dynamic in Walden's offense as he led the Govs with seven touchdown receptions and yards per catch (21.2 avg.). Overall he tallied 721 yards (second best on the team) on 34 catches (third best) and earned All-UAC first team honors.

JACKKNIFE
Miner Back Kam Thomas can do it all. The transfer from Austin Peay led the Governors in punt returns, recording 12 for 267 yards (22.3 avg) and a pair of touchdowns. He added 296 yards on 14 kick returns (21.4). Not only was he special on wefense, but Thomas also hauled in 50 catches for 629 yards and five touchdowns and 78 yards on the ground and a TD. The speedster amassed a career-high 204 receiving yards on a career-best 10 receptions and two touchdowns at Eastern Kentucky.

ADDED EXPERIENCE TO THE O-LINE
With the departure of the starting offensive line from the 2023 season, Scotty Walden and his staff had some work to do but a pair of transfers from Austin Peay helped ease the process. OL Brennan Smith (6-3, 290) and OL Isaiah Wright (6-3, 307) followed their head coach from Clarksville to the Sun City. Smith played in 24 games, making 20 starts at right tackle in three seasons with the Govs. Wright was named a 2023 first team All-United Athletic Conference performer. He started in 22 games at the left tackle position in two seasons at APSU.

LEADER OF THE SACK
Senior Bandit Maurice Westmoreland is returning for his third and final season with the Miners. Westmoreland started all 12 games at defensive end in 2023 and led the team with 7.5 sacks, while pacing Conference USA with 64 sack yards. "Mo" chipped in with 37 tackles (24 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, three breakups, four hurries and a forced fumble. After not recording a sack in his first 14 career games, Westmoreland broke out with his first two career sacks at Northwestern and Arizona in consecutive weeks. He followed that with a career-high 2.5 sacks at FIU on national television. He added a sack at Sam Houston, and 1.0 each at Middle Tennessee and against no. 22 Liberty.

MO ON A TRIO OF WATCH LISTS
Maurice Westmoreland was named to the Bronko Nagurski Watch List on July 30, the Lombardi Award Watch List on Aug. 15, and Reese's Senior Bowl Watch List on Aug. 21. The product of Houston put up big numbers in 2023, racking up a team-high 7.5 sacks. Westmoreland showed out on national television at FIU on Oct. 11, tallying career highs in tackles (six), tackles for loss (3.5) and sacks (2.5). Westmoreland earned the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after the tremendous effort.

FILLING THE MIDDLE
Interior linemen DT Logologo Va'a and NT Sione Tonga'uiha are returning to the Miners' defensive line after solid 2023 campaigns. Va'a (6-3, 292) played in nine games. The redshirt sophomore tallied 13 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss. Tonga'uiha (6-0, 295) played in 11 contests with five starts in 2023. The senior recorded eight tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss and a breakup.

SENIOR CORNER
CB AJ Odums returns for his final year with the Miners after starting in all 12 games in 2023 at the corner position. Odums, a transfer from New Mexico prior to 2023, tallied 36 tackles with a team-high tying eight breakups and a 0.5 TFL in his first season with the Orange and Blue. Odums, who was recognized as a second team Dave Campbell's Texas Football All-Texas College Football Team, ranked tied for third in Conference USA in pass breakups. In his three seasons playing college football, Odums has recorded 93 tackles with 1.0 sack, 12 breakups and 2.5 TFLs in 30 career games.

WHAT'S THE BUZZ ABOUT
RS Sophomore K Buzz Flabiano is coming off his first full season as UTEP's starting kicker. Flabiano made his first career field goal on a 25-yard attempt at Arizona on Sept. 16, 2023, after missing his first two career attempts (at Jax State, at Northwestern). Flabiano concluded his redshirt freshman campaign making 10-of-14 field goals and going 29-for-30 on PATs. His career-long make was a 43-yard field at Sam Houston with no time left in the first half. Buzz finished 3-for-3 on the night, including a game-winning 41-yard make with three seconds remaining against the Bearkats. Flabiano added a quartet of 4-for-4 efforts on PATs – UIW, at Sam Houston, UNLV, no. 22 Liberty.

ANOTHER PUNTER FROM DOWN UNDER
P Adam Jacklin stayed in the state of Texas and transferred from North Texas to boot balls at UTEP in 2024. The redshirt freshman is a 27-year old native of Melbourne, Australia. Jacklin will be the third consecutive Aussie punting at UTEP following P Joshua Sloan (2020-2023) and P Mitchell Crawford (2018-2019).

CAPTAINS
UTEP head coach Scotty Walden announced his captains for the 2024 season on Aug. 26. Senior WR Trey Goodman and redshirt junior RB Jevon Jackson will head up the "Blue Blaze" offense, while for the "Orange Swarm" defense, senior Spur Kory Chapman and Bandit Maurice Westmoreland were appointed. Redshirt junior Miner Back Kam Thomas will lead the Wefense unit.

NOTABLE RULE CHANGES FOR 2024
The 2024 college football season will see new rules implemented. A Two-Minute Timeout will be added. When the game clock is running and the ball is not live, the referee shall stop the clock with exactly two minutes remaining in the second and fourth quarters. Coach-to-player communications through the helmet will be permissive in 2024. Only one player may be on the field per team at a time with radio receiving capability and the player must be identified by an unbranded green dot on the back midline of the helmet. Coach-to-player communications will be cut off when the play clock reaches 15 seconds or at the snap, whichever comes first. When the play clock resets to 25/40, the communications will be turned back on. If more than one green dot helmet is detected on the field by the game officials, the result is a live ball five-yard equipment penalty, and this penalty initiates a conference review. On free kick plays, the coach-to-player communications will not be in effect. There will be no limitations to the number of green dot helmets for either team. FCS teams playing an FBS team may utilize coach-to-player communications in that game. Tablets (up to 18) for in-game video will be permissive in 2024 and shall be restricted to "in-game video" (current game) and may not include analytics, data or data-access capability or any other communications access. If any team personnel engages an official with a tablet to show a review video, an automatic unsportsmanlike conduct foul will result.

UP NEXT
UTEP will host Southern Utah in its home opener on Sept. 7. The Miners and Thunderbirds are slated for a 7 p.m. MT kickoff in Sun Bowl Stadium. The contest can be heard 95.5 FM KLAQ and will be streamed on ESPN+. Single-game tickets are available now: Southern Utah.

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