So UTEP threw only 7 times. Is that typical for this offense?

(09-07-2013 10:46 PM)ultraviolet Wrote:  

(09-07-2013 10:33 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  Not pleased with the outcome but it could've been worse. First game of the season, first year coach who has never coached a college game before (as HC) and a different scheme from the one Mike Price was running. I really don't expect much from this season but next season my expectations are higher for Kugler.

UTEP already looks better coached than any time under Mike Price.

True that.....that's why I said it could've been worse. A Mike Price coached team would have given up by the 3rd quarter......this team showed more guts and discipline than anything I've seen the last years.

New Mexico threw it 7 times. It wasn't exactly like they needed to throw it any more than that.

(09-07-2013 10:49 PM)SApuro Wrote:  

(09-07-2013 10:42 PM)UTEPDallas Wrote:  

(09-07-2013 10:39 PM)SApuro Wrote:  I told myself if you guys lost I'd talk **** but now that its happened I'm a little saddened. Someone please talk smack about UTSA because this feels weird.

If it makes you feel better, I have UTEP losing to UTSA by at least 3 TD's.

Yr 1 for a new coach is not easy. Think about it this way....Aggies up next. After next week youre 1-1 like damn near the rest of the conference.

Actually I was worried more about NMSU on the road than UNM at home. But it's still too early in the season to panic. Hopefully with this being the first game the coaching staff will make adjustments to the defense and offense.

Just got back from the game and here are some observations:

Offense: Looked pretty good, especially the running game and the offensive line with the pass protection.

Defense: Worse defense I've seen in my 30 years following UTEP and that's saying a lot. UTEP made that number #5 look like Barry Sanders and the tackling was a new low.

Attendance: Good; looked like a solid 40k in attendance

Outlook: Not good; offense will keep us in a few games, but the D is going to give up big yards and lots of points.

Is it basketball season yet????????

And Enemas U. has a good running back. Alas, same crap different day.

OUR DEFENSE SUCKS!!!

Giving that many points to UNM has me really worried....

Unless we improve our run defense significantly, we are in for a loooooong season.

(09-07-2013 11:57 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Alas, same crap different day.

Different coach too. Sigh, so many UTEP fans think a new coach will bring change but at the end of the day I wasn't surprised with this outcome. I think back to the struggles UTEP had with its defense during Mike Price's tenure, he had three different defensive coordinators the whole time (Tim Hundley, Osia Lewis & Andre Patterson). Price had to fire Hundley & Lewis. A new football year with a new coach, same UTEP football struggles again.

(09-08-2013 01:32 AM)Proud El Pasoan Wrote:  

(09-07-2013 11:57 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Alas, same crap different day.

Different coach too. Sigh, so many UTEP fans think a new coach will bring change but at the end of the day I wasn't surprised with this outcome. I think back to the struggles UTEP had with its defense during Mike Price's tenure, he had three different defensive coordinators the whole time (Tim Hundley, Osia Lewis & Andre Patterson). Price had to fire Hundley & Lewis. A new football year with a new coach, same UTEP football struggles again.

UTEP's defense was awful and it will be another long season but the offense looked good. The defense is actually in good hands with Stoker but remember, he came in after spring practice when the D coordinator took a job at Auburn (I believe it was Auburn). So the defense he installed has been worked on in fall practice only. Plus we just don't have much experience. Stoker's defense at SHSU was very good after he had been there a while. His first year there did not look good either. We are in for a tough year but next year Stoker should have an improved defense and the offense will return practically everyone. Hang tough Miner fans, it's going to take a while.

I don't think it was a defensive scheme problem, as much as it was a tackling problem. The D would get to the running back at the line of scrimmage, if not the back field, most of the time, but after the first initial hit or missed tackle, the running back would still pick up 5-6 more yards. Very few times was UNM able to get up 3 yards passed the line of scrimmage with out having to break a tackle.