Biggest gut-check game for Price, Miners

I can't think of a bigger gut-check game for a Mike Price-coached UTEP football team. Friday is big, all right.

Opponent Central Florida, albeit the home team, is on the skids and has no mathematical chance of a winning season. And it was just slapped by the NCAA for violations. This is a 4-7 team heading down.

On Friday, UTEP (5-6) can become bowl eligible for the second year in a row with a win.

But Price has an awful November record here. He's in his eighth season and is 10-20. So far this November he's 1-2.

Price is known as a motivator-by-gimmick coach. But he's always run out of hype by this time of most every  season. He even had November losers most seasons while at Weber State, and then at Washington State.

Does UTEP even have what it takes  to beat a down-and-out Central Florida team? UTEP has no history of oomph in November.

Thus:

If Price can't get the guys to play this special week — a bowl game is on the line ...

And if these Miners can't get mentally up to play  (they should be able to do it on their own) ...

Yep, it's the biggest gut-check game for a Price team in Utepia.

Comments

[Fact Guy]

Miners will lose. Mark it down.

[bill]

Bowl eligible at 6-6? Pitiful.

[and u]

pitiful or not, that's the rule the ncaa made, not utep. all in all, even if they lose tomorrow, they exceeded almost ALL pre-season predictions.

[a fan]

Hey, let's reward a mediocre football team, again, with a bowl trip...that is if, IF, it can win the last game.

Beyond pitiful. Just pathetic.

[Gurn Blanston]

What a great job for a guy teetering on the edge of retirement! Where else can you bank that kind of coin for expectations of barely over .500 for your work performance and if you don't do well, you get to come back and do it again the following year!

[disguted]

in doing a little comparison, i really wonder if the city of el paso DESERVES a winning football team at all.

san marcos texas, home to texas state has a population of 50,371, and for the last home game of the season for a 6-6 team drew 15,613.

el paso texas, home to utep has a population of 649,121, and for the last home game of the season for a team that could finish 6-6 drew a crowd of 23,849.

that to me is pitiful and pathetic for this city, and maybe if the people here actually supported the team things could get better. mp is the best coach this school has had in 25 years or more. it is extremely difficult to make something grand happen without more supposrt.

[John Dynia]

The Miners, with everything to play for, get shoved around by a team with nothing to play for. Well, now the off season starts, they were better than they should have been, etc. etc. For Miner fans its what we've heard most of the time since the 1970s. When gut check time comes the Miners are always found wanting.

[John Dynia]

BTW I love the theory that this is all the fan's fault.

[digusted]

it is certainly not all the fans fault, but by the apathy shown in this city, it certainly does not help. let's go back to last season, even when they were 5-1, admittedly against weak teams, the fan attendance was falling every week. hopefully the one's posting on here are at least going to the games, otherwise i feel they have no reason to complain. and don't get me wrong either, i am just as disappointed by the play today as anyone.

[Best online sports Betting]

What an excellent job for a guy teetering on the advantage of retirement! Where else can you financial institution that type of money for goals of slightly over .

[price per head service]

A friend of mine is such a big fan of UTEP football team, and I really do not know why if this team is so awful, I thik that my friend doesn't know so much about football LOL