UTEP, Texas and a bold prediction

It’s official, the UTEP football team will visit Austin for the second time in four years to take on the Texas Longhorns in 2012. 

The Miners and Longhorns will meet Sept. 8, 2012, at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in a nonconference matchup. 

The Miners were demolished 64-7 in Austin last season and lost 42-13 in the Sun Bowl in 2008. Texas leads the series 4-0. 

I don’t expect the result to be any different during this upcoming trip. It’s gonna be a tall task for UTEP to go into Austin and beat the Longhorns, who will likely have a seasoned quarterback in Garrett Gilbert. You guys will remember him as the kid who had to grow up fast against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game a few weeks back after Colt McCoy was knocked out of the game. Gilbert will be a senior in 2012 and he’ll surely have a bevy of talent surrounding him. 

What UTEP fans would like to see is a competitive effort from the Miners. One in which they show they have the chops to go toe-to-toe with other teams consistently. The Miners were so unpredictable last season, beating teams they shouldn’t have beat, and losing to teams they should’ve trounced. They have two full seasons to prepare for their return trip. 

And since I’m not gonna be the one to offer up the bold prediction of a UTEP upset, I’ll give you another — neither team will enter this 2012 game with their current head coach. 

Comments

[Alex]

"neither team will enter this 2012 game with their current head coach"

Mack Brown isn't going anywhere for a longtime especially with a stud like Garrett Gilbert getting his cherry popped in a national championship game. They'll be playing in another championship in no time & Will Muschamp will be sitting on the sideline washing his money & ready to take over whenever Mack is ready to call it quits...think Bobby Bowden.

[Joe John Valadez Sr.]

Who ever you are typing this about Mike Price< i hope that you wouldn't be typing your bold prediction about him

[Max]

Man, reminds me of Animal House "Thank you sir, may I have another!"

[dlo]

It doesn't matter who UTEP has in the head coaches' position at that time. They will get demolished again by U.T. Let's face it folks the Miners are not destined to have a winning football program. They should get rid of the program now. Use the football budget for something more productive and lastly, put an end to being the laughing stock of NCAA division 1 football.

[chic]

hey dlo, i bet that houston and tulsa are not laughing and every c-usa team prepare and saw utep as the team to beat last season it was the miners that beat them self. also can you tell me what is more productive in a division 1 school, than a football program...

[just a thought]

Gilbert will be seasoned and licking his chops before this game but who will be UTEPs starting QB?

If we went into last year's game with a Miner "stud" QB I don't even want to think about the outcome with a green 19-year old under center.

[jerry]

this program is definitely on the wrong track! I was under the assumption we would not need the "money games" and instead concentrate on home and home games.
I am not asking for too much - why not schedule a Hawaii, Boise State, BYU, TCU, Utah, Fresno State to a home and home instead?
I was in Austin 1 week before this years game and I can tell you most season ticket holders where trying to sell their tickets.
I mean come on - who wants to see a Utep team - (most Big 12 fans have never even heard about) - get pole axed!

[Pablo Villa]

I figured I wasn't the only one that didn't think UTEP could go to Austin and win. But you guys are more dreary than I thought you'd be.

My grand assumption is that UTEP will continue to schedule these so-called money games because they aren't getting much out of ticket sales. And UTEP will get far less out of them if it decides to raise season ticket prices next season. The benefit of going to Austin is the likely possibility that the Miners will be on TV. You get one decent recruit to watch UTEP on Fox Sports Southwest and decide to come here and that's a win in my book.

Regarding who will be on the field. We're all assuming the Longhorns will have a senior quarterback at the helm. It seems a safe assumption. Chris Simms, Colt McCoy and Major Applewhite all stayed four years. Even Vince Young stayed for a de facto senior season (Young redshirted in 2002 before leading Texas to the 2006 national title game).

But maybe Garrett Gilbert explodes on the national scene. Maybe he leaves after his junior season. Or maybe another hot recruit will take over. A lot can happen between now and then. But I think we'll see plenty of upward swings for UTEP, which will hopefully result in a competitive contest come 2012.

[jerry]

Pablo, I really don't think too many "legit" recruits are going to salivate at the thought of playing for Utep when they get pulverized by triple-digits with their 3rd stringers getting most of the playing time against our studs.

[CLEOFITZWITZ]

Yes the UT Austin longhorns regularly beat teams by triple digits. They also would have won the BCS championship game by 50 if Colt McCoy had not gone down.

[Orangefever]

Having Texas play here in El Paso in 2008 was not the first of a "home and home" series. The deal was Texas would agree to come to us and then we would have to come to Austin....twice. The money has long been paid...where do you think we got the cash so quickly to replace the carpet in the Sun Bowl last August? Also, I find Pablo's bold prediction very interesting and one that could indeed be very true. Both Brown and Price have really aged over the last 3 years and could be gone due to health reasons. Neither needs the money. I think you could have that one "right-on" Pablo. Go 2010 Miners ! Yes We Can !

[dlo]

Hey Chic, get real I don't think any teams ever really prepare for UTEP because their football team is a joke. And thats exactly what happened to Houston and Tulsa, they did not prepare to face the sub-par Miners. And you are correct, there is not anything more productive at a division 1 school than a football program. Unless, of course, if that Division 1 school is UTEP. Which we all should agree needs to get rid of the program.

[chic]

you dont think tulsa dint prepare for utep after seeing what utep did to houston. come on dlo, and yes last year team should off done better no? but dlo it takes time.... brown has what 13 years at UT and only has 1 champ. to show for a program that has year after year the best recruiting classes, the most players in the NFL, and yet 1 only 1 championship it takes time. pablo right on...GO MINERS...

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[Pick Ax]

Mack Brown was about to be lynched out of Austin before Vince Young won a national championship for him. He's a great recruiter and a good salesman (recall Brown lobbying fellow coaches for their vote in order to leapfrog Cal a few years to play in Rose Bowl)...

I think Pablo is right on with his prediction. There is a reason why their D Coordinator keeps turning down great BCS head coaching gigs. I'm sure there is immediate plan for Brown to exit and Muschamp to take over.

Pick Ax

[Orangefever]

Very good points Pick Ax. I recently saw a replay of the Texas national Championship victory over USC and the difference in Brown's appearance then and now is quite shocking. That's why I think he'll not be around much longer. Same with Price. I think Pablo has it right. Go 2010 Miners ! Yes We Can !

[go miners]

there are worse div 1 football teams than utep for example we have one right next door nmsu u cant really expect utep to go and beat texas in austin they have everything money,coaches,facilities so its not fair to compare utep in that way we are in cusa cause those are the teams we can play with n once in a while there are upsets i dont consider the houston game a upset because they are in our confrence for a reason dont u think

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[AIR JORDAN]

Very good points Pick Ax. I recently saw a replay of the Texas national Championship victory over USC and the difference in Brown's appearance then