UTEP Miners
|
-
2008
UTEP Season
-
2008 UTEP Preview
-
2007 UTEP Season
2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Record: 5-7
Aug 28
at
Buffalo W 42-17
Sept. 6 Texas L 42-13
Sept. 13 OPEN DATE
Sept. 20 New Mexico St L 34-33
Sept. 27 UCF W 58-13
Oct. 4 at So. Miss W 40-37 2OT
Oct. 11 Tulane W
24-21
Oct. 18 at Tulsa L 77-35
Oct. 25 OPEN DATE
Nov. 1 Rice L
49-44
Nov. 8 at UL Lafayette
W 37-24
Nov. 15 SMU W
36-10
Nov. 22 at Houston L 42-37
Nov. 29 at East Carolina L 53-21 |
|
2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Record: 4-8
Sept. 1 New
Mexico W 10-6
Sept. 8 at
Texas Tech L 45-21
Sept. 15
at NMSU
L 29-24
Sept. 22
Tex Southern
W 52-12
Sept. 29 at
SMU W 48-45 OT
Oct.
6
Tulsa W 48-47
Oct.
13
E Carolina L 45-42 OT
Oct.
27
Houston
L 34-31
Nov.
3
at Rice
L 56-48
Nov.
10
at Tulane
L 34-19
Nov.
17
Southern Miss L 56-30
Nov.
24 at
UCF L 36-20 |
2009
Recruiting Class
Five Best Prospects
|
1. Richard Spencer |
DB |
6-0 |
188 |
Moreno Valley, CA |
|
2. Adam Ayala |
DT |
6-5 |
250 |
Huntsville, TX |
|
3. Craig Wenrick |
TE |
6-5 |
230 |
Flower Mound, TX |
|
4. Justin Hickman |
LB |
6-3 |
230 |
Glen Ellyn, IL |
|
5. Andy McCloud |
QB |
6-2 |
178 |
The Woodlands, TX |
Rest Of
The Class
|
Aubrey Alexius |
LB |
6-0 |
200 |
Cypress, TX |
|
Brander Craighead |
OL |
6-6 |
265 |
Fork Union, VA |
|
James Davidson |
DB |
6-2 |
187 |
Hunstville, TX |
|
Lance Evbuomwan |
OL |
6-4 |
275 |
Redlands, CA |
|
Wayne Frazier |
OL |
6-5 |
315 |
Refugio, TX |
|
Keldon Hampton |
RB |
6-0 |
210 |
Dallas, TX |
|
Marlon McClure |
WR |
5-9 |
170 |
Teneha, TX |
|
Montreyle McCormick |
DB |
5-10 |
180 |
Arlington, TX |
|
Darren Mickens |
LB |
6-3 |
195 |
El Paso, TX |
|
Brandon Miller |
DB |
6-3 |
195 |
Bakersfield, CA |
|
Leilyon Myers |
RB |
6-0 |
210 |
San Marcos, CA |
|
Hunter Nix |
LB |
6-2 |
205 |
Prosper, TX |
|
Garrette Nunn |
RB |
5-11 |
220 |
Bellville, TX |
|
Kevin Perry |
TE |
6-6 |
210 |
Houston, TX |
|
Germard Reed |
DE |
6-2 |
235 |
Lufkin, TX |
|
Jerel Watkins |
OL |
6-2 |
245 |
Channelview, TX |
Nov. 28
East Carolina 53 …
UTEP 21
East Carolina had already won the East and didn’t need the game, but it
dominated anyway by getting out to a 24-0 first half lead helped by two of
Brandon Simmons’ three touchdown runs and a 32-yard Darryl Freeney scoring grab.
UTEP broke up the run with a 28-yard Terrell Jackson run, and then the Pirates
piled on more points with Simmons scoring with a short catch and a two-yard run.
Ben Hartman kicked four field goals for ECU.
Player of the game:
East Carolina RB Brandon Simmons ran 27 times for 111
yards and three touchdowns, and he caught a pass for a seven yard score.
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 23-41, 313
yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Terrell Jackson, 3-44, 1 TD. Receiving: Kris Adams,
9-116, 1 TD
East Carolina - Passing: Patrick Pinkney, 17-23, 228 yds, 2
TD
Rushing: Brandon Simmons, 27-111, 3 TD. Receiving: Darryl Freeney,
5-106, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Just when UTEP
needed to come up with a win to be bowl eligible, the defense didn’t show up
against an East Carolina team that didn’t need the game, and there were mistakes
all over the place with three turnovers and ten penalties. There wasn’t any
chance to get the running game going after getting down so quickly, and while
Trevor Vittatoe was fine, he didn’t do enough early to make it a game. It’s yet
another disappointing finish for a program used to them.
Nov. 22
Houston 42 …
UTEP 37
In a wild shootout, Houston came up with a 26-point fourth quarter with
Case Keenum throwing two touchdown passes in the frame, highlighted by a
62-yarder to Tyron Carrier, and ran for a one-yard score in the final
minute to put the game away. Bryce Beall added a 71-yard touchdown dash
and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass. UTEP got up 28-9 on three of Trevor
Vitattoe’s four touchdown passes and he ran for a score, while Kris
Adams made touchdown catches from eight, 28, and 42 yards away.
Player of the game:
Houston QB Case Keenum completed 41-of-51
passes for 480 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for two scores
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe,
27-45, 362 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 9-49. Receiving: Kris Adams,
6-111, 3 TD
Houston - Passing: Case Keenum, 41-51, 480 yds, 3
TD
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 19-167, 1 TD. Receiving: Tyron
Carrier, 9-141, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UTEP still
has a shot at becoming bowl eligible with a battle with East Carolina
coming up, but it blew a golden opportunity in the loss to Houston by
not being able to move the ball late and not getting a defensive stop in
the fourth quarter. Giving up big plays is one thing, but the Miners
couldn’t stop anything Houston wanted to do once it got into a rhythm.
After a tough loss like this, the defense could have major problems with
the Pirates if they come out sharp.
Nov. 15
UTEP 36 … SMU 10
Trevor Vittatoe threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns starting out with an
85-yard scoring pass to Kris Adams, who later caught touchdown passes from 11
and 24 yards out. SMU’s offense turned it over six times and didn’t get into the
end zone until the fourth quarter on a Bradley Haynes 27-yards catch. UTEP
outgained SMU 544 yards to 201.
Player of the game:
UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe completed 21-of-31 passes for
410 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: SMU - Passing: Bo Levi Mitchell, 9-24, 95 yds,
2 INT
Rushing: Andrew McKinney, 4-36. Receiving: Zach Zimmerman, 4-49
UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 21-31, 410 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 7-45. Receiving: Kris Adams, 5-145, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Everyone expected a
passing game and the wrong one showed up. UTEP got a brilliant game from Trevor
Vittatoe, who was on target with Kris Adams all game long, while the defense was
all over the SMU passing game allowing just 137 yards. The 36-10 final score
should’ve been much worse, but there were too many field goals with Jose
Martinez hitting five. On a decent two-game winning streak, the Miners have to
find a way to beat either Houston or East Carolina on the road to get to a bowl
game.
Nov. 8
UTEP 37 … UL
Lafayette 24
Trevor Vittatoe threw five touchdown passes, with two to Jeff Moturi and two to
Kris Adams, as UTEP got up to a 37-17 lead early in the fourth quarter and
cruised from there. ULL started out hot with Gerren Blount taking a Vittatoe
pass 55 yards for a touchdown, but that was the only UTEP mistake on the day as
the offense rolled up 408 yards of offense and wasn’t threatened in the second
half. Tyrell Fenroy ran for a three-yard score for the Ragin’ Cajuns, who turned
the ball over four times and were held to 199 rushing yards.
Player of the game:
UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe completed 24-of-33 passes for
294 yards and five touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 24-33, 294
yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Terrell Jackson, 14-105. Receiving: Kris Adams, 6-83, 2
TD
UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 14-25, 185 yds,
1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 22-126, 1 TD. Receiving: LaDarius Green,
3-40, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UTEP’s offense is
in high gear, while the defense came up with one of its best performances of the
year in the win over UL Lafayette. The linebackers did a good job of keeping the
Ragin’ Cajun running game in check, while the secondary was suffocating at
times. Can this win launch a big finishing kick? With SMU up next, UTEP should
be able to get to 5-5 and needing to win on the road at Houston or East Carolina
to be bowl eligible.
Nov. 1
Rice 49 … UTEP 44
Chase Clement threw five touchdown passes and James Casey scored four times,
including two touchdown grabs in the fourth quarter, to hold off UTEP. The
Miners got three touchdown passes from Trevor Vittatoe and Jeff Moturi caught
three scoring throws including a 53-yarder on a halfback pass by James Thomas in
the first quarter. But Casey proved to be too much as he caught touchdown passes
from 37, four and 12 yards out and ran for a two yard score.
Player of the game:
Chase Clement completed 28-of-41 passes for 372 yards
and five touchdowns, and ran 12 times for 21 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 19-37, 265
yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: James Thomas, 3-43. Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 5-109, 3 TD
Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 28-41, 372 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: C.J. Ugokwe, 19-103. Receiving: James Casey, 12-143, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UTEP didn’t have the
offense to keep up with Rice, even though Trevor Vittatoe threw well. The
defense didn’t come close to bothering Rice QB Chase Clement, who was never
thrown off his game on the way to a five-touchdown day. The Miners now have to
deal with UL Lafayette, the Sun Belt’s best team at the moment, and they have to
prepare to stop the run before facing SMU’s passing attack. A bowl bid is still
a possibility, but winning out is a must. That’ll be a problem with the final
two games on the road at Houston and East Carolina.
Oct. 18
Tulsa 77
… UTEP 35
In one of the wildest quarters of the season, it a Damaris Johnson
kickoff return for a touchdown tied the score for Tulsa at 28 all,
and it sparked a 28-point run with David Johnson hitting Slick
Shelley for a 31-yard touchdown along with short touchdown runs from
A.J. Whitmore and Jamad Williams. But the real big play came early
in the first as Johnson found Brennan Marion for a 97-yard touchdown
pass. Just over three minutes later, Marion caught a 51-yard
touchdown pass. Marion finished with three touchdown catches and
Tarrion Adams ran for two scores in the third quarter. Tulsa
finished with 791 yards of total offense.
Player of the game:
Tulsa QB David Johnson completed 21-of-27
passes for 434 yards and five touchdowns, and he ran seven times for
21 yards
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe,
21-34, 306 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: James Thomas 1-34, 1 TD. Receiving: Kris
Adams, 5-126, 1 TD
Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 21-27, 434 yds,
5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 15-114, 2 TD. Receiving:
Brennan Marion, 6-233, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UTEP’s offense
is playing well, but it’s not good enough to keep up with Tulsa
right now. Even so, it showed in the first quarter that it could get
on a roll, but it couldn’t sustain the momentum. Trevor Vittatoe
threw for four touchdown passes, but his play wasn’t nearly enough.
Third down conversions were the biggest issue converting just
2-of-11 tries. The offense has to gear it up again next week against
Rice.
Oct. 11
UTEP 24 …
Tulane 21
UTEP got ten second half points and help Tulane scoreless for the
comeback win. Trevor Vittatoe threw three touchdown passes with a
68-yard play to Jeff Moturi with just over four minutes to play to
take the lead, and the D was able to hold on. The comeback
overshadowed a huge day from Tulane RB Andre Anderson, who ran for a
72-yard score and a one-yard touchdown to go along with a 28-yard
touchdown catch.
Player of the game:
In a losing cause, Tulane RB Andre
Anderson ran 29 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and he
caught four passes for 30 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Tulane - Passing: Kevin Moore,
10-20, 80 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Andre Anderson, 29-255, 2 TD. Receiving:
Andre Anderson, 4-30, 1 TD
UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 21-32, 296 yds,
3 TD
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 20-107. Receiving: Jeff
Moturi, 4-88, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UTEP
has turned the season around thanks to the big plays from Trevor
Vittatoe. The defense got carved up by Andre Anderson and the Tulane
offense, but it shut out the Green Wave in the second half and
Vittatoe came through with the clutch play needed late to pull out
the win. Just as important was his lack of mistakes. He was
relatively sharp and didn’t throw a pick. Now the fun really begins
with a shootout against Tulsa coming up.
Oct. 4
UTEP 40 … Southern Miss 27 2OT
UTEP overcame a 260-yard rushing day from Damion Fletcher with a
six-yard touchdown catch from Kris Adams in the second overtime for
the win. Southern Miss forced the extra time with a 22-yard Britt
Barefoot field goal as time ran out. Terrell Jackson caught a
touchdown pass for UTEP in the first overtime, but USM answered with
four-yard scoring grab from DeAndre Brown. Barefoot hit a 28-yard
field goal in the second overtime, but UTEP came up with the
touchdown. Trevor Vittatoe threw four touchdown passes, while
Fletcher ran for a four-yard score to go along with all his yards.
Player of the game: UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe completed
25-of-43 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns, and in a losing
cause, Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 34 times for 260 yards
and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe,
25-43, 266 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 12-59, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeff
Moturi, 5-36
Southern Miss - Passing: Austin Davis, 21-37, 264
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 34-260, 1 TD. Receiving:
DeAndre Brown, 8-110, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
For a team that
looked miserable over the first three games of the season, UTEP
turned things around in a big hurry with big wins over UCF and
Southern Miss to be one of Conference USA’s surprise 2-0 teams.
Trevor Vittatoe has started to come into his own, but the team
dodged about five bullets in the win. The run defense was
non-existent, and USM racked up 541 yards in all, but the Miners
didn’t self-implode. It was a good win to build on, and now a win
over Tulane is a must with a trip to face the high-powered Tulsa
offense to follow.
Sept. 27
UTEP 58 … UCF 13
UTEP got up 17-0 on a Josh Ferguson fumble return for a score and a
14-yard Jamar Hunt touchdown grab, and never looked back. Trevor
Vittatoe connected with Kris Adams for a 74-yard score and Vernon
Frazier ran for a 55-yard score, while the defense did its part with
six turnovers finishing up with a Dane O’Neill fumble recovery for a
score. UCF got a seven-yard Kamar Aiken touchdown catch and a
13-yard Ronnie Weaver scoring run, but lost four fumbles and two
interceptions. UTEP’s Cornelius Brown picked off two passes and acme
up with a blocked punt.
Player of the game: UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe completed
18-of-32 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns with an
interception.
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor
Vittatoe, 18-32, 263 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Vernon Frazier, 4-73, 1 TD. Receiving: Kris
Adams, 4-128, 1 TD
UCF - Passing: Rob Calabrese, 13-31, 167 yds, 1
TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Rob Calabrese, 11-86. Receiving: Kamar Aiken,
5-58, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Finally, the
UTEP offense showed pop and explosion while the defense was
tremendous at forcing mistakes and stuffing the UCF offense. Trevor
Vittatoe wasn’t sharp, but he was effective enough to keep the
offense moving, while the defense was aggressive and dominant when
it came to getting the Knight offense off the field.
Sept. 20
New Mexico State 34 … UTEP 33
UTEP got up 10-0 in the first quarter, and then Chase Holbrook and
the New Mexico State offense took over with two touchdown passes to
Marcus Anderson and a 27-yard strike to A.J. Harris on the way to a
21-20 lead at halftime. The Miner defense came up with a fumbled
return for a score for a short-lived lead, and then Holbrook came
back with a quick drive and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Weston
Neiman. UTEP took one final lead on a one-yard run from James
Thomas, but Holbrook once again had an answer with a 15-yard scoring
pass to Anderson. The final Miner drive stalled on a fourth and 11.
UTEP ran for 277 yards, but New Mexico State passed for 366.
Player of the game: New Mexico State QB Chase Holbrook
completed 29-of-39 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns with two
interceptions.
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: James Thomas, 8-15,
60 yds
Rushing: James Thomas, 19-142, 2 TD. Receiving:
Evan Davis, 3-22
New Mexico State - Passing: Chase Holbrook, 29-39,
329 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Marquell Colston, 8-31. Receiving: Chris
Williams, 7-119
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... On a nine-game
losing streak dating back to last year, UTEP needed a spark. It
might have found it in QB James Thomas, who might not be able to
throw a lick, at least not yet, but he ran wild on New Mexico State.
A more seasoned quarterback would’ve been able to come up with a
late scoring drive, but that’ll come in time. Unfortunately, the
Conference USA season starts out rough with UCF, at Southern Miss,
Tulane and at Tulsa. There’s no time for grooming.
Sept. 6
Texas 42 ...
UTEP 13
UTEP took a 6-0 lead on two Jose Martinez field goals, and then Colt
McCoy took over. The Longhorn QB threw three first half touchdown
passes and hit Jordan Shipley on a 15-yarder in the fourth. UTEP
held on to the ball for 36:41, but only managed a 12-yard Trevor
Vittatoe touchdown pass to Tufick
Shadrawy
in the second quarter to go along with the two field goals. The
Texas defense added a 26-yad fumble recovery for a score to finish
off the scoring after the Shipley touchdown catch.
Player of the game: Texas QB
Colt McCoy completed 20-of-29 passes for
282 yards and four touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe,
25-46, 267 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Terrell Jackson, 17-94. Receiving:
Jeff Moturi, 5-51
Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 20-29, 282 yds, 4
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Foswhitt Whittaker, 12-72. Receiving: Quan
Cosby, 8-154, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UTEP
might have gotten blasted by Texas, that was to be expected, but at
least the team showed a few signs of life after the nightmare
against Buffalo with a decent day from QB Trevor Vittatoe and 412
yards of total offense to 404 yards for Texas. The one big issue was
penalties committing 11 for 97 yards. With a week off, the offense
has to be ready for a shootout against New Mexico State.
Aug.
28
Buffalo 42
... UTEP 17
Drew Willy completed a career-high four touchdown passes including a
68-yarder in the first quarter and a 56-yarder in the third to
Naaman Roosevelt as Buffalo won in a surprising laugher. UTEP tied
it at 14 in the first half on a one-yard Terrell Jackson run and a
two-yard Jonny Moore catch, but couldn't keep up as the Bull offense
did everything right. Brandon Thermilus added two fourth quarter
touchdown runs for the Bulls.
Player of the game: Buffalo
QB Drew Willy completed 10 of 16 passes
for 221 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: UTEP - Passing: Trevor Vittatoe,
20-37, 199 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Terrell Jackson, 18-67, 1 TD. Receiving:
Jamar Hunt, 6-86
Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 10-16, 221 yds,
4 TD
Rushing: James Starks, 31-179. Receiving: Naaman
Roosevelt, 4-154, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's
not just that UTEP got blasted by Buffalo, it's that it played so
poorly after getting chances to make a game of it with a 14-14 tie
early on. Trevor Vittatoe had to press a bit, and it showed with
three interceptions against the pumped up Bull defense. The offense
didn't get enough from the running game and didn't do enough through
the air to counteract the UB passing attack that ended up averaging
over 22 yards per throw. This isn't exactly the performance the team
was looking for with Texas ahead. To have any chance of keeping that
close, the D has to limit the big plays.
|