2011-2012 Football Previews – Conference USA – Texas El-Paso Miners
The UTEP Miners made it to a bowl game for the first time since 2006, so it would be easy to say that the program is moving in the right direction.
Conference USA 2011-2012 Football Previews: UTEP Miners
Head Coach: Mike Price
2010 Record: 6-7
UTEP Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win BCS: +1,500 (Part of Field)
UTEP Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win Conference USA Championship: +6,500
UTEP Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win Conference USA West Division: +2,500
UTEP Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
A closer look at the UTEP program reveals some major problems moving forward.
The team made a bowl game last year by going 6-6 in the regular, and then they proceeded to get waxed 52-24 in the New Mexico Bowl by an average BYU team. Were the six wins in 2010 really that impressive? UTEP won just five games in 2010 against FBS opponents, and those opponents finished with a lousy combined record of 15-47.
Mike Price was a big hire when he came to UTEP, but if he doesn’t start working his magic soon, he’ll be on his way out.
Team Strengths:
The secondary is an area of relative strength for the Miners. Travaun Nixon and DeShawn Grayson are solid at the safety positions. At the cornerback spot, the Miners have a veteran leader in senior Antwon Blake. The secondary might take a few too many chances, but the athleticism of this group should help UTEP a lot in 2011.
Joe Banyard is the type of player every coach would like to have. Banyard will be the Miners main running back this year, and he has proven to be invaluable to this team.
Banyard is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, and he fights extremely hard for every last yard.
Team Weaknesses:
Where should we start? Quite honestly, there are a ton of weak spots for this team as we go into 2011. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The quarterback position is a huge question mark. Trevor Vittatoe never developed into the star that many thought he could be, but I expect UTEP to have a very tough time replacing him this season.
It’s unclear who the starter will be at quarterback, but whoever it is will be definitely lack in experience.
It’s a coach’s worst nightmare when an offense loses all five starting offensive linemen, and that is exactly what happened to UTEP after the 2010 season. The team is forced to break in five replacements at one time, which can be disastrous.
There are no big-name recruits here, and I expect this to be a real problem in the near future.
The Miners defensive line hasn’t been nearly as productive as they need to be in the last few years. UTEP was only able to muster 15 sacks in 2010, and they were one of the worst teams in the nation at getting tackles for a loss.
2011-2012 UTEP Football Prediction: 3-9
The Miners had a ridiculously easy schedule and a senior-laden team in 2010, and they were still only able to pick up six wins. The offense has been the strength of this team for the last few years, but I expect it to be a huge weakness in 2011. Is this defense really good enough to be counted on to win games?
The defense is improving, but they still are far from good at this point. The schedule is pretty easy, but I just don’t see this UTEP team getting many wins in the year ahead.
Expect Mike Price’s seat to be very hot by the end of the season.
2011 Texas El-Paso Miners Schedule
9/3/11 9:00 PM ET STONY
9/10/11 12:00 PM ET @SMU
9/17/11 8:00 PM ET @NMXST
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET @SOFLA
9/29/11 8:00 PM ET HOU
10/15/11 3:30 PM ET @TULNE
10/22/11 8:00 PM ET COLST
10/29/11 8:00 PM ET SOMIS
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET @RICE
11/12/11 8:00 PM ET ECAR
11/19/11 8:00 PM ET TULSA
11/25/11 7:00 PM ET @CENFL
