By Ralph Lauro Aug 20, 2006, 17:15 GMT
OFFENSE: The Miners' offensive attack was nothing short of explosive in '05, as they averaged 422.8 total ypg and 31.8 ppg.
The main reason for the unit's success is a passing attack that relies on the arm of quarterback Jordan Palmer. Already UTEP's all-time leader in passing yards (7,489) and touchdown passes (62), Palmer threw for 3,503 yards and 29 scores in '05. While those numbers were excellent, Palmer did make more than a few mistakes, finishing with a national-high 19 interceptions. Still, Palmer is one of the premier quarterbacks in C-USA and should be able to put together another strong season, especially with the return of speedy wideout Johnnie Lee Higgins.
Higgins is coming off his best season as he led the team with 49 receptions for 837 yards and nine touchdowns. When the Miners aren't airing it out they will be handing the ball off to Marcus Thomas, who really came into his own late last season. Thomas, who rushed for over 100 yards in each of the team's final four regular-season bouts, led UTEP with 791 yards and five touchdowns in '05. He will be running behind an offensive line that welcomes back three starters.
DEFENSE: At the defensive end of the field is where the Miners should improve greatly with 10 starters back from last year's group which ranked 58th in total defense (373.4 ypg). Up front, the Miners return nine of 11 defensive linemen from last year, including all four starters.
End Alex Obomese highlights the group after posting 6.5 tackles in '05. Linebacker is another unit that will be strong for UTEP thanks to the return of starters Jeremy Jones and Troy Collavo. Jones led the Miners with an impressive 130 tackles in '05, while Collavo finished with 112 stops, including a team-best 14.5 TFLs. As for the secondary, it returns all four starters from last year's unit that allowed 212.8 passing ypg. Free safety Quintin Demps highlights the group and is coming off a solid campaign in which he posted 78 tackles and three interceptions.
SPECIAL TEAMS: UTEP certainly won't hesitate to kick field goals once again, as Reagan Schneider returns for his senior season. Schneider connected on 18- of-23 tries last season and has missed just one of 104 extra point attempts in his career. Ryan Hotchkiss will serve as the team's punter once again, although he averaged just 38.6 ypp last season.
OUTLOOK: The Miners are in position to contend for the league championship, as they possess a good amount of talent and experience on both sides of the ball. UTEP was hurt by turnovers last year so correcting that problem is a must if it hopes to avoid another late season collapse. A run at the C-USA title and a bowl berth is more than likely for the Miners, who could even contend for a double-figure win season if all goes according to plan.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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