Don't play Nick Lamaison Saturday at No. 18 South Florida, or against "getting-Top-25-votes" Houston Thursday in the Sun Bowl.
If he's not still hurt, Coach Mike Price should find a reason that he is.
UTEP's only chance at a decent season is if quarterback Lamaison has a good year. Even then prospects of .500 are iffy.
Right now Lamaison is not healthy (That's gotta be your story, Coach). So don't take a chance with his throwing arm against these two tough opponents. Odds are too strong that one of the two will pound that tender arm/shoulder into shattered china, and he'll be lost for the season.
I'm all for giving UTEP every chance to win at South Florida and at home vs. Houston. And Lamaison is the best quarterback. Until he got hurt late at SMU, he was the only bright spot on the offense, connecting on 61 percent of his passes.
Problem is, I can't find anything that indicates a chance to win, not even if Lamaison was in perfect health.
South Florida (3-0) won at Notre Dame. Houston (3-0) won a home game vs. UCLA.
UTEP (2-1) needed overtime to beat lower-class Stony Brook 31-24 at home, lost at SMU 28-17 and barely defeated the just-awful New Mexico State Aggies 16-10 last week in Las Cruces. UTEP's record is limping even more than Lamaison's arm is dangling right now.
Nobody will be able to blame UTEP for chickening out. That's because UTEP Coach Mike Price is an expert at camouflaging if a player is too injured to play, or not. He did that almost all last early season with star running back Donald Buckram. His star was usually "day-to-day" until --- well, he was still too hurt to play. Buckram saw action in only seven games. UTEP needs Lamaison for this season's last seven.
Let's help Price out here, in case South Florida or Houston ask: Yes, we swear Nick Lamaison is too injured to play for two more weeks. We wouldn't lie to you, South Florida or Houston.
We hope and pray, though, that he can start at Tulane and vs. Colorado State.
Bottom line: There's no chance for many more wins without Lamaison. And no one with a logical mind can project wins against either South Florida or Houston.
Price will not play Lamaison against USF but he will play against conference opponent Houston. That is the way it should be. You don't put forth a less than full force unit against a conference opponents no matter how good they are. That line of thinking wouldn't have got us a win against 12th ranked Houston in the Sun Bowl 2 years ago. These are the games that count. It is likely that Joe is trying to ruffle feathers with this foolish advice. If he really does believe that we should save Lamaison for the next 2 games, it is sad and pathetic. What a cancer he would be in a huddle or a locker room.
Posted by: CLEOFITZWITZ | September 23, 2011 at 03:58 PM
He's ruffled my feathers alright, and he already is a cancer. I definitely agree that USF should be a no go for Lamaison, and that we likely won't hang, but next week against Houston is not the same AT ALL. Yes, Houston beat UCLA, but the fact that Joe uses that as his reason why Houston is so good shows just how little he really knows about the game.
UCLA lost to Houston, barely beat San Jose St at home by 10, and then got pummeled by Texas. They aren't very good. Houston got by UCLA, let North Texas hang around for more than half the game, and needed to come back from 27 down against La Tech to win. They're run defense is extremely suspect and with Lamaison we definitely have a shot to establish a balanced attack against them. Its not saying that we will beat them, but we certainly have a shot. As long as Nick is truly ready, he'll play.
Posted by: Anthony Salom | September 24, 2011 at 03:22 AM
Hey Joe...I agree you can't toss an injured top quarterback into games that are not like winnable anyway,but your characterization of the Aggies as 'just awful' is obviously off base,isn't it? The did beat a decent Minnesota team on the road,and looking at the stats it is clear they actually outplayed them. Your Alma Mater Aggies beat a Big Ten school in football for the first time ever,then barely lost to your new home team Miners after losing their best quarterback halfway through the game. Come on Joe,give some modicum of respect where it's due. Good luck, from a fellow Aggie,'71.
Posted by: Dennis OKeefe | September 24, 2011 at 08:28 AM
'likely' winable..
Posted by: Dennis OKeefe | September 24, 2011 at 08:30 AM
UNLEASH NATE JEFFERY..... LIGHT THE AFTER-BURNERS MAN... THAT KID IS DEMONIC FAST.
Posted by: FA FA FA FAN | September 24, 2011 at 12:59 PM
Joe Munch is a typical Aggie--he'll defecate in his own hat for a little attention.
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Posted by: Timberland Outlets | November 30, 2011 at 11:00 PM