UTEP's season salvageable

Commenter Sweetlou said in a previous post on this blog that pointing to UAB’s offensive line as a reason for UTEP to have a healthy fear of the Blazers heading into Saturday’s Conference USA showdown was a copout.

But it became pretty obvious with 12:05 remaining in the fourth quarter and UAB pinned at its own 1-yard line clinging to a 14-6 lead how the Blazers took charge of the game.

Behind their five monoliths, UAB began chewing up the yards, gashing the Miners on the ground and holding steady through the air, to march down the length of the field and score the decisive touchdown in their win in Birmingham, Ala.

UTEP was out-physicaled and was not able to overcome hapless play on offense and defense, along with a spate of injuries.

And so, the Miners will have to wait a week for another attempt to assure themselves bowl eligibility. The chance will come against Tulane in the Sun Bowl on Saturday. The Green Wave has never beaten the Miners in El Paso and UTEP opens as an 11-point favorite.

But read some of the comments posted on our Topix forums and over on Joe Muench’s blog, and you’d think the Miners have no chance of winning any of their remaining five games, the next two being games the Miners will be favored to win.

Odd that so much faith is seemingly gone after a loss against a very physical team — on the road, no less — and the squad is left with a 5-2 record. And while a Conference USA West title is less likely now than it was a week ago, it is not mathematically impossible.

The wheels are far from coming off this season.

Comments

[jUTEP]

Ohhh yeahhh!!! Miners are 5-1! They're on a roll! Miners are going bowling! Miners are going to win the conference! Yadda yadda yadda.

That was the talk all week long leading up to today game against UAB! Ohhh yeahhh, UAB has only won one game all season! Doesn't matter that the Blazers have lost to a very good SMU team. Never mind that it took two OTs to lose to an SEC team (Tennessee)!

Once again jUtepia proves it's not a road team! Don't give me the BS of the Miners winning at New Mexico! The Socorro Bulldogs could beat UNM! Two chances to punch it in the end zone, and instead walk away with a pair of field goals. Very Dallas Cowboys like! Trevor Vittatoe was very Brett Favre like, throwing three completions to the wrong colored shirts! Mistakes, penalities - lack of focus, lack of discipline!

Still think jUtepia is going bowling? Well, Tulane is up next. Only two wins this season! Shouldn't be a problem, right? They've lost to Ole Miss, Houston, and Army, and have beaten Rutgers. Push over? I think not!

And even if jUtepia happens to win next week, that only makes them bowl eligible, not necessarily going bowling. After Tulane, good luck getting another win against these teams:

at Marshall (gasp, another road game!)
vs SMU (West division leader, and also the beginning of the "November jinx"!)
at Arkansas (do I really need to say it?)
at Tulsa (gasp, another road game!

I told you before sheeple - you're easily suckered in!!!

FIRE PRICE NOW!!!

[RocketScientist]

You know Marshall could be a win and hosting SMU at home could help the miners out. Assuming a win vs Tulane (6-2), its still very feasible. We can scratch Arkansas as a for sure loss (though it would be pretty sweet if God came down and gave the miners a win). Realistically I think its fair to say you'll see UTEP finish the season 7-5 maybe just maybe 8-4 which for a UTEP team regardless of schedule is pretty awesome... Getting to 7-5 should get a bowl game regardless...

[MINERONE]

Stick that lower case j where you'd like it best, moron.

[Best Jersey]

Never too late to mend