The Kyyote's Howl

Robert Soleyjacks

Robert Soleyjacks is 6′ 2″ tall and weighs 260 pounds.  He is also fast enough to play the left defensive end on the Miners line.  He is a senior, and has 3 letters already.  He visited with me today and talked about the first game of his senior season.

     “It went pretty good.  For a lot of us, well I should say for some of the new guys, it was a new experience with the lights, great fan support, it was a fun game.  It started off a little slow on defense but we definitely picked it up, and we just had a good time out there, just had fun.”

     It was a game designed to work out the kinks and get some of the players some experience.  There are a bunch of players stepping up to fill the spots vacated by those who have finished their collegiate careers.

     “We definitely threw them in, and rotated evenly, and got everybody a fair amount of reps.  It was a good experience for all the new guys, but we’re just trying to move on to this game right here and get the job done in Houston.”

     Some of the fans may have been surprised to see Robert in the offensive backfield.  He is being used as a battering ram at the fullback position, and that may not be all he does from that spot.

     “Oh yea, they’ve got me doing a little goal line fullback, reminiscing back on the high school days, you know, getting in the backfield, but they’re having me in there for some lead blocking, catching the ball some, so it’s fun.  A little change up.  They’re able to show my athletic ability out there.  It helps that I can block really well out there.”

     Looking back to his high school days, he played tight end and defensive end as a freshman and sophomore, and running back and defensive end as a junior and senior.  He played well enough to be a 4 time All District Honoree.  He racked up nearly 2300 yards on the ground in his last two seasons, and another 3 hundred receiving yards in his senior year.  Heck, he completed all three of his passing attempts, including throwing for a touchdown.  I said he ‘s fast, too, didn’t I.  Well, he was fast enough to run on the district champion’s 4×200 meter relay team.  When he mentions he has some athletic ability, it isn’t just talk, and it’s more than just with a football.  He even competed in the high jump.

     When I mentioned that he a threat in many ways, he grinned, and said,”They can’t sleep on me.”

     Speaking of the freshmen that are seeing playing time he said, ” Yea, they’re definitely making a good transition right now.  Germard Reed, Marcus Bagley, some of them guys are really getting in the mix and helping us out, a lot.”

     I asked if Houston presented any special problems, and he was quick to say that the Cougars pass about 70 times a game, everybody knows that.  ”But, we’ve kind of got them figured out.  We feel confident in our game plan.”

     We should find out just how true that is on Friday night, once the kickoff gets the game started.

The entire interview;

Robert Soleyjacks

Braxton Amy took practice off to allow his body to heal from the first game of the 2010 season.  After practice I caught up with him and asked him about the Arkansas Pine Bluff opening drive, UTEP’s running game, and Friday’s game with the Miners rivals from Houston, the Houston Cougars.

     I told him I wanted to talk about his Miners’ defensive performance against Arkansas Pine Bluff.  With a sideways look, feigning a defensive stance, he said,”What do you want to talk about?”

     Fearlessly, I told him I wanted to talk about Arkansas Pine Bluff’s initial drive of the game.  The Golden Lions had taken the ball from their own 20 yard line and marched the ball down the field with a 10 play scoring drive.  The drive had many worried about the ease with which Pine Bluff was able to move the ball on what was supposed to be an improved defense.  As Yogi would say, it looked like Deja Vu all over again.

     Amy,  flashing a smile, calmed my nerves and explained what had happened.  Amy is a straight shooter, and you call always count on him telling it like it is.

     “Well, it was a little difficult because they have a new offensive coordinator, so I mean it wasn’t really I guess a certain film we could watch, so we could kind of guess what they were going to come out with.  They did some things we weren’t really ready for, and we kind of, first game, we had some communication problems.  We shook some rust off.”

     Pine Bluff’s offensive line averaged just under 300 pounds per man, and they had some talented players at the skill positions.  It was also apparent that they were well coached, focused on playing their game, and had every intention of bringing home a win.

     “They were big boys.  They were big, and we watched their film from last year, and they were a lot better than they looked last year.  I’m not saying that we under estimated them or anything, but they were pretty good.  They’re going to win some games.”

     Once that first drive was out of the way, the Miners defense began to impose their will, and by the second half, the defense was substituting players liberally.  Twenty-three defensive players were in on tackles.

     “We are a young defense, so as many guys as we can get in there, and get that first experience out of the way, that’s better for us.  That’s going to force them to grow up faster, rather than coming out for the ESPN game where the light’s really on.”

     I asked him about the importance of having a running game that can hold on to the ball and eat up some clock.  He surprised me with his answer.

     “Well, our offense is a big play offense.  We’re not depending on them to develop a great running game to chew up clock.  As long as they put up points on the score board, we’re happy with that.  Whether it be two plays or thirteen plays.  As long as they’re putting points on the board, we’re okay with it.”

     I mentioned the defense’s ability to stop the run, and how important that is for teams to win championships.  As I should have known, Amy was focused on the next game, not looking at winning championships.

     “I don’t know if necessarily that’s going to be the answer for this team.  They’re going to throw the ball about seventy times, so we’ve got to stop the big passes.  They’re going to complete the ball.  They have guys on scholarship.  They have great athletes on their team as well.  You can’t take everything away.  We can slow it down, and buckle down in the red zone, and we’ll see how it turns out”

     Braxton doesn’t sugar coat it, or blow smoke.  If you look at his last quote, you will see the game plan on defense, and the keys to winning the game.  From the defensive side of the ball, anyway.

It was a beautiful El Paso September evening.  The temperature was 87 degrees and less than 10% humidity at kickoff .  The crowd looked to be larger than the 30 thousand.  It looked closer to 40 thousand.  They were loud, and were having fun.  It wasn’t thirty thousand die hard fans looking to embrace misery.  Those at the game enjoyed themselves for the most part.  Arkansas Pine Bluff’s first drive had people concerned.  But, pretty much from that point on, most folks saw that UTEP was winning the game.  I didn’t hear anyone talking about how bad the Miners were.  I guess the critics sit in a different section.  Lucky for me, because I was able to enjoy the game without having to endure the negativity of those who act like someone pissed in their Post Toasties.

     Evidently, because Arkansas Pine Bluff is an FCS program, some think they must not have any real football players.  They are wrong.  The Golden Lions quarterback was mobile, and accurate with his passes, and he had a receiver that would be a welcome addition to many FBS teams.  But, what I was most impressed with was their offensive and defensive lines.  They were big, strong, and fast.  Their offensive linemen were 6′ 4″ 310 pounds, 6′ 3″ 300, 6′ 285, 6′ 4″ 305, and 6′ 2″ 290.  Their defensive front four looked like this;  LE 6′ 2″ 255 and fast, LT 6′ 3″ 285, NT 6′ 3″ 310, and RE 6′ 1″ 250.  Rather than ragging on our lines, I would have to give some credit to the APB’s lines. 

     Pine Bluff came to play.  They wanted to knock off a Div 1 team like we want to knock off a AQ team.  But, it didn’t take long before the adrenaline wore off, and reality set in.  Looking at the stats, you can see how they faded, and we came on.  We have seen this many times before, but we were usually the one on the dirty end of the stick.  My very unofficial stats look like this.  At the end of the first quarter, they had 125 yards of total offense, and we had 131.  In the second quarter, their offense fell off to 68 yards, and ours was 93.  The second half is where we started to show the wear and tear on them.  In the third quarter they had 46 yards to our 177.  The fourth quarter they were held to 31 yards, and we had 75, and were playing everyone.  Now, as I said, my numbers are unofficial, so don’t start adding them up to see if they match up with the game totals, as I left out yards lost.  APB’s total offense for the game was 278 yards.  Our total offense was 463 yards.  You know how depth of quality comes into play when we go up against the big boys?  They were the victims of that, last night.

     I think what is much more important is to look at a difference in the style of play for the Miners.  Instead of passing for big yards, flying down the field in a matter of a minute or two, only to put our defense right back on the field, we ran the ball.  We passed the ball.  Our balance between the two was almost perfect.  We ran for 234 yards and passed for 229.  We had 12 rushing first downs and 13 passing first downs.  We ran the ball 40 times and passed 29 times.  Those looking for us to put up big numbers and 50 points were disappointed.  Those looking for a team to control the ball on offense, and play better defense, especially against the run, were not disappointed.  Games are won by stopping the opponent from being able to run the ball.  APB had 76 yards rushing.  We had 234 yards rushing.  Case Keenum can’t score if he is sitting on the bench with the rest of his offense.

     Coach Price would never run up the score on a team.  He has too much class.  He played all of his players to give them experience, which will pay dividends in the future.  He also held his cards close to the vest.  There’s no sense showing our hand the game before we play Houston.

     Those are those who will look for fault from last night’s game.  Just as in life, if you look for the things that are wrong, you will find plenty.  But, those who look for the things that are right will find more, and be much happier as they go through life, to boot.  I saw Joe Banyard and Vernon Frazier rush for 94 and 89 yards respectively, while Donald Buckram had the chance to rest a banged up knee.  That kind of makes me feel better about this year, and even better about next year when we lose DBuck.  I saw our defense, which gave up an average of 446 yards last year knock that down to 278 yards.  That is 168 yards less.  I know, it was APB.  I saw our defense allow 76 yards on the ground, as opposed to the  200 yards average of last year.  I know.  I know.

     Last night’s game was just what it was intended to be.  It gave us a chance to get the first game jitters out of our system.  It was a game to see where the kinks still need to be worked out.  It was a game to build confidence in lots of young players, and a new defense, and it did that.  Those who want to dwell on the negatives, enjoy.  Or be miserable.  Or enjoy being being miserable, I guess.  Myself, I am going to enjoy the positives and celebrate my 29th wedding anniversary.  Today is a beautiful day, if you ask me.

From 1976 through 1980, Philip Thomas was an offensive lineman with the Monsters of the Midway.  Thirty years later, he is in El Paso to watch his son play cornerback for the UTEP Miners.  When he talks about his son, his pride is obvious.  It is a pride in a son who has worked hard both on the field and off.  It is a pride in a son who has overcome obstacles that could have been excuses to achieve less, but became challenges mastered.  It is a pride in a son, without any claim to credit for himself.  He goes out of his way to make it clear that his son deserves all of the credit for what he has been able to accomplish is his young life, and to get him to where he is now.  It is his son that has taken his own path that has prepared him to make his first start at right cornerback to open the 2010 season this Saturday against Arkansas Pine Bluff.

     As a child, Drew was steered away from football, rather than being pushed into it.  He began playing tennis at the tennis club his parents belonged to.  He played well enough to make the Junior National Tennis Team.  But, he was drawn to football.  He excelled in the classroom, allowing him to skip a grade and graduate from high school a year early.  He played football well enough, and combined with his excellence in the classroom, to be chosen by the Air Force Academy to play for the Falcons.

     Once he got to the Air Force Academy, he realized that it just wasn’t for him.  He left Colorado Springs, transferring to UTEP as a walk-on.  At UTEP he had to start over.  He did what he had always done before.  He worked hard in the classroom and on the football field.  Forced to redshirt because of the transfer, he was chosen as UTEP’s Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year.  In his freshman season he played in three games, and was named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

     On Saturday, he will realize a dream he has had for years.  He will be making his first start in Division I (FBS) football.  He once told his father that he played better when his father is there with him.  On Saturday, a very proud papa will be there and his son will know that his biggest fan is with him.  As a matter of fact, he can count on his dad being at all of his games.  There is no place on earth his father would rather be.  How proud is Philip Thomas?  I think his own words say it best.

     “If I had to write a list of characteristics I would want in a child, he would blow that list out of the water.”

Watch the entire interview here;

Philip and Drew Thomas

Here is Drew’s interview.  He talks about how improved the defense is, his tennis, and his new home, El Paso, Texas.;
Drew Thomas Interview

 Marlon McClure is no bigger than a minute.  He is 5′ 9″ and weighs 155 pounds.  The sophomore kick/punt returner makes kick coverage players look like pylons set out for an autocross, as he zigs and zags through and around them like a Porsche 911 chewing up a course.  As a freshman, he averaged nearly 24 yards per kickoff return.

     The Miners have enough speedsters to field a couple of 4×100 meters relay teams that could challenge for the C-USA Championships on the track, and when you watch him scoot, you have to think he might have to be included on one of those teams.  I asked him who the fastest guy on the team is and he humbly volunteered that there are a lot of fast guys on the team, but he would say that it would perhaps be Donavon Kemp, or maybe Vernon Frazier.  Asked if he might be right up there with them, he smiled and said, “I’ll put myself up there.”

     He isn’t only a return man, though.  He is a talented receiver, too.  I asked him what he had been working on in preparing for this season.
     “As a receiver, just learning all positions as a receiver, from the slot, to the A back, to the z, to the x.  Just, you know what I mean, to give myself more opportunities to get the ball.”

     Did I mention that he is also used as a running back?  Last season, he rushed for 75 yards on 7 carries.  If he lines up in the backfield, defenses have something else to worry about.

     Maybe the most impressive thing about this collection of muscle, gristle, bone, and heart is his toughness.  Asked about his toughness he had this to say;
     “Yes, sir.  I take pride in that.  I’m the smallest one, but I’ve got too much heart.”
     Last year, he separated his shoulder.  The next day, Coach Price was stunned to see him suited up, and ready to go.

     This year, he is listed as the punt returner, and back up to Braxton Amy returning kickoffs.  When you put a football in his hands it’s like putting a blasting cap in a stick of dynamite-he’s is ready to go off.  You can expect to see him used in different ways to make good use of his explosiveness, but don’t blink or look away, or you might only get to see him cross the goal line.

See all of the interview here;

Marlon McClure

Bernard Obi, UTEP’s starting right defensive end says the new defense is all about attacking the opponent’s offense.

     ”This defense is great.  We attack people.  We’re constantly in attack mode.”

     It is designed so that the defensive line does a couple of things.  The fourth lineman forces the opponent’s offensive line to account for the extra defensive lineman, allowing linebackers to be free to make tackles without having to shed larger offensive linemen.  On passing plays, the quick defensive ends are able to use their speed to get into the opponent’s backfield and put pressure on the quarterback.

     Obi says, “I don’t have to think as much.  I’ve just got to go attack, attack, attack, and that’s what my game has always been, just to attack, be in constant attack mode.  This defense is designed for the linebackers to get free and attack on run plays, and for us d-linemen to rush the passer and hit him as much as we can…”

     The defense is a change from the 3-3-5 UTEP tried for the past two seasons.  Whenever a new scheme is put in there is a concern about the time it takes for the players to pick it up.  Asked if the players have it down yet, Obi replied, “Yes, we do.  We definitely do…It’s a new mind set to be in constant attack mode.”

     Does Obi like this new defense?  Flashing a smile, his response came quickly, “I love this defense!  It makes everybody that much better.  Now, our team is ready to go win the conference championship.”

     The battles begin this Saturday evening in the Sun Bowl at 7 PM against Arkansas Pine Bluff, and you can expect the Miners defense, these attack dogs, to be in full attack mode.

Full interview;

Bernard Obi

Could Dakota Warren be the one to break the record for the longest field goal in NCAA history?  I have watched his kick field goals of 50 yards in practice with plenty of distance to spare.  He is pretty much automatic.  His kicks are consistently straight through the middle of the uprights.  Of course, there is a big difference between practice and game situations.
     About a week ago, I asked Warren if he could beat Jose Matinez’s record tying 63 yarder.  Of course, his answer was a quick, confident yes.  So, today I asked Kickers Coach, Aaron Price about it.

     ”Before the scrimmage last Saturday he was hitting 60-62 yarders, and so I think he’s got the range, so he can move it back there.  You know, it’s not something that we’ll try immediately, but he’s got a real good leg and so we’ve got some distance out of him.”

     Could we possibly see an attempt during the season if we needed it was my next question.  Coach Price said that a number of factors would have to be considered.

     ”Oh yeah.  It just depends on where we are at, and on the field where the wind is, where we’re playing-elevation has a lot to do with ball flight and so the higher the elevation, the further you can kick it.”

     Moving on to his offense, I asked him how he likes what he sees so far this year.
 
     ”It’s doing good, real good.”

     He says that he feels that it is gelling, right now.  UTEP’s offense ranked 31st in Total Offense in 2008, and 18th in the nation last year.  When he feels good about it, it probably means that UTEP’s offense will again be one of the best in the country this season. 
     Having said that, it is nice to know that Warren is there, and capable of perhaps kicking that record breaker if it’s necessary.

Home is where the heart is, isn’t it?  Troy Collavo played linebacker for UTEP’s Miners from 2003-06.  As a senior he led the league in tackles.  The antithesis of a “dumb jock”, he used his physical talent and sharp mind to his advantage on the field, putting himself in the right place to rack up 125 tackles.  As a junior he anchored the linebacking corps that helped the Miners to an 8 win season, and a trip to the GMAC Bowl.  
     He was given a shot with the Chicago Bears, and had offers to play with a couple of teams in the Canadian Football League, but decided not to pursue those.  With his degree in Marketing, he made his way out to California.  There he lived with fellow Miner Joe Fleskoski, and spent a year working for a marketing firm.
     He returned to Texas and taught computers and coached football at AC Jones High School in Beeville.  It was there that he realized that coaching was what he wanted to do.

     “Football is easy for me, and it’s the thing I think I’m good at.  Being able to pass on things to the kids, that I can help their situation, hopefully make them good ball players, then I hope I can do that.”

     About six months ago, he contacted Coach Mike Price about coming back to UTEP to work with the football team.  He is now the Defensive Program Coordinator, and has been reunited with Linebackers Coach Robert Rodriguez.

     “Funny thing is, he was my mentor whenever I was playing here and he is kind of in the same role again.  It seems like everything has come full circle.”

     Asked about working with the Miners, he spoke of his return to El Paso.

     “It’s just a good opportunity to come back to El Paso.  I kind of got the El Paso curse.  They told me when I came here that once you live here you always come back.  It’s good that El Paso is having me back.  I feel like El Paso did a lot for me and it’s time for me to do something for El Paso.  I’ve lived here for six years, and that’s about a fourth of my life, so El Paso is home for me.”

     As with all coaches, they have to keep a bag packed.  Coaches have to have a little gypsy in their blood as there is one constant in their lives and that is that there will almost always be change.  Young coaches, working their way up, must go where the opportunities present themselves.  But, if Troy could have his way he would love to spend the next 10 or 20 years here.

     “I love this city.  It was good to me, and I just hope I can do the same.”

     Welcome home, Troy.