UTEP alive - with a 77-yard run

When was the last time UTEP won a defensive-type game with a shrug of a running back's shoulder pads?

On Saturday, on a night UTEP lost  quarterback Nick Lamaison  early (injury) and Eastern Carolina's passing offense was met head on by UTEP ... holy cow, senior running back Joe Banyard scored the winning TD with a 77-yard run in the fourth quarter ... when  UTEP doesn't often win.

UTEP 22, those Pirates 17. 

What a different type of game for UTEP.  It was defensive on both sides until that run.  Usually UTEP is enfulfed in an offensive free-for-all.

So figure this: UTEP lost quarterback Lamaison (bad groin pull)  and kicker  Dakota Warren (another groin pull). Quaterback. Kicker. Both out. Let's pray for the Miners' soul?

In comes brainiac UTEP QB Carson Meeger , who doesn't screw up.  Brainiac has something to do with that. I say forget about his supposedly less-than-bullet arm strength. He's a mental winner. And, in a weird moment, the kickoff guy, Steven Valedez, kicked a 46-yard field goal because Warren was out.  

Yes, UTEP really lucked out with what it put on offense, Amen again. This doesn't usually happen in Utepia. Certainly not in November, where the win puts Coach Mike Price at 10-19 after Halloweens.

Eastern Carolina (now 4-6) was a team that moved on offense at will  this season ... but didn't in El Paso. The UTEP defense that hasn't been there some games - much of some decades - was there.

UTEP is 5-5 with two games to play because  Joe Banyard shrugged his shoulder pads, and ran fast, on a night two teams were plugging away in the trenches.

A real block-and-tackle football game, and a UTEP win in  Utepia

Comments

[CLEOFITZWITZ]

Nice comeback in the 4th quarter and nice comeback from the disaster last week. The Miners showed toughness in this win and made their own luck. I don't know why the Miners can't get a win without Joe commenting on how bad the other team is or how lucky the Miners were. UTEP has beaten a team in every season that they should not have beaten. Tulsa in 07. Southern Miss on the road in 08. Houston when they were ranked 12th in 09. SMU in 2010. We have yet to beat a team with a better record this season. It would be nice to get it done next week and become bowl eligible. If we play tough again, we can do it.

[LC Ray]

So now it comes down to the nitty-gritty in CUSA play. There are four teams that have gotten bowl eligible (Houston, Tulsa, SMU and So Miss). There are four more teams that have a mathematical chance of reaching six wins. Out of the East division there is ECU, UCF and Marshall; all with a 4-6 record. For these three teams, the team would need to win out to become bowl eligible. In the West division there is only UTEP at 5-5, they need to win one more game to become bowl eligible. UTEP plays Tulsa next week. Tulsa would like to go undefeated in West Division play but it is not imperitive that they do so. Tulsa's final week game, the following week against Houston, will determine which of those two teams will represent the West in the CUSA Championship game. So UTEP may not get Tulsa's best game; but I will not be betting my house on this hope. In the East division, Marshall plays Memphis; by their respective records it should be an easy win for Marshall. For the other two teams, ECU and UCF, they have a game against each other. This game will eliminate one of the hopefuls from bowl eligibility. If UCF wins, the game between UTEP and UCF (in their last week of conference play) might become a game for bowl eligibility for one of these teams. The matchup between ECU and Marshall in their final week of conference play, could also become a game to determine bowl eligibility for one of these teams.

So at the end of CUSA play there could be three more teams bowl eligible or if everything goes badly, no more teams qualify. Of course CUSA is hopefull to have maximum teams qualifying, as bowl games mean money for the conference.

[pelon]

I really like Carson Meeger, I thinlk he is better and more athletic than Lamaison that has been kind of irrelevant quarterback .

If the miners can improve with Carson at quarterback I belive they could win vs Tulsa..