grading the game

[SisyphusMiner]

My two cents, probably not worth that much.  Interested to hear others thoughts.

Offense
   QB -- B    Overall delivered passes, was hurried a lot.
   RB -- A     Whole squad looked good
   WR -- A    Got open, Caught passes
   OL  -- C    Run block OK, pass block bad.  Overall looked slow

Defense
   DL -- D   Only thing saving them from a F was the strip
   LB -- D   Do we have LBs?
  2ndary -- C  Not great, but UTEP fans have seen much worse efforts

[Chanson]

Hit the nail on the head, Sisy.
Our defense, once again, is a problem. I did see that we are quicker than we normally are, but we cant tackle (especially the secondary). Granted, HBU was fast, quick, and ran the fastest no huddle I've ever seen.
The offense can be good, but they made soooooo many mistakes. I wrote last night we were a shit show because we had a bad snap turned to a safety, pic 6, & the punt return fumble all seemed like it happened at once. I know Canales was really trying to get a better rounded game, but the passing was very inconsistent along with a line that was sketchy in blocking for the pass. The running game was great. We were bigger & stronger than the other team & the run was what won the game in the end.

Here is what bothers me. We played a much lesser team that Vegas anticipated a 17 point win & barely hung in there with them. I know we had the mistakes I listed as well 4 or 5 15yrd fouls & if you eliminate those, it would probably be a 17 point game. However, the Miners still had more talent than that team did & i couldn't tell.

We will be lucky to win 4 games. I would love for them to prove me wrong.

[SisyphusMiner]

A couple more random neurons firing:
Our offensive line can block for the run, kinda.  They can't block for passing.
Our defense can stop the run, kinda.  They can't stop the pass.
Considering the entire premise of the Kug era was to have dominating lines, the state of our lines is really disappointing.

2nd year in, I hate to blame the predecessor, but because it's so easy to tie our strengths and weaknesses directly to his philosophy and his strengths and weaknesses I think we might have to give Dimel a partial pass on this year as well.

I see improvement in a lot of areas.  Still incredible suckage, but improvement.  I think we may have to stop thinking about W and L, and just ask whether we continue to improve over the course of the year.

I honestly think we can score points.  Treyvon Hughes is a truckload.  One TD was because he just knocked a couple defenders on their asses and walked in.

If our D can improve over the course of the year, we are on a good trajectory.

[kyyote]

Well, Hell, I am going to rag again, as usual.  The grades above might be ok If the team had been playing another D1 program.  It wasn't.  It was a really bad team of a lower division that shouldn't have been playing on the Sun Bowl turf.

Does a scholarship men anything?  If it does, then we should be much more talented than Northern Arizona and Houston Baptist, right?  Because if we can't beat amateurs with professionals what is the sense of paying them to play here?  Seriously, if there is no difference or eve worse if our scholarship players are not as good as walk-ons why do that.  It doesn't make any sense at all.

Or

Are our players in fact better?  If that is the case, well I don't really have to say it do I?
We say that The Bear could beat you with your own team.  Ask yourself if Northern Arizona's coaching staff would have won, if Houston Baptists staff would have won and the non-scholarship teams would have lost if the coaching staffs had been switched.

Or

Just ask yourself which team looked like a better coached team.

Now, I know that he is working with scholarship players that aren't his scholarship players against the lower division players.  How many of you couldn't coach the Oakland A's to a win over the El Paso Chihuahuas?  How many of you would even dare to mention your win.  It would be an embarrassment to say anything other than gracious things about the minor league team.  If the game was as close as this one was, you would be fired quietly in three days.  Sorry.  I hate to be this way, but we should be breathing a sigh of relief today after a crushing victory over the Baptists of Houston.  Instead we are thanking God that we got lucky and pulled out a win.

I want wins.  Reasons, excuses, my ass!  What would any other self respecting program in the country do?  What would any team that was actually trying to win do?  What me do?  Or something different?  If you went cheap and the Yugo is a money pit that leaves you stranded, and if follows the Nash Rambler wagon that ran so little that weeds began to grow up through the wheel wells, maybe just maybe you need to break down and get a regular, real, proven to run car.  I know, I know.  They cost so damned much.  But when I reached about 55 I finally figured out what smart people figure out before they reach 30, and bought a new X-Terra.  I still drive it.  UTEP is still paying Shade Tree Joe the Mechanic to try and keep the '53 International Harvester with the rebuilt flathead six with a blown head gasket, running.

Oh, and if you were/are winning you have the right to wear some other school's fucking colors you jackass!   

[Minermojo]

"UTEP is still paying Shade Tree Joe the Mechanic to try and keep the '53 International Harvester with the rebuilt flathead six with a blown head gasket, running." Kyyote

Why are you putting down my first car Ky? I got a kick out of that one. My first car was a '42 Plymouth and the fastest I ever drove it was 55 mph going downhill. But, as a 17 year old high school kid I was one of a few that HAD a car, I guess that's like UTEP, it has a team, just not a very good one.

[kyyote]

I'm picking on Shade Tree Joe.  I learned to drive in my dad's 53 IH PU.  Lurch, lurch, lurch, jump, stop.  Start the engine.  Repeat.

[stanman505]

My input on HBU. To say they don't have scholarship athletes is incorrect. They do just not as many as UTEP. Their quarterback had interest from A&M, SMU, Rice and others but none of them offered and he went to HBU. Playing an FCS school in the first week is way different than later in the year. FCS schools are only allowed 63 scholarships to FBS schools 85. As far as the offensive line goes, the pass blocking was ok when HBU did not blitz. The problem was the line did not pick up the blitz packages and stunts well at all. That has to improve and I think it will. UTEP had a horrid 3rd quarter. The pick 6, the bad snap for a safety and the muffed punt on the 10 yard line led to 16 points. Take those mistakes away and UTEP wins the game by 18 points and convers the spread. We also had issues in the secondary but Ykili Ross gave me some hope. They guy has only practiced with the team for a week so communication in the secondary was an issue as well. This team is better than the teams the last 3 years and will improve. I am still expecting 4-5 wins this year.

[liebestraum]

My input on HBU. To say they don't have scholarship athletes is incorrect. They do just not as many as UTEP. Their quarterback had interest from A&M, SMU, Rice and others but none of them offered and he went to HBU. Playing an FCS school in the first week is way different than later in the year. FCS schools are only allowed 63 scholarships to FBS schools 85. As far as the offensive line goes, the pass blocking was ok when HBU did not blitz. The problem was the line did not pick up the blitz packages and stunts well at all. That has to improve and I think it will. UTEP had a horrid 3rd quarter. The pick 6, the bad snap for a safety and the muffed punt on the 10 yard line led to 16 points. Take those mistakes away and UTEP wins the game by 18 points and convers the spread. We also had issues in the secondary but Ykili Ross gave me some hope. They guy has only practiced with the team for a week so communication in the secondary was an issue as well. This team is better than the teams the last 3 years and will improve. I am still expecting 4-5 wins this year.

Stan is correct about the scholarships.

I'll say again:  FCS teams are still Division I football teams with fewer scholarships.  We talk about UTEP not being part of the Power 5 or "cartel" schools - well FCS schools are supposed to be below the UTEPs of FBS.  But the top 20 to 25 teams in FCS are as good as or better than many FBS schools - outside of the usual suspects.

That being said, HBU was a bad football team last year in FCS and UTEP should have had an easier time against the Huskies.  So, I'll take the win and hope the squad improves.

lieb

[kyyote]

I got you.  They are  scholarship players, too.  UTEP has won how many games in the last four years?  And was a two touchdown+ favorite.   That's right.  That is how bad the Baptists were supposed to be.  So, when I exaggerate the level of the competition, the point is we should have beaten up on Houston Baptist and a self repecting program_ONE THAT RECOGNIZES THAT THE SPORTS ARE THE FRONT PORCH OF THE UNIVESITY would be flat out disgusted by the luck out win.    I know.  I'm being too rough.  Sorry, but not sorry.  I have seen us be able to field winning teams.  I have seen it and it can be done.  The optimists are hoping for 4 or 5 wins.  I figure he already cemented his job with the Houston Baptist win.  Maybe an extension. 

But, we are 1 and 0 and have already equaled last years wins in the first game.  No where to go but up!

Go Miners!

[UTEPDefense]

The one thing that I will say, is that this is nothing new.  Every UTEP coach in recent history has had their struggles against 1AA/FCS teams:

-  Gary Nord lost 34-13 to 1AA Cal Poly.
-  Mike Price was losing by 14 points in the 2nd half and needed overtime to beat 1AA Stoney Brook.
-  Sean Kugler was tied with 1AA Incarnate Word heading into the 4th quarter and only won by 10.
-  Dana Dimel lost to 1AA NAU and barely beat 1AA Houston Baptist.

I know that UTEP also lost to 1AA Texas A&M Kingsville prior to all of these coaches arriving as well.

[SisyphusMiner]

I really do feel like our overall talent when Dimel took over was lower than many FCS schools.  I feel like I saw improvement over last year.  If the trajectory is up, I can live with it for now. 

We definitely upgraded at WR and that helps the QB and RBs a lot.

The state of the lines bothers me.  Why can't we pick up a blitz?  I'm not sure if it's coaching or player limitations?  I thought our linemen looked big, strong, and SLOW -- again on both sides.  They say you can't coach speed.

Did anyone notice whether Ykili Ross got burned by HBU's WRs?  If we have at least one lockdown defender it will help.

[liebestraum]

I figure he already cemented his job with the Houston Baptist win.  Maybe an extension.

Go Miners!

This made me laugh.  Thanks, Ky.

lieb