2013-14 Football Previews – (CUSA) – Miners
Expectations were high for Mike Price at UTEP, but the program just never got going under Price. He retired at the end of last season, and Sean Kugler is now the head man of the Miners football program. Kugler is a 1989 graduate of UTEP.
Kugler has never had a head coaching job, but he has worked in the NFL as an offensive line coach.
Conference USA 2013 College Football Previews: UTEP Miners (Team Link)
Head Coach: Sean Kugler
2012 Record: 3-9
UTEP Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win BCS Championship: +2,000 (Part of Field)
UTEP Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win Conference USA West Division: +460
UTEP Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win Conference USA: +2,500
It seems clear that this UTEP football program needs an infusion of energy, and Kugler is doing his best to do just that. The Miners won just three games in another very disappointing season last year. UTEP has quite a bit of returning talent on the offensive side, but the defense is a big question mark.
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Can the Miners move in the right direction this season?
Team Strengths:
Nathan Jeffery is one of the most talented running backs in the conference, and he’ll be joined in the backfield by talented quarterback Jamiell Showers. Showers was in a quarterback competition with Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M before the season last year, and the word is he looks good in the offseason workouts. UTEP has a strong backfield starting out the season this year. Jeffery showed what he can do when he is healthy by racking up 177 rushing yards against Oklahoma last season.
Marcus Bagley and Germard Reed are a very nice tandem in the middle of the defensive line for the Miners. Bagley is 320 pounds and a classic run stuffer, while Reed is a more athletic guy who uses his quickness to get the job done. The combination of these two gives the Miners a terrific middle of the defensive front. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
UTEP must replace seven of their top eight tacklers. The defense wasn’t particularly good last year, and it’s hard to imagine them getting better this season. There aren’t any big time tacklers at the linebacker spots, and that is a real problem. While the offense has some youngsters coming in that should make an impact right away, I don’t see any newcomers that will make a big impact for this defense.
UTEP’s offensive line is a question mark. The center spot hasn’t been locked down yet, and that has to be a concern. The Miners have a lot of talent in the backfield, but if the offensive front doesn’t block any better than they did last year the offense won’t meet its full potential.
UTEP struggled on third down conversions offensively, and they couldn’t find a way to stop the opposition on third downs. If this team is going to get any better in 2013, they’ll have to start winning on third down.
2013-2014 UTEP Football Prediction: 4-8
Kugler is going to have to try to change this program little by little. There is talent at the skill positions on offense, but this team just isn’t very deep overall. I don’t see this defense slowing down many of the top teams. Look for a tiny improvement, but it’s going to be another long year for UTEP.
2013 Miners Schedule
9/7/13 8:00 PM ET NMEX
9/14/13 8:00 PM ET @NMXST
9/21/13 8:00 PM ET TXSA
9/28/13 3:30 PM ET @COLST
10/5/13 7:30 PM ET LTECH
10/12/13 TBD TULSA
10/26/13 TBD @RICE
11/2/13 TBD @TXAM
11/9/13 3:30 PM ET @NOTEX
11/16/13 8:00 PM ET FLINT
11/23/13 3:30 PM ET @TULNE
11/30/13 TBD @MTENN
