UTEP Miners College Football Pregame Quote, 09/20/2021

Opening Statement [about the Boise State game from Sept. 10]:

We’re coming off an open week from the Boise [State] game. It was one that I had a chance to visit about and talk about [with the team], just trying to put behind us you know more than anything but obviously before you put a game behind you got a learn from it and that’s what I talked about. For us it was a loss and we didn’t play well and but it was a learning experience as well. I think the score was not indicative of how the game could’ve played out. Boise got the momentum going and really starting to execute at a high-level and we gave up a few big plays on special teams. The punt return was a big play. The bottom line was, I always talk about trying minimize unforced errors and I don’t think we did a good job. We had too many turnovers. But at the end of the first quarter, it was 10-3 and we had 143 yards of offense and they had 43 were down by seven so that to me right there shows your game gets away from me a little bit. And then as I’ve talked about previously, at the end a half, we’re digging our way back in, get a good drive going and then Gavin forces the ball in on second down in the red zone and you just don’t do that. He knows better and he’ll learn from it. Quarterbacks are always learning, and it was a mistake, but it was an aggressive mistake but one that he can’t make and knows that. That was a big part of the game because it flipped the field and gave them a score. It really changed the way we were kind of switching momentum back. The second half was pretty much a moot point after that. But the guys fought and gave great effort.

On New Mexico [UTEP’s opponent on Sept. 25 in the Sun Bowl]:

The open week was a much, much needed time for us to get ourselves healthy and get back on track. It gave us time to prepare for [New Mexico] that is a very difficult preparation. The timing was really good for us to have New Mexico because they do a good job making you prepare for multiple things with their defensive system. I think they’re extremely well coached, football team on defense, do a great job. They’re very, they do a lot of things defensively, but they’re very sound with what they do. It’s not like one of those teams that does a bunch of things and you say well they’re not sound they’re absolutely a sound as you need to be as a defensive football team, it’s a very proven system that they have there, and one that’s a difficult task for us you know we’ve spent a good amount of time we obviously had four practices last week to prepare for the game. And then that that was a big help with a team like this and we had a good practice day. Again, when you have open week you can make your Monday practice a little bit more of a diligent practice with a little bit more physicality to it because you’ve had, he didn’t come off the game on Saturday and we need all that for this ballgame we need it all and we need more and you know that’s just because of what they do and how well they do it. So again, offense is going to get tested by their defensive schemes, defensively talking about our preparation for their own choice. Again, they’re very multiple what they do offensively, we have to be very sound to be able to defend against them, you know, they have a lot of different ways they can attack you, obviously we have a grad transfer quarterback that’s, you know, played at the SEC level that’s a good player, they got a bevy of running backs, they’re very talented running backs that are difficult to stop so they got some good depth in the backfield they’ve been able to stay healthy in the backfield and so they can sprinkle different guys in there and bring a bunch of different things to the table was what each one of them does well. They got a group of receivers, and got a couple of young receivers that are very good players for them. They have some experienced receivers that have been around and are proven players. So, they got a good mix there. They do have tight ends in their offense and they’ll use tight ends and fullbacks much like we use tight ends and fullbacks. They can present multiple formations for us to have to prepare for and do a good job with all that. Then special teams, they got punt returner-kick returner that’s been explosive and been a good player for him as well. So again, just a big test for us in each aspect of the game and one where anytime we’re back playing at home that’s exciting for us because we have a whole lot of home opportunities in the last couple of years and it’s nice to get a second one at home again this year, and excited about that opportunity.

On the Texas Western uniforms:

We’re really excited about the Texas Western uniforms that we’re going to be able to wear and pay tribute to some of the very good Miner football teams in the past. I think they’re really a cool model of uniform that we showed to the players today. I know they are we’re excited about it. I think it’s just nice, it’s a nice recruiting tool for us to be able to provide to the players to keep mixing up what we do with our uniforms and I think we got great uniforms here. We got a great array of uniforms, we didn’t break out our blue helmets last year, we still have that coming as well. So, it just adds another spice to our uniforms and our look for the football team.

On the New Mexico game being the biggest home opportunity since Dimel has been at UTEP:

Yeah, I think it’s a big game for us because we just see what a win can do for us right now. A win could put us at 3-1 again opening up another season. It would be gigantic for us. It would get us heading to [Conference USA] play with a big, a big momentum swing. So, I think it’s a big game that way. But more important, it’s fun to get back at home and play at home. We’ve been the road warriors. It seems like we play so many road games and we had to open up the season again with two out of our first three on the road. It’s nice to be able to get home and there’s a good feel about that. We need some good crowds here for home opportunities.