LA Tech Game Thread

[kyyote]

This game is a big game. Tech has always had our number because Skip Holtz was a damned good coach. They have faltered a bit since his departure. That is why we may have an opening. It will give the team a chance to see and show whether or not there is progress for sure or another dose of UTEP hope. I hope I am wrong and that the win was all it took to break the damn. After too many years of a much different reality I need more proof. I will have my fingers crossed that I am wrong again.

[kyyote]

Defense looked good!

[kyyote]

Now offense!  Go Miners!

[liebestraum]

That truly was a nasty hit on Locklear.  Maybe UTEP loses the game anyway, but it was clear after that the Miner offense was going to be in serious trouble.

lieb

[SisyphusMiner]

I seem to recall Walden talking about being on his 5th string QB one season?  Now we know why

[Minermojo]

That was a nasty hit on Skylar, I hope he recovers well and fast. I never thought I'd say this but he's need on the field. The third team QB tried his best but it seems he can't throw a pass because it seemed the coach wanted to run more at that point. I think we could have won that game even with Skylar there, as he was doing better than Pickles. I was impressed at the beginning but when LA found out he couldn't/wouldn't throw they stacked the line and he couldn't get anyplace soon. He'd make a great FB instead of QB, that's for sure.

I definitely feel we need another field goal kicker, we can't rely on someone that is inconsistent as Fabiola. We lose games like that.

I also feel that the Miners actually want to win but sometimes not having some important players in some positions hinders their efforts. They have a lot of heart, that's for sure. Oh, saying that, they need to keep their mouths shut. One player after making a stop really got obnoxious near the opponents bench. DISCIPLINE WALDEN!

The season is still early, let's try to get a second or third stringer QB from a Cartel school that doesn't want to sit on the bench and become a hero. Someone like that would probably get a street named after him. Look at Pavin from Enemas U. he's killing it at Vanderbilt, why can't we get someone from a pass happy school like Oregon. We'll promise him the world if a second stringer comes here. 

Good effort Miners, it seems you are getting a little better.

[kyyote]

My guess is that our an has passes a dozen times in practice. They hadn?t practiced with him in the position enough to trust him in a game still with in reach. The coaches didn?t want him to pass.

Now, I saw Tim Tebow. A powerful running back at the quarterback position because he can pass well enough to be a threat to pass on your ass if you just pack the box.

With a week of learning to make his reads, he is going to be a star.  That?s right. You heard it here first. That kid played and was a star an at a Christian School.  He knows ho to pass the ball, you watch and see. That kid is a football player. Your qb doesn?t plow linebackers with great joy without loving the physicality and domination of competition unless they are a fucking football player!

He wins our next game.

[SisyphusMiner]

Serious question.  We?ve all griped about coach chasing off all Dime? players and replacing with FCS.  Is that the case on the O line?   Honestly how can you ever establish a passing game if you don?t even slow down defender rushing the QB

[kyyote]

Sis. I went to UTEP fb roster and looked at o linemen. You have to go see it. Like one senior a couple of these and a couple of these. Mostly local high school kids. I think there are two ap players. Out of nineteen.

[SisyphusMiner]

I?m traveling today so its hard to do the research.  What I?m wondering is how much of this is just what Dimel left behind and how mich is due to what transferred and what Walden brought in. If they transferred out, thats on Walden.  He damn well better realize that all the 3 star RB and WR in the world won?t help with zero star linemen.

Ok I was able to find.  Our CUSA #1 recruiting class had 3 linemen, all zero stars.  So far committed for 2025, a couple zero star linemen.  This is not going to work

[kyyote]

Let me guess. Local high school kids?

We are a borderline fcs program now, playing other borderline fcs teams. I hate it, but I am too old to be delusional. The worst part is that we are iffy against them. I don?t see talented players lining up to enter the portal to come play for an fcs coach at an bcs/fcs school that isn?t very good. I?m being kind.  Look at the record as a player would. I hope the El Paso kids can step up to the challenge they will be faced with in the next few years.

[SisyphusMiner]

OK, I did a deep dive this morning.  Our current O line situation may not be Waldens fault.   I am including TE, and not including seniors from last season obviously.


El Paso -- 9 on roster, 7 of those were Dimel.  5 of those were two stars or better out of HS

AP -- Two OL are from AP -- Isaiah Wright and Brennan Smith

Returning players -- 15 out of a possible 24.  7 of those had stars.   Only one O line player with stars left -- TongiTongi Pangia.  One 3 star TE he moved to WR

Overall stars -- 12 OL out of 25 have some stars.  I already eliminated departing seniors so I'm not sure how that compares.

Seniors --   We had five juniors that could have returned to be seniors.  We lost two.  One went to U of Colorado and the other to UNLV.

New players -- 5/9 freshmen with 3 stars  (1 from El Paso)


Honestly, it's kind of looking like he did better than I thought.  I thought he ran off a bunch of players and replaced them with AP guys.   It looks more like he only patched a couple holes on the line with AP guys.  And did a decent job of recruiting for the line.

[kyyote]

The past 12 years UTEP has had o line coaches for head coaches and we have to patch the o line. I can only shake my head. Of all of the positions after 12 years of running the ball into brick walls and Walden had to plug holes in the line. Am I just old and cranky/crazy or does that seem weird to anyone else?  If the answer is that any good players leave and go somewhere else. If that is the case we are just a funnel. The only way to not continue to just be a funnel is to be higher in the funneling order. What can make UTEP a better place to be?  Higher level. Can you change the school or location?  No. Besides, the school and location isn?t the problem. JVS isn?t a destination school, nor was utsa. But they hired coaches to make a statement that they were serious about winning and moving up the ladder.   If we were too poor like we used for an excuse forty years ago it would be one thing. But that nonsense. We have shown that the sun bowl would be packed for a winner. The money is there for the making!

[SisyphusMiner]

It also hurts that defenses know we don?t have any deep threat.  They can load the box

[Minermojo]

The way the Utep administration administers our football program is tantamount to someone putting on a musical show at the SB and headlining the show are backup singers instead of a big name and expecting to generate interest at the box office. They supposedly have administrative genius but it seems that they're not too wise at all. Are you reading this Mr. Senter, are you reading this Ms President?

You get what you pay for is a much simpler way of saying that.

They can't realize that if we continue to fill up the SB that those expensive coaches will pay themselves with full stadiums and notoriety.