Turn Up the Orange | UTEP sports talk

Thoughts on UTEP vs. Memphis

Some random thoughts on UTEP's 70-63 loss to Memphis.

IT SEEMS LIKE at least half the time I attend a UTEP basketball game, one fan or the other is getting warned by the refs, or even tossed from the arena in some cases. On Saturday, again, a fan got a warning from a referee that he would get tossed from the arena if he acted up again.

Despite years of attending games at various venues, I've never seen that except at UTEP games.

So, are UTEP fans that bad, or are C-USA refs just that touchy?

I ENDED UP sitting right behind UTEP football coach Mike Price.

Come on now, UTEP administration, shouldn't Price have better seats than that? He was in the 12th row, which isn't terrible, but just seemed weird to me.

THE TORO COUPONS that Leonard previewed were lame, though the scarfs were fly. The coupon was for a $3 beer, if you buy a burger. You need a coupon and the purchase of a hamburger for the privilege of buying a $3 beer? No wonder King's X is so popular. Every other place in the area is trying to rip you off.

OH, YOU WANT SOMETHING ON THE GAME: Well, hard to complain about a game where UTEP kept it entertaining all the way until the end against the #5 team in the nation. But complain, I will.

The offense is frustrating to watch. I don't disagree much with Joe on Utepia's thoughts. The offense is frustrating because there seems to be so little teamwork. It's just Stefon or Randy taking it inside one on five and praying for a foul call. Want to see what I mean? Here's the second half offense encapsulated into a one-minute video:

You want to see how to beat Memphis with a great second-half offense? Here you go:

5,000 scarves, burger coupons being given away at UTEP-Memphis game

As if watching UTEP take on the No. 5-ranked team in the nation wasn't enough, the first 5,000 fans at the UTEP-Memphis game Saturday at the Don Haskins Center will receive a scarf, courtesy of El Paso Electric.

Free Toro Burger coupons also will be given away to the first 5,000. That's enough incentive for me to go early. Om nom nom nom nom.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster locations and at the University Ticket Center on the north side of the Sun Bowl. The game time has been moved up to 2 p.m. MST.

Information: 747-5234 or 544-8444.

Don't miss it

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm no wide-eyed UTEP fanatic. But I really think the UTEP men's basketball team has a great shot at pulling off a shocker on ESPN on Saturday.

El Paso Times' game story

Memphis will come into the Don Haskins Center ranked at #5 in the nation. But, come on, this is not even close to being the Memphis team that was National Runner-up to Kansas last year. They are ranked #5 only because they continue to cruise through their Conference USA schedule without losing.

Remember that UTEP lost to that runner-up Memphis team by only six points last year, 70-64. And that game was at Memphis.

Considering that UTEP has improved since then, and Memphis has lost a considerable amount of talent to the NBA, the Miners should be able to make a good game of this one, and with a loud crowd behind them, pull the big upset.

So don't miss it. If you don't have tickets for the 2 p.m. Saturday game, go get them. The game is not sold out.

You don't want to be the scrub watching the game on ESPN wishing you were there with us celebrating at the Don Haskins Center.

UTEP football fight

According to UTEP's The Prospector, two UTEP football players spent Valentine's Day throwing punches.

Here's the story from The Propector, though you'll have to register to see the whole story. An excerpt:

An altercation involving two UTEP football players occurred at 10:30 a.m. at the Sun Bowl and 6 p.m. at Miner Village Feb. 14, according to UTEP Police Department logs. The police logs state in both incidents that "a student reported being struck in the face by another student after a verbal argument."

UTEP Athletics Sports Information Director Jeff Darby confirmed that an incident did occur involving two football players, but would not release the names of the players or give any other details.

Mmmm, two incidents between two football players on Valentine's Day. Maybe they both showed up with flowers for the same woman?

UPDATE: The Prospector has now identified as freshman defensive lineman Austin Shaffer. Shaffer was hurt at least enough to receive medical attention at Providence Memorial Hospital.

Feb. 23 UPDATE: The Prospector now is reporting both names (the link above to their story still works, by the way):

Two UTEP football players, Aaron L. King and Austin C. Shaffer, were involved in a fight Feb. 14 at Miner Village. The assault that occurred at about 10:30 a.m. sent Shaffer to Providence Memorial Hospital with a laceration on his left eye lid and severe swelling in the left eye, police report said.

Only 100 UTEP student tickets available for UTEP-Texas game in Austin this year

Only 100 UTEP student tickets will be available for the UTEP vs. Texas football game in Austin Sept. 26, according to an ad in the UTEP student newspaper, The Prospector.

A particular group of UTEP fans, the Miner Maniacs, will have a leg up in getting the tickets. The Miner Maniacs who attend the most UTEP basketball games from Jan. 24-March 4 will get the first preference for the UTEP vs. Texas tickets.

In order to be counted, the Miner Maniac must get scanned in at the marketing table for each game. Must be a student in fall 2009 to qualify for a student ticket. UTEP students can become Miner Maniacs at any UTEP athletic home game or online at www.utepathletics.com. It is free to become a Miner Maniac and membership includes discounts at some concession stands and entry into drawings.

Kareem Cooper gone

Looks like one former Memphis player is afraid of the Tigers trip to UTEP on Saturday.

He escaped just in time.

ESPN blames UTEP's D

In her just-released Conference USA spring football preview, ESPN writer Graham Watson says UTEP must use its spring practice sessions, which are scheduled to begin March 31, to learn how to correctly execute the schemes of its 3-3-5 defense.

"The Miners defense spent most of the season adjusting to the attacking style of new defensive coordinator Osia Lewis and that's likely why it ranked 115th nationally in total defense. The defense was the difference in getting a bowl game ... " Watson writes.

Well that's nothing new to fans around these parts. Fans were quick to blame the Miners' porous defensive unit for most losses last season. To their credit, UTEP did have a breakout defensive game in late September against Central Florida, forcing six turnovers and scoring two touchdowns en route to a 58-13 win. And against teams with a run-first offense (Southern Miss, Tulane, Louisiana Lafayette) the Miners were athletic enough to slow down running backs when needed for wins. And the defensive unit came close to stealing a game against Houston by intercepting a two-point conversion attempt and returning it for a score to retake a lead it had relinquished seconds earlier. But the Miners' inability to execute in pass coverage showed on the ensuing Houston drive, which saw the Cougars drive for the game-winning score. And there's the rub. In a conference littered with exceptional aerial attacks, the Miners will indeed need to make vast improvements in pass coverage if they expect success in 2009.

But the other side of the ball shouldn't be a problem for UTEP.

"Quarterback Trevor Vittatoe was lost in a sea of great quarterbacks in Conference USA, but he led the nation's 14th-best offense. Everyone except tight end Jamar Hunt and running back Terrell Jackson returns," Watson writes.

In addition to UTEP, Watson also highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the rest of the conference. She likes East Carolina in the league's Eastern Division and Tulsa in the West.

Read her full report here.

Advantage UTEP?

Not too many people out there are holding out any semblance of hope for the UTEP football team when it visits UT-Austin (as Jay calls it) on Sept. 26. 

Many figure the Miners will be the final leg of a soft four-game preseason tune-up for the Longhorns, who were scheduled to host Louisiana-Monroe, visit Wyoming and return home to face Central Florida before UTEP goes to Austin. But a wrinkle has been thrown into UT-Austin's schedule.

In order to get a national broadcast on ABC, the Longhorns have swapped their date with Central Florida in order to host Texas Tech in Austin on Sept. 19. The network will broadcast the game in its prime time slot at 6 p.m. The Central Florida game will be moved to Nov. 7, the original date for the Longhorns' meeting with Texas Tech. The decision was announced Tuesday by both schools. 

Now, does anyone think UTEP can muster up a competitive game against the 'Horns a week after they play with revenge on their minds in what's sure to be an emotional game against the Red Raiders? Tech beat UT-Austin 39-33 last season on a last-second pass from Graham Harrell to Michael Crabtree, a play that ended up keeping the Longhorns out of the national title picture. Fans and players are still ticked about the BCS snub and will surely look to take out a year's worth of aggravation on Tech in Austin. And the Red Raiders, despite not having either of the aforementioned pair of Harrell and Crabtree back, will likely be no slouch. Tech's Taylor Potts was a heralded high-school quarterback. And he'll have plenty of targets to choose from, including El Pasoan and Montwood grad Edward Britton. Britton caught 7 passes for 139 yards against UT-Austin last season. Message boards are already blowing up regarding this game and the fact that it will once again be in the national spotlight. 

So the question is, can the Longhorns answer the bell against the Miners, who will be fresh off a visit to New Mexico State, after taking what's sure to be the fight of their season against Tech? Let the wondering begin. 

The 2009 recruiting jewel

Time's gonna tell on this one, but the UTEP football team may have bolstered its future with one of its signings Wednesday.

And I'm not talking about Corey Trisby (though the grayshirt quarterback from San Diego is a great addition).

No, the man who might end up meaning more to the Miners is Adam Ayala, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive tackle from Hunstville (Texas) High School. Ayala is a three-star recruit according to Scouts, Inc. Now I know that doesn't carry the excitement that a five-star stud might generate. But I think the kid has a tremendous upside. For one, he's huge. Already 6-5 and 250, he certainly has the room on that frame to pack on 25-30 pounds. And if he can keep some semblance of his 4.9 speed in the 40, he'll become a force. But here's my favorite thing about him — he is renowned for firing off the ball low. 

One severe deficiency UTEP had in 2008 was the inability to generate any sort of pass rush or get any penetration from its defensive line. That gave opposing quarterbacks time to pick apart the secondary, it gave running backs lanes to shoot and it made for one of the worst defenses in the country. Good defense starts with those guys in the trenches. If you think about any winning UTEP team in the past that has had success, there was at least one guy on their defensive line that could disrupt things — Brian Young, Menson Holloway, Tony Tolbert. The Miners have lacked that guy the last few seasons. Ayala might be the answer. His knack for keeping his pad level low is already a step above a lot of the guys who think they can do it with their upper bodies. But again, time will tell. 

And of course, no one has mentioned the possibility of Andress grad Andre Jones joining this team yet. But the rumor mill likes to think that he might be a part of the 2009 Miners. If so, that's a pair of 6-foot-5 behemoths that could be making things difficult in the middle for Conference USA offenses.