The Kyyote's Howl

The tough old guy always kept an eye out for those places that might yield the metal with the distinctive yellow lustre.  He had spent his youth travelling throughout the southwestern part of the United States in search of precious metals.  His travels had taken him to isolated places and towns where two legged predators were as dangerous as the four legged kind that inhabitted the surrounding countryside where the prospectors picked, shoveled, and panned.  He had learned to spot those men who were more likely to bend the principles of honest men, than bend their backs to hard work.  Many times he had had to use his work-hardened fists to redirect the misguided intentions of some hat and boot wearing varmint.
     
     Now that he was older, he had found a home along the Rio Grande.  He still enjoyed the land, and how if a man could use his head, his eyes, and his hands, old Mother Nature would reward him with bits of her treasure for his efforts.  He had also found that teaching the young men of the region how to search in the right places, and what to look for, had its own special rewards. 

     But, maybe what had become closest to his heart was his small flock of sheep.  When he was herding them, he could keep his prospecting skills honed, and at the same time, the herd taught him lessons he had not learned or appreciated when he had lived his years working alone.

     Along the way, he had had to choose between using herd dogs such as the healers that moved sheep by nipping at the sheep’s heels, the headers that used the strong eye to stare down the sheep to guide them from the front of the flock, or livestock guard dogs.  It was the latter that not only fit his needs, but appealed to his nature.  His flock was small, and so he was able to herd them where he chose, himself.  But, the Mastiffs, that traveled within the herd, provided extra eyes that were always on the lookout for any predator that might think that the flock would be easy pickings.  He had gotten the pups and introduced them into the herd at only four weeks of age.  As far as the dogs knew, the sheep were family members.  Pity the big cats, wolves, or any other predator that got too close to the family.

     Each of the Mastiffs stood nearly three feet tall at the withers, and exceeded 200 pounds.  On two separate occasions, he had watched them inflict mortal damage on bears that had gotten too close.  Big cats found that their safety depended on being able to get to the top of a tall tree, and wait for the herd to move on.  Wolves sometimes made the mistake of not looking closely enough to notice the larger “sheep’ that mingled amongst the rest.  The wolves slashing teeth were no match for the tremendous force of the attacking Mastiffs.  The dogs would ram the wolves with such force that the wolves would be sent rolling across the ground.  Before they could gain their feet, the dogs’ massive jaws would be on them, crushing bones, crippling, and rendering the wolves helpless.

     Pete smiled to himself as he thought of his flock, and their loyal protectors, as he made preparations for the trip north.  He knew that there were wolves in the hills and mountains where he planned to graze his herd.  But, he had seen his guard dogs dispatch skulking predators before.  He smiled at the thought that they were older, wiser, and even stronger, now.

It seems to me that the two teams that will play on Saturday in the Sun Bowl reflect the people and geography they represent.
 
     Memphis sits along the mighty Mississippi River.  The river’s size, strength, and power provides a super highway for the transportation of the goods and the production of the American heartland to the rest of the world.  The river imposes its will on the land over which it travels.  The river’s strength doesn’t come from its speed, but rather from its massive size.  The heat of the south, combined with the lush green land that the water provides creates oppressive humidity during the summer months.  The people rooted to this land have a strength and power born  of a history of finding inner strength brought about by back breakingly hard work and oppression.  That strength combined with a belief in themselves and the hope of a better life allowed those people to develop faith in their ability to persevere and ultimately overcome the obstacles placed in their way.  That culture shows itself in the music of the Mississippi Blues, and the Memphis barbecue.  The blues are like the river, and the culture from which they came.  Slow, and with power, they tell of hardship, hard times, and a faith in their ability to make it through, to eventually outlast, to survive and succeed.  Even the barbecue takes this slow, time consuming way of  allowing the flavors to grow, and eventually become a taste born celebration of that same faith that with time comes strength and character.

     El Paso sits along the bank of the Rio Grande, also known as the Rio Bravo.  This river is more like a dusty trail.  At times, its swiftness allows its energy to cut through the land through which it flows, but for the most part it uses its energy to speedily go around the obstacles the land puts in its way.  This brave river travels more than 1800 miles, most of which is through a sun parched desert.  For the most part, about the only travel on this river is done in inflatable rafts, and can often be crossed without even needing to swim.  At times, in some places, it can be crossed without getting wet.  The heat of the desert through which it travels and the sparse desert flora create a climate almost free from any humidity.  The people of this area have also adapted their life along their river, and the climate of this high desert.  The water in this river is almost entirely used to sustain life.  It allows crops to grow in narrow valleys in the sand, and enough water to quench a thirsty people.  The people along this river also developed their character through hard, back breaking work, in almost life killing heat.  Like the plants and animals of this land, they too developed their own kind of inner strength, toughness, and resourcefulness necessary to not only survive, but to prosper.  From this hard work in a hard land, these people developed a culture that relied on each other to help all to work together to be able to survive.  This reliance on others grew into a feeling of warmth and inclusiveness to all who were willing to do their part to help the rest.  There are no outsiders living here.  Even travellers are welcomed like family.  These people’s oppression came from nature, not man.  They learned that they too could persevere and succeed, but their strength came not from within, but from their community.  The music here isn’t about pain and suffering.  It is the music of celebration of survival, and success, shared with all who had a hand in it.  It is light, and cheerful.  It wills a person to kick up their heels.  We made it!  We all pulled each other through.  The food also is a perfect representation of the culture.  Using the fruits of their labors, the tough, hardy plants and animals that can survive here, the food is a reward for the hard work and hard life needed to make it possible, and it too, is a celebration.  The more flavor, the better.  Those chile peppers that tough it out in the valleys along the river, lend their wild strength and shout out their love of life and survival in this land.

     I said that the two teams reflect their people.  The Memphis Tigers will use strength, both physical and their inner strength to try and impose their will.  They will endure pain and hardship, believing in their hearts that in the end they will come out on top.
     The UTEP Miners will use their speed, combined with their toughness and reliance on their family around them, to take what is given and use it to get the most from it.  They will use their hardiness, and an ability to use what is available to adapt, to use their different kind of strength, a strength that comes from knowing that they can overcome and succeed by pulling together.

     Like the two great rivers, these two teams have their own identities, and characters.  Like the two rivers, their people come from different beginnings, and both travel different paths to the same destination.  When we watch them play this Saturday keep a healthy respect in your hearts and minds for these two teams that represent two great peoples.

One of the subplots for this week’s UTEP/Memphis game is the fact that Eric Price, the former Offensive Coordinator under his father Mike Price at UTEP will be running Memphis’ offense when they play on Saturday.  Then, add to that, his brother Aaron is now the Co-Offensive Coordinator for UTEP, now.

     Mike Price talked about it on Monday at his weekly press conference.

     ”Their offense is really well coached, obviously”, he quipped.  “It’ll be real different to say the least.  To say the least it will be weird.  Don’t ask Joyce, my wife, who she’s going to be cheering for, because I’m not even second on that list.  I’m third on that list.  She definitely wants both of her boys to do well.  They’re not playing each other so, they used to fight each other, so there isn’t going to be any punches thrown or anything.”

     How about your daughter, he was asked.

     ”Probably about the same place that I rank on that deal.  I know who the grandkids are cheering for, and that’s the important thing.  The grandkids are cheering for Papa, not that goofy Uncle Eric.”

     Then, there’s Eric’s take on it.  He told the Memphis Commercial Appeal, “It will be a little different.  I’ve never coached against him before.  I might get booed.  All my friends will be booing me.”  Saying that he and his dad keep in touch, but that they don’t talk in depth about each others teams, Eric said, ”He’s very professional in that way.  He doesn’t bring football home much anyway. It hasn’t been an issue at all. He’s not trying to get any information out of me and I’m not trying to get any information out of him.  It’s going to be a different situation for my family, but once the game starts I don’t think it will be any big deal. It will be a regular game.”

     I had to get Aaron’s take on going up against his brother, one Offensive Coordinator versus the other.  I asked him if this week would be anything special for him.

     ”No, actually you know, it’s a conference game, and that’s the most important(thing).  Obviously we’ve never played against each other, so it’s a little bit different, but we’ve been anticipating this for years and knew it was going to happen, someday.  So, this week’s the week.  We talk and things, and we both want each other to do well, but, you know, it’s competition, and we’ve been competing against each other all our lives, so it’s nothing new for us.”

     Was there a pretty good sibling rivalry when you were growing up?

     ”Yeah, we were good.  We were good about it, but there’s always the one on one basketball and those things.”

     Both of you are really competitive, huh?

     ”Yeah.  I think that’s the nature of coaches as a profession are competitive, and you play to win.  You get in the game and it’s not just about a sibling rivalry.  It’s a conference game, and that’s the most important(thing).”

     There you have it.  Dad’s pretty loose about it.  On the outside, at least.  The brothers are playing it pretty cool, too.  Of course, the game will be decided by the players on the field, not by the coaches.  But, you know the players are aware of the family bragging rights on the line, too.  They have brothers.  This one should be fun.
 

Watch the interview with Aaron Price.  He talks about the offense, and how it has changed, yet stayed the same;
Interview with Aaron Price

Last week, Robert Rodriquez not a happy man.  After the loss at Houston, people were talking about his team, his town, and it wasn’t in a good way.  Before the Tuesday practice last week, he spoke to the team about it.  When he was finished, the team came out of the meeting on the field, and they were fired up.  They practiced hard.  They hit hard.  They pushed each other.  At the end of that practice Robert told me that he was happy with the practice.  They had made some mistakes, but they were going 110 mph.  He knew that the mistakes would be corrected in the days of practice to come, but they had to start with that kind of effort.

     When I spoke with him after practice yesterday, I mentioned how that effort during the week showed big on Saturday against the Aggies.

     ”The thing that I was excited about, and encouraged by, was how hard they played.  … My guys finally got a glimpse, not just my guys but the d-line, the whole front seven got a feeling of what it’s like to be the kind of defense we should be.”

     Since Coach Patterson got here the players have said that his defense allows them to use their athletic abilities to make plays.  A key factor is that his linemen keep opposing offensive linemen off of the linebackers so that they are free to attack the ball carrier.  Attack, attack, attack.  That has been the mantra from the players.

     ”The d-line did a phenomenal job.  They really did, and dominated the line of scrimmage, and the linebackers, everybody, got a burst of energy.  They worked their tails off, got down to the football, and when they got there, it was exciting because they got there in a bad mood.  They took it out on those ball carriers.  We were hitting hard, and making plays, and even when that ball didn’t come out, it wanted to.”

      Was this the kind of game the players needed to get the mentality they needed to have?

     ”Without a doubt.  Once you get it done the first time, it kind of tells you where your mindset needs to be at, and where your heart needs to be at.  That’s what experience is all about.   To watch them, as a core,  come out there and perform like that, I mean that’s why you coach.”

     Memphis is one of those eastern teams that come in here expecting to push the Miners around.  They will look to physically dominate UTEP, and impose their will.  It has always worked in the past.  So will we need to come out with that same intensity, maybe even more?

     ”They’re big, physical, they’ll maul you.  They’ll beat you up if you let them.  But last year we were a different team, and we’re a smarter team.  We know what to expect from them in terms of how physical they’re going to be.  So, I hope after last week, we’re going to become a more physical football team.  That’s who we’re going to be, now.  Because we’ve done it before now, and now that’s going to become our identity because it felt good.  It felt real good to get out there and punch, and not get punched.  We took the punches, and we punched right back instead of sitting there and taking punches left and right, and trying to finesse our way through.  We played hard, fast, and through people, and that’s what we have to do to be in the game this Saturday.  If we don’t do that we’re going to get run right out of the stadium.  So, it’s important that we’re overly physical.  That we do things right, and more importantly that we do it with great effort, great intensity, and great physicality.  That we get after these dudes, and let them know that they can’t just push us around because they will.  They’re a very,  very good football team.  They’ll come after us and push us around if we let them.”

       Can the defense hold Memphis to under 300 yards of total offense?

     ”That’s the goal.  But, if we give up a lot of yards and win the game I’ll be happy.  Not that happy, but I’ll be happy.  It’s about winning the game.  Again, we can’t go by stats, because if we give up those yards, we don’t want our kids to stop.  That’s not our goal.  Our goal is to win the game.  So, I don’t care how many yards we’ve given up.  If we’re in the game, fight to win.  Fight not to give up that next yard.  That’s got to be our mentality, and again Andre Patterson has brought a great mentality to this football team, and so because of it I think our goals are pretty simple, and they’re pretty set.  The goal is to win the game, do whatever it takes to win, and do whatever it takes to get the ball back to the offense every drive.  Now, the new goal is to be physical while doing it.”

     The Memphis Tigers should be a great team to measure that progress against.     

Entire interview;

Coach Rod

As great as it felt as a fan to watch our team dismantle and dominate the Aggies, and that feeling must have been even more rewarding for the team, it is a “What have you done for me, lately” world.  So, it is time to move on, and prepare for the Memphis Tigers.  Coach Price talked about the emphasis on physicality during last week’s practice, and how it was a factor in the NMSU win.  That will be even more important this week.  The teams from the Eastern Division have used that approach to great advantage whenever they have met the teams from the western half of the conference.  Even though Memphis has had a bit of a rough start, you can bet that they will come into UTEP confident that they will again impose their will on the Miners.  They have every reason to believe that to be true, as they haven’t lost to the Miners since the Miners joined C-USA.  Saturday’s game will be a test of wills almost as much as a test of skills.  Both teams need a win for their mental well being, as well as to keep pace in the hunt for a conference championship, early in the season chase.  
    
     The Miners have shown that they can run the football, in spite of the loss of their star running back, Donald Buckram.  The big men on the offensive line have shown that they can make the holes needed for the backs to get through, and have kept Trevor Vittatoe safe, and given him plenty of time to hit streaking receivers as they stretch the field against opposing defenses.  The defense is showing what I had been told it does, and had seen in practices since Spring Ball.  The D-line would free up linebackers to make tackles.  That is exactly what is happening.  Today, I was looking to see if the team would practice with that same physicality that served them so well last week.  They had enthusiasm, but I didn’t think they were as physical as last week.  That was at the beginning of practice.  But, as the offense worked against the scout team, things got heated up.  There were a few “disagreements”, and the intensity got ramped up pretty quick.  When the offense and defense came together there was plenty of that physicality I had been looking for.  I loved it.  

     Now, the news you have all been waiting for.  Donald Buckram practiced.  He was wearing a red jersey.  He started off lining up as a receiver.  He was just getting involved in plays and in a way to have almost no contact.  As practice progressed, he became more involved, and by the end, he was back to doing what he does.  He was running the ball, hitting the holes, and making cuts.  Everything but taking hits.  Coach Price said that was the plan, and that he would work back into the offense as normal in the days to come.

The Miners are coming off of a big win against their rivals from up the road in Las Cruces.  The men of the mines were able to do whatever they wanted to do on the offensive side of the ball.  With an almost perfect balance of running and passing, the Miners ran for 249 yards and passed for 246 yards in their 42 to 10 pounding of the Aggies of New Mexico State.  Offense has not been an issue since the arrival of Coach Mike Price.  It has been the defensive side of the ball that has been the problem the last four seasons.  This season, new Defensive Coordinator Andre Patterson has installed a 4-3 defense after two years of the Miners going with a 3-3-5 defense.  How well the 4-3 defense is working has really yet to be determined.  Against the FCS Division Arkansas Pine Bluff team, the defense was able to hold the Golden Lions to just 278 yards of total offense.  But, when the Miners travelled to what almost everyone felt would be a test against the pass happy offense of the Case Keenum led Houston Cougars, the Miners found instead a team committed to running the ball right down the Miners throat.  With the Cougars able to run at will, the passing game became even easier for the Cougars, as the Miners were completely thrown off balance defensively.  The shell-shocked Miners allowed 308 yards of rushing and 348 yards of passing in a lopsided 54-24 loss.  The Miners returned to the friendly confines of the Sun Bowl to take on their always pesky rivals, but the Aggies are one of the worst teams in the FBS division.  Against the Aggies, the Miners defense looked very tough, again.  Holding the Aggies to 96 yards of rushing and 200 yards through the air, they had their second game of the season of holding their opponent to under three hundred yards of total offense.  So, against two lesser opponents the defense has looked tremendous, but against a highly ranked Houston team, they had been taken to the wood shed.  The question of just how good this defense is has yet to be answered.

      This week, the Memphis Tigers from Conference USA’s Eastern Division make the journey to the western most tip of the conference to test these Miners.  The eastern schools tend to go with more of a power football style of play, as opposed to the wide open offenses predominantly played in the western side of the conference.  But, this season, the Tigers are going through a transition under a completely new coaching staff.  After 3 games, the Tigers have yet to show just what kind of team they are.  The Tigers lost their first game to Mississippi State 49-7.  That was probably to be expected.  At least it wasn’t a total shock.  Their next game was against the perennially tough East Carolina Pirates of C-USA.  The score ended up being 49-27, but the Tigers showed that they had some claws.  The Tigers weren’t able to mount much of a rushing attack, but they seemed to have found a quarterback.  Cannon Smith was benched and Ryan Williams came in to complete 18 of 25 passes for 293 yards.  The next game, against Middle Tennessee State out of the Sun Belt Conference gave the Tigers their first win of the season with a score of 24 to 17.  The Tigers used a balance attack to get 158 yards from their ground game, and 129 yards through the air to outlast the Blue Raiders.  The Blue Raiders actually had 28 yards more offense than the Tigers.  Memphis’ defense was able to hold MTS to just 67 yards of rushing, but allowed 248 yards through the air.

     Against the Miners passing attack, you can expect to see Trevor Vittatoe add another 250-300 yards of passing to his record chasing stats, and with Donald Buckram most likely returning to carry the ball you can expect about the same kind of yardage on the ground.  The Miners high octane offense will rack up the yards, and put lots of points on the board.  That brings us back to the question of what about the Miners’ defense.  In total offense, the Tigers are ranked 96th with 312.33 yards per game.  The NMSU Aggies are ranked 97th with 312 yards per game.  They have played different teams, but you can get an idea of how much of a test the Memphis team should be for the Miners defense.  This should be another game where the Miners are able to do whatever they want on offense, and perhaps hold a third team to less than 300 yards of total offense.

Predicted Score for this one;

UTEP 45
Memphis  17

After the Arkansas Pine Bluff game, people complained that Pine Bluff was able to start the game with a long scoring drive, and I stated that I felt that Pine Bluff was a pretty decent team.  UTEP went on to dominate the game.  The defense, which is the key to UTEP’s success or failure, eventually held the Golden Lions to less than 300 yards total offense.  But, that was an FCS team.  So, that wasn’t a remarkable feat.  How would the Miners do against a FBS team?  Next came the Houston Cougars, and they answered that question with one of those beat-downs that Miners fans had seen all too often over the years.  Those who looked for UTEP to be weak defensively found all of the proof they needed to support their beliefs, and the complaints and calls for heads to roll became a chorus which filled the message board posts all week long.  Those who feel like UTEP’s defense will be better this year, were rocked as Houston not only passed at will, but they ran the ball through UTEP’s defense like Sherman marched through the South., slashing and burning the dazed and confused UTEP defensive forces.  But, Houston proved to be deserving of the Top Twenty-Five ranking, against UTEP, at least.  Two games played and there seemed to be no answer to the questions about UTEP’s defense.  Was it the defense that had held APB to just 76 yards of rushing, and only 278 yards of total offense?  Or was it the same old UTEP defense that had been obliterated and run off of the field by Houston?

     Next up were the hated Aggies of New Mexico State.  Although the Aggies are also a FBS division team, they rank in the top five worst in the nation for that division.  But, they are UTEP’s oldest rivalry, and unfortunately for UTEP the meetings between the two are always hard to predict.  Each team, no matter what their season’s record, comes into these games usually thinking that this is the one game that they must win.  These games often resemble a fight between two high school weaklings, but you can usually count on it being a vicious affair.  They both may be skinny and small, and fighting over a girl that neither of them has any chance of landing, but a win allows one to at least have that.  The girl may still turn and go the other way when he sees either of them, but they know that they at least can say that they kicked that wimps’ ass.  That’s worth something when they often have nothing else.

     So last night the Miners and Aggies met for the 88th time.  Which one would walk away victorious and which one would be left with nothing but a busted lip and a bruised ego?  Both teams came into the game having been beaten badly the previous week.  One of them would exit the Sun Bowl with a win, and some regained dignity.  When the fireworks boomed to signal the end of the game, the Miners proudly stood tall, and helped the beaten Aggie’s to their feet.  Like two old friends/enemies/rivals the fight was over.  The Miners told the Aggie’s that they would need to get that bitten ear looked at, and the broken tooth might be able to be fixed with a cap.  They may hate each other, but these fights have been happening since they were in kindergarten together, and after so many years, and so many fights, they have developed a certain begrudging respect for one another and they know too that the next fight between them could easily leave last night’s victor the one needing to be helped to their feet by the other.

     Last night’s meeting wasn’t much of a fight.  The Miners started off getting the best of the Aggie’s with flurries that had the Aggie’s trying to block the punches that were coming at them from every angle, and not having much luck.  Then came the haymakers that left the poor guys from Las Cruces with blood pouring over their matching crimson shirts.  Had this been a real high school fight, one of the jocks in the crowd watching might have stepped in to put a stop to the one sided affair.  He would have been told by the combatants to get the hell out of the way.  This was their fight, and they would be finished when they were finished.

     The Miners won that fight, but does that mean that they have muscled up, and are badasses, or was it just another wimp getting their ass kicked by a kid who got the best of the other kid on that night?  The Miners weren’t just closing their eyes and windmilling punches at a seemingly helpless victim.  The Miners were jabbing, throwing body punches, hooks and rights, and they were all landing.  The guys in orange looked like they could fight.  But, the guys in red liked like the couldn’t.  So last night’s tough guys didn’t really prove that they can fight against anyone yet.  They looked good beating up on the 90 pound weakling, but can they beat someone their own size?  Only time will tell as the season continues.  The kids from Memphis come to fight next week, and they must weigh at least 125 pounds.  These guys aren’t too much better that the farmer from up the road, but they have a history of kicking the Miners’ ass the past few years.  A win by the Miners and there might be some proof that the Miners have pumped a little iron and the time in the gym may be starting to show.  A loss, and the Miners will be exposed as the kid that beat up on an eigth-grader and a ninety pound weakling.  One thing you can be sure of though, and that is it will be a cool fight to watch.  Both of them will be throwing punches and getting hit.  It will probably be one of those fights determined by who is the last one able to hold their arms up and throw punches.

     Before I finish, I think the stats from the Arkansas Pine Bluff game and the NMSU game are worth looking at.  The numbers are almost identical from the two games. 

The numbers beg the question, was Arkansas Pine Bluff as good as a really bad FBS team, or is NMSU as bad as a decent FCS team?  Then, of course, the next question you have to ask is, is UTEP good enough to beat teams better than those two?  The rest of the season will answer that last one.

This week’s game is against UTEP’s longest and biggest rival, New Mexico State University.  This will be the 88th meeting of the two schools.  They are only about 45 miles apart, but one is in Texas and the other is in New Mexico so not only are local bragging rights on the line, but there is the added rivalry of state versus state.  Add to that the two school’s long history of battling it out over which one is the worst team in Division 1 football.  Even when one team seems to be digging itself out of the competition they can easily lose to the other.  The very fact that one or the other may be one of the top 5 worst teams in the country and it is still a rivalry game says it all.

     The record stands at 50 wins for UTEP, 35 wins for NMSU, and 2 ties.  So, before looking closer at the names and numbers keep in mind that in this game it is next to impossible to predict the outcome.

     The stats I will give you are from the NCAA.  They are based on the one game NMSU has played, a home game against San Diego State, and the average of the two games UTEP has played, one a home game against FCS Division Arkansas Pine Bluff and an away game against #23 ranked Houston.  I would say that San Diego State is better than APB, but not nearly as good as Houston.  So UTEP’s average against those two teams might be fairly close to what you might expect if UTEP were to play San Diego State.

     Here is a comparison of some offensive and defensive stats:

Rank   Passing Offense
22 UTEP  285 yards/game                             59 NMSU  223 yards/game
           Rushing Offense
55 UTEP 167 yards/game                            100 NMSU  105 yards/game
            Total Offense
27 UTEP  452 yards/game                             85 NMSU  328 yards/game

           Passing Defense
102 UTEP 275 yards/game                           114 NMSU 319 yards/game
           Rushing Defense
 95 UTEP 192 yards/game                            109 NMSU 244 yards/game
             Total Defense
108 UTEP 467 yards/game                           119 NMSU 563 yards/game

Here’s some of the NMSU players;
 
QB Matt Christian 50% completion % 17/34 223 yards/game
WR Marcus Allen 4/114 yards
Rushing
Matt Christian 9/35 yards  3.9 yds/carry
Kenny Turner 10/43 yards  4.3 yds/carry

Offensive Lines;
UTEP                                                       NMSU
LT Osolinsky 6’8″ 280 SR                        Barton 6’4″ 279 SR
LG McNac 6’4″ 325 SR                             Yates 6’2″ 276 JR
C Cullumber 6’4″ 300 SR                         Grady 6’3″ 306 JR
RG Hundley 6’3″ 320 SR                          Fakalata 6’3″ 327 SR
RT Solot 6’8″ 310 SR                               McCaskey 6’6″ 297 JR

Defensive Lines
DE Soleyjacks 6’2″ 260 SR                      Fils 6’3″ 245 JR
DT Reed 6’1″ 270 FR                               Shook 6’3″ 273 SR
NT Tauaefa 6’1″ 275                               Finau 6’1″ 302 SR
Obi 6’2″ 240 JR                                       Savage 6’1″ 239 JR

NMSU’s Leading Tacklers  Solo  Assists
MLB Aoelua                         2         14
SS Powell                            1         13
FS Coleman                         6           7
RCB Green                           5           4
LCB House                           2           6

     Looking at the numbers, UTEP has the edge.  The odds makers have UTEP listed as a 15 point favorite.  Did I say that it is next to impossible to predict the outcomes of these games?  NMSU will hope to win two games this year-UTEP and UNM.  You can be sure that they will bring everything they can to the Sun Bowl, so the Miners will have to come to play or they will get beat in their own stadium.  UTEP will be without their arguably best player on defense in this game, as 6th year Senior Braxton Amy suffered a career ending injury in the Houston game.  UTEP’s premier running back, Donald Buckrum will most likely miss this game, too.  But, he didn’t play in the first two games which the stats are based on.

My prediction:

UTEP 38   NMSU 14

Ruben Munoz

Tuesday’s Practice began with the players gathered around El Paso’s own Robert Rodriguez.  I can’t say exactly what he said to the players, but he was very passionately talking about the rivalry game with NMSU.  I was ready to take a drive up to Las Cruces and kick some ass, myself, and I’m way too old for that sort of thing.  The players broke into their individual groups to get started on their drills.  Assistant coaches were on players’ butts, players were on other players’ butts, and in general there was an increase in the energy level, in the Sun Bowl.  When asked if this week’s practice would be about correcting mental things or physical things, Coach Price said it was both.

    “It’s going to be a lot more physical in practice than it was a week ago.  Because of the short week we kind of backed off on them and it kind of back fired because our guys weren’t coming out and hitting like I thought they would.  So we’re hitting now, right now, so it’s a habit.”

    I had a chance to talk with Ruben Munoz, an El Paso kid from Eastwood High School about getting his chance to play against the Aggies.  The 6′, 265 pound sophomore defensive lineman had this to say.

     ”I’ve been watching these since I was young out here, so now to be in the game it’s kind of different, playing for something, now.”

     He spoke about the player’s attitude going into this game.

     ”Our attitude’s great.  Last game is over and done with, learning lesson, attitude’s great, right now.”

      On the intensity of the practice;

     ”Oh yeah, it was a good practice.  We might have messed up, but we were going full speed, so it was good for a Tuesday.”

     Tuesdays are when new plays are put in, both on offense and defense, to prepare for the team they will be playing.  Because it is new stuff, mistakes are to be expected.  Those are ironed out over the next few days.

     I mentioned that this game is probably the biggest game of the year for the Aggies.

     ”Oh yeah.  They’re probably fired up about it.  They probably want to kick our butts, so we’re going to be ready.”

     Walking up the steps with Robert Rodriguez, I mentioned how fired up he was when he spoke to the players, and he said that he just wished he could suit up for the game himself.  He said that if he and Troy Collavo could get out there they would show the players some heart and intensity.  He said that he was pleased with the practice.  They made some mistakes, but they were going full speed.  He said the mistakes could be corrected, but the all-out play was what he needed to have from his players.

     The mental aspect of football is such a powerful part of the game.  Players have to go into games knowing they can, and will, win.  They can’t let a stinker of a game the previous week undermine their confidence.  They have to put that game in a box, put it on the shelf, and get ready for a new opponent.  So, there is a tightrope that has to be walked.  You want the players to know the feeling of being beat, but you can’t allow them to dwell on it.  The Miners aren’t a team that considers winning as a given, like those teams that are perennial winners.  Those teams see a loss as an aberration.  They get right back to their winning ways the next week, just as they would expect.  The Miners have to start over, building confidence almost every week.  So far, the team is 1 and 1.  The confidence gained by playing Arkansas Pine Bluff was blasted with the loss at Houston.  This game, this rivalry game against a foe just 45 miles from their home, is a game that could go a long ways to getting them back on the right track.

Ruben Monoz’s complete interview;

Ruben Munoz Interview

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