WKU Football: UTEP Preseason Preview
With the kickoff of football season less than four weeks away, we’ll continue to bring you our preseason look at each of WKU’s regular season opponents between now and the start of the season. Today we continue the series with WKU’s first conference road trip of the season, the Miners of UTEP.
Date & Time
October 7th, 2017; 7 p.m.
Location
The Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Series
WKU leads 1–0
Last Meeting
During the 2014 season, The Miners traveled to Bowling Green after WKU had fallen to 3–5 (after an embarrassing loss in Ruston to La Tech). UTEP jumped to a 27–14 lead in the third quarter, but a Wonderful Terry 90-yard interception return put the Tops up front and they ended up making the homecoming crowd leave happy in a 35–27 win.
TV/Radio
TV - TBA
Radio- Hilltopper IMG Sports Network
2016 Season
In head coach Sean Kugler’s fourth season, the Miners struggled to a 4–8 (2–6 in C-USA) record, tied with Rice for last in the West Division. The Miner’s didn’t win consecutive games all season and when they did win, they found a way to put up points, averaging 46 points per game even beating bowl teams UTSA & North Texas.
Returning Starters
11 (five on offense, six on defense)
Relevant Preview Articles
Bill Connelly’s SB Nation UTEP Preview
Still, it’s hard to set the bar much higher than four wins. Kugler is still trying to build a foundation, and while he might have the start of one, it still has a lot of development to do.
In the meantime, he’s trying to get moving pieces in order. He’s got an exciting quarterback, a good offensive line, and no known entities worth blocking for or throwing to. He’s got a solid set of defensive ends and no known defensive tackles. He’s got an experienced linebacking corps and sophomore corners.
The UTEP job is one of the hardest in FBS. Kugler knew what he was getting into, and he’s working for an athletic department that has no choice but to be patient. But this city’s strange football history hasn’t featured that many strong home teams, and it probably won’t this year either.
Pete Fiutak’s College Football News UTEP Preview
The schedule might be a relative problem, but UTEP has to be the type of team that can beat Army and Middle Tennessee on the road. It has to be strong enough to keep up with Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky at home.
It has to be a point in the rebuilding process where Year Five under Kugler means a bowl season. The Miners have the experience, and they even have the depth at certain places.
Six wins isn’t asking for too much. Especially for a team that’s knocking on the door.
Three Players to Watch
Despite their struggles last season, the Miners probably found their quarterback of the future in Metz. The 6'4" junior started off last season behind Fresno State transfer Zach Greenlee. He split time and didn’t take over as the full-time starter until UTEP’s seventh game of the season. He and the Miners went 3–3 in those last six games and passed for 1375 yards with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the season. He is a typical pocket passer and not a rushing threat. If he can continue to elevate his play UTEP can compete for a bowl game in 2017. WKU’s veteran secondary better be ready for another experienced signal caller when they travel to El Paso.
The 5'11" hometown senior is the top returnee on a defense that continually struggled throughout last season. Struggling with injuries, Jones still earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors last season. He lead the Miners with 93 tackles, six of which came for a loss on a unit that didn’t allow less than 22 points against any FBS team last season. Jones will once again be called upon to be the quarterback on the defense that hopes that more experience will lead to better results in 2017.
Hernandez will probably be the only offensive lineman that will make any of my lists this preseason and with good reason. Last season, he was C-USA’s most dominant offensive lineman this side of Forrest Lamp. He earned Second Team All-American honors by the Associated Press and Fox Sports as he paved the way for 1700-yard running back Aaron Jones. Hernandez is a factor in both the running and passing game. He is the leader of a unit that is once again expected to be one of C-USA’s finest and he’ll be a problem that WKU’s defensive line and linebackers will have to overcome for a success trip close to the border.
Preseason Thoughts about the Game
- UTEP coach Sean Kugler is coaching for his job
UTEP historically is a tough job, isolated in the western corner of the state, they are 7 hours and 40 minutes from their closest conference rival (UTSA) and have a hard time attracting recruits despite being in talent rich Texas. Kugler is the type of coach they thought could be a perfect fit for them. He’s an alum who understands the challenges and culture of El Paso. Unfortunately, after a successful 7–6 record in his second season, Kugler has struggled to replicate that success, going 2–10, 5–7 and 4–8 in his other three seasons. If he wasn’t an alum, I’d image he’d already be gone at this point. It’s bowl or bust for Kugler in 2017. Before they play WKU they get Oklahoma, Rice, Arizona, New Mexico State and Army. UTEP will have at least two losses, but probably more heading into the game. If that’s the case, watch out for a desperate team and coach trying to buy himself another season.
2. WKU’s long distance to travel
El Paso is as remote as they come. Located right near the Mexico/New Mexico border, it would take you over 19 hours to drive from Bowling Green to El Paso. El Paso is nine hours from Dallas and six hours from Phoenix. WKU will luckily get to catch a charter flight that will be just under three hours, but they have never been to El Paso before. WKU will still have to acclimate to a city that is 3740-feet above sea level and an hour behind Bowling Green. Against a team like UTEP, those issues shouldn’t be a problem, but you never know.
3. Post Bye Week
WKU will also be coming off a bye week after their September 23 game against Ball State. Bye weeks are normally a time to heal, catch up on school work and mentally prepare for the rest of the grind of the regular season. The question heading into the UTEP game will be how WKU comes out after that week off. Will they be prepared and focused against a team playing their sixth straight game or will they be rusty, sloppy and mistake prone? If they aren’t ready, a hungry UTEP team may be ready for them.
4. WKU should be heavily favored
Despite the game being in El Paso, all signs point to this game being lopsided. UTEP was a mediocre team that couldn’t stop anyone last season. They lost their do-everything running back, Aaron Jones, and must either find a suitable replacement or adapt their offense to be multifaceted. Realistically, I see UTEP being 2–3 (at best) heading into this one. WKU’s high powered offense and intimidating rushing defense will force UTEP to throw the ball to keep up. I see WKU being favored by at least 18 points heading into this one.
5. Will this game be added to a TV schedule?
As of publication, there still hasn’t been any TV or stream announced for this game. Last season, UTEP put four of their seven home games on the extremely low quality CUSA.tv. With nothing announced at this time, I see this game getting a similar fate, which is extremely unfortunate since it’s a road game. We all might have to buckle in and listen to Randy Lee and Leo Peckenpaugh call it on the radio to truly enjoy this one. Conference USA’s TV situation continues to disappoint.
Preseason Prediction
I think that WKU’s strong start to the season continues in this one. The bye week allows them to be ready for the atypical road experience that is El Paso. I see Mike White’s arm being displayed to its fullest in this one. I predict he throws for over 400 yards on the day against UTEP’s porous pass defense. Metz and company won’t handle WKU’s quick strike offense and aggressive run defense. WKU’s backups will get plenty of experience in the 4th quarter as the Tops continue their season in strong fashion.
Final Score Prediction- WKU 52 UTEP 17
Best places for UTEP coverage as the game gets closer
El Paso is a large city and they still have two newspapers to prove it. The El Paso Times and El Paso Herald will give you a traditional view of UTEP’s program heading into the game. For a student perspective check out the Prospector Daily. UTEP also has a decent Rivals site called Miner Illustrated and is one of a few G5 programs to have their own SB Nation site, Miner Rush. (Ed. note — Alex and the Miner Rush crew are good friends of The Towel Rack, and TTR’s original home, Wave The Red Towel.)
What do you think of WKU’s long trip to El Paso? Will the bye week impact WKU’s performance? Will UTEP already be looking for a new coach? Let us know in a comment below, via twitter at @TheTowelRackWKU or on our Facebook page.
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