Where are the linemen?

UTEP loses over the years because it's lines get pushed around against good teams - teams that can convince the big rhinos to enroll at their schools. UTEP usually has a decent quarterback and some receivers, and some fast defensive backs (who don't tackle well in the clutch, though).<p>

Why no linemen?<p>

They're hard to get. They don't come out of high schools. They are ID'd in high school and made big at colleges. UTEP lacks one of the things the bigs have, a training table for athletes. But that's only the smallest of excuses, I think.<p>

On the day Mike Price took the head coaching job here, he stood at the Durham Center podium and raised his right hand way over the top of his head. He said, paraphrased, he wasn't looking for 6-foot-6 linemen, he was looking for even taller and BIGGER linemen than that.<p>

Price has not been able to get very far over his head. AND, anybody ID'd as being the next quarterback-sacking defensive end, or 340-pound rooted-in-place tackle, has other choices.

1. UTEP recruits too much in Texas. Texas has: Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech ... and TCU, Baylor, Houston. OK, SMU and Rice, but you've got to be a brainiac. If you're a guy who's to be above Mike Price's head, are you choosing El Paso or: Austin, College Station, Lubbock (OK, maybe), Fort Worth or Waco? You'd not pick El Paso. All you know is what you've read, and if it's an AP story out of Dallas, there's usually that gawd-awful phrase somewhere in the story, "El Paso, a dusty border town ...."<p>

2. Recruit the far northern states where there are a lot of the proverbial big farm boys who would love to get out of winter. Rent an RV. Start puttering the back roads in Montana - and keep going east until you run into a Great Lake. There are guys up there who can be fed and physically conditioned into becoming somebody over Price's head.<p>

NOTE: Offensive linemen, for example, have to be smarter than the average player. Smart, big and fast makes a good lineman. God-given talent makes a skill-position player.

Once you get to El Paso, for many, many of us, you love it here and you wind up settling here. It's best to come in August, as a freshman would. First it's a tad hot outside, but after a while you stop and say, "Hhey, there's no winter here. It's December and it's beautiful." Use that as a lure - we have great weather and a Division 1 school where you can earn a degree via a full-time scholarship.<p>

3. And anyone who is nice to anyone in this town is treated well by the locals. Sell that.<p>

Because, it's not easy to get the fixings for a great big guy to decide to move far away from home. No, we get the players - at all positions - who were passed over by the big schools. And, in the case of linemen, they are not way over Mike Price's head.<p>

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Comments

[Toasted Whitebred]

http://houston.rivals.com/cdepthtext.asp

Take a look at Houstons line. I bet we outweigh them by 30 pounds on offeense. Defense we're about even.

What we need is a coach who is better versed in the spread option than our current coaches and a quarterback who is a threat with his legs as well as his arm.

Looks at Kansas, Houston, UTAH, Boise st. They're not significantly better than us but they run the spread option with a no huddle almost exclusively. No statue's in the backfield.

[Lowercase Ray]

Joe is right that we seem to be smaller at the line then just about every team we've played and probably smaller then the teams we'll play in the future. Does this mean you can't beat the bigger teams? It certainly makes it harder but anyone who seen the TT vs Houston game last Saturday can atest that it can be done. TT linemen were bigger than those of Houston but Houston's line more than held its own in that game. In the key play of the game, the Houston line was able to stop TT's offense with fourth and less than a yard to go for a touchdown.

Pick Ax, Lorenzo,
I would love to see the Miners start a winning streak by beating Houston, but after first seeing how anemic UTEP was and seeing how for real Houston is, I believe there is just too much ground for the Miners to make up in a week. It is more plausible that they could start a winning streak after that game. After the Houston game, I see the Tulsa game as being the toughest game that they'll have; and that game will be at the Sun Bowl. So far UTEP hasn't shown that they can play with the likes of Tulsa, but it is imperative that they are playing up to their potential by then if they are to save their season. If they are not, basketball would soon be starting up and it would undoubtably take Miner Fans attention away from Miner Football.

[just a thought]

Joe you're right Texas is tough place to get lineman. Texas Tech grabs all the bigs that don't go to UT or A&M.

UTEP may need to start grabbing leftovers from Iowa or Nebraska. I was responsible for taking UTEP safety D.J. Walker (started 34 games during career '99-'02, and had 16 career INT's which is more than any DB since) on his recruiting trip. Walker had a great time that weekend and that probably helped but players come to UTEP or any other school for different reasons.

Winning sells itself. UTEP must win on Saturday.

[epguero]

It's not the size of the offensive lineman. We have plenty of size and skill. It's the offensive coordinator. After Eric Price left last year, the offense went to hell. From what I've seen, the opposing team's linebackers are continually blitzing, and no matte what size lineman you are, you can't block your man and a linebacker. Coach Price has got to take a look at how much green is open where the linebackers aren't and start throwing some slants to the tight end or screens to Buckram over the middle to keep the defense honest. I'm a fan of football but by no means an expert and that's what I'm seeing from my seat. Get it together coaches!!!

[John Franco]

It took you guys awhile to see what I saw 2 years ago, but Price should already have been fired. I wish I could make 6 figures to go to news conferences with a good beer buzz. Lazy recruiting and bad choices for coaches is what got us in this predicament. I say get rid of Stull also, he is just as much to blame. If UTEP wins 2 games this year, I would definitely be surprised. The guy that used to coach Boston College and was fired by the Bucs this year should be at the top of the list for a new coach.

[ac]

I believe they need to diversify their recruiting efforts as well. However, UTEP needs to evaluate how it is playing offense. They need a more balanced offense with a power running game. They need a running back who can power his way up the middle. Secondly, UTEP needs the players to be hungry and from what I saw, there was no passion, or desire. However, when I say Houston, there was and that was the difference. Houston wants it more and UTEP has the same talent level, but they do not seem to be in it mentally.

[just a thought]

UH 35
UTEP 27

[Jefe]

I said it before and I will say it again; Mike Price should bring Gary Nord as his recruiting coordinator.
It has been proven over the past few years, that Price can only win with Nords players!