2005 Record: 8-4 (5-3)
Head Coach: Mike Price, 3rd year

When Mike Price was named head coach of the UTEP Miners three years ago, he was given the daunting task of resurrecting a lackluster Miners team. With pick-axe and shovel in hand, Price dug deep into the mountains that surround the Sun Bowl, and unearthed a goldmine. With back to back 8-4 records, excellent recruiting classes, two overtime wins that would make the casual fan bite their nails, and a senior heavy 2006 squad, Price and his staff have the Miners fans clamoring for season tickets and a conference title.

"I think we've gotten a lot better," Price said at Miner Media Day. "I've talked with our strength and conditioning coach Kirk Davis and our players, and they tell me that everybody has been really positive and worked hard in the weight room this summer."

This positive outlook is just what the doctor ordered for the Miners, who started 8-1 last season, but ran out of gas to lose their last three games, including the GMAC Bowl loss to Toledo.

"I think the way we finished last season is going to help motivate us to do better this year," said Price. "You’re going to hear me say this a lot this year – finish, finish, finish. It's not how you start a race, it's how you finish."

Finish they must. The Miners, who gave away the conference championship by losing two consecutive games at the end of last year, are looking to reverse the late season curse, capitalize on two back to back eight win seasons and look for a school record third straight bowl bid. The Miners are picked to finish second in the Western Division behind Tulsa.

2006 UTEP Offense

The wide open UTEP offense will return eight starters, the most important being senior signal caller Jordan Palmer. The Miners' coaching staff recruited hard last year and it is showing with the depth at the skill positions. Wide receiver, tight end and running back all show great promise because of the mix of senior and impact underclassmen. The offensive line took the biggest shot with the losses of left tackle Josh House and left guard Jose Garcia. Fortunately, the coaching staff recruited bigger lineman, who are expected to protect Jordan Palmer and create holes for running back Marcus Thomas.

The Miners were third in total offense in Conference USA last season, averaging just over 400 yards and 31.8 points per game. This high scoring offense can be attributed to the experienced line of last year, and newcomers Oniel Cousins and Tyler Ribitzki will be expected to improve the 10th-ranked rushing offense, which gained a little over 100 yards a game. If the pass heavy offense can be balanced with a hard nosed running game, CUSA may be looking at an unstoppable Miners offense.

Quarterbacks

UTEP is fortunate to return Palmer, who owns three school records in total offense (7,532 yards), touchdowns (62) and passing yards (7,489). Palmer is determined to improve his win/loss record by decreasing last season's interceptions (19); including eight he threw in the final three losses of the season.

This year will not be riddled with so many mistakes because Palmer has two excellent back-up candidates in junior transfer Lorne Sam and red-shirt freshman Brandis Dew. Sam, will be brought in mainly for situations that call for a dual threat quarterback, no knock on Palmer, but it adds a whole new dimension to the Miners offense. Dew is looking to be the quarterback of the future, and is working toward that goal by losing 25 pounds since coming to UTEP, and strengthening his rocket of an arm. Both were named Prep Star high school All-American quarterbacks, and are making sure Palmer keeps his focus on the field.

Running Backs

The Miners come into the season with a huge asterisk mark on the running back position. With the loss of senior tailbacks Matt Austin and Tyler Ebell, the Miners leave behind a 1,000 yard back that never started a game, and a third team all conference player, respectively.

Thomas was given the chance to shine when Ebell and Austin were injured, and took advantage of the dire situation by setting a school record of rushing for 100 yards in four consecutive games against Tulsa, Texas Southern, UAB and SMU. He ended the season with a team-high 791 yards and 5 touchdowns. Thomas who comes to camp 20 pounds heavier, all muscle, is not the question mark. Instead, it is the players who will back him up.

Johan Givens and sophomore Jon Lane are projected to get most of the reps behind Thomas. A big worry for Miner fans is the lingering fact that both combined for 14 carries last season, 11 by Lane. Both provide a fullback type frame, with tailback quickness, but Lane is known for fumbling the ball, and Givens isn’t the best receiving back. Dark horse Brandon Jackson, who is coming off an injury prone 2005 season, looks to add to this mix.

Thomas, Givens, and Lane will be called upon to balance the Miners offense, which ranked 3rd in total offense, but 10th in rushing defense. Thomas and the rest of the backs should see more carries this season because Price wants to lessen the burden on Palmer.

Receivers

Anytime a football team loses a player like Chris Francies, who caught a pass in his last 43 games played, you lose a reliable target that a quarterback looks for in tough situations. He finished his consistent career with 128 receptions, gaining 2,022 yards. Jason Boyd (12-222-0) and Aaron Givens (22-188-1), big play receivers in their own rights, also finished their collegiate football careers last year.

Fortunately, with the loss of consistency, the talent is not at a loss at the receiver position once again. The Miners return speedy receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr, who possesses 108 career catches for 1,899 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is only nine touchdowns away from school record holder, "TD" Lee Mays (28).

Junior Joe West really created a buzz last season at the catching 15 of his 19 catches in the final seven games, and was UTEP’s leading receiver in the GMAC Bowl with 6 receptions for 88 yards. He looks to be the new Chris Francies because of his ability to find holes in the opposition’s defenses.

Senior Chris Marrow has battled injuries over his collegiate career, but looks to make an impact once he recovers from his knee injury.

Seniors Daniel Robinson and David Sutton who stand 6-4 and 6-5, respectively, are expected to create big targets for Palmer to hit on the slot routes, where their speed will create instant mismatches against opposing linebackers.

The core of freshman receivers have given fans high hopes for the future, but unless one steps up it looks like most will be red-shirted. Tufick Shadrawy and Jeff Moturi are the best candidates to get a start because of their impressive route running skills, speed and catching ability.

Tight Ends

The Miners have three good ones in senior Casey Mauch, junior Jake Sears and sophomore Jamar Hunt. They teamed to make 40 catches for 406 yards last season. The massive 6-7, 260-pound Hunt looks to be the favorite because of his large frame and soft hands.

The unit returns intact for the season opener minus Casey Mauch, who was suspended for reasons undisclosed.

Offensive Line

Once again, UTEP’s offensive success, and Palmer's health will hinge on the productivity of its line. The line loses two starters who combined for 58 starts in Josh House and Jose Garcia, but Price is thrilled regarding the potential of junior left tackle Oniel Cousins. Cousins, who weighs in at a hefty 300 pounds, was clocked in at 4.9 in the 40. This added mobility from a lineman provides the added pass protection Palmer desperately needed at the end of last season, and will allow Palmer to stay in the pocket and make smarter decisions.

Don't be surprised if you see redshirt freshmen Daniel Garcia, Colby Meek, Cameron Raschke and Ty Stout get the nod, all have impressed the coaching staff during the spring. Reserves, which look to improve the depth chart on the line, include: seniors Jake Belshe, former defensive lineman Humberto Padilla, and junior Tim Ford.

2006 UTEP Defense

The most solid returnee of the Miners defense has to be Tim Hundley. The crafty coordinator has created schemes  that take advantage of the speed and athleticism that the Miner defense boasts. Mike Price did his team a favor by keeping Hundley away from offers from other teams.

The only weakness in the defense from last year was the size of the corners, and the ability of the opposition’s receivers to break away for the big play. Tim Hundley looks to prevent that by installing a new zone defensive coverage. This will allow the corners to pick spots, and the swift linebackers to make plays on the ball.

Defensive Line

Chris Mineo is clearly the biggest loss for the d-line. In 42 games, he had 30.5 tackles for losses and 16.5 sacks. He also created the lanes for all of the linebackers to blitz through.

On a positive note 9 of the 11 players on the GMAC Bowl depth chart are back, including starters Alex Obomese (LE), Joe Ward (RE) and Zach West (RT). Justin Hanel, who started seven games at left tackle in place of the injured Chris Mineo, will be called upon to make contributions.

The d-line is the deepest of all the defensive positions because of senior backups Reggie Miles, Jr., Ricky Van and Justin Watson. Add in a mixture of underclassmen: Mike Aguayo, Chris Moore, Dane O’Neill and Matt Williams, and you have yourself the winning combination of talent and speed. Alfonso Auelua, the hard hitting linebacker, was moved to the d-line. Look for him to make a sudden impact as well.

Linebackers

The one strength of the Miner defense last season was their 1, 2, 3 punch of Troy Collavo, Jeremy Jones, and Thomas Howard. All three linebackers ended the season 1-2-3 on the team’s tackles list. Unfortunately, Howard now plays for the Oakland Raiders, and the coaching staff is looking for his replacement. Collavo looks to take over the leadership duty, while Jason McQuay or Emeri Spence being Howard's replacement. With the help of nationally ranked (14) Jeremy Jones and senior utility man Josh Chamois, the line backing core is revamped with speed and size.

Redshirt freshman Landon Goodwell, Alan Kirkland and Brian Wilkins plan to make the coaches take a double take with their hard hitting attitudes. Goodwell was an All-CIF player as a senior at Rio Hondo Prep School in Arcadia, Calif. Kirkland is one of three Miners who can squat over 600 pounds.

Emeri Spence will not play in the season opener because of undisclosed reasons as well.

Defensive Backs

Losing only Sir James Delgardo, a starter for 10 games, the defensive back position has nothing but positives to look forward to.

Price has said time and time again that the cornerback situation is up in the air heading into the season, and with good reason. Senior Nate Draughon and junior Josh Ferguson both started seven games last season, but both lack something college corners need, which is size. Draughon (5-10) and Ferguson (5-7) aren't the tallest, but what they like in height, they make up for in talent. Draughon recorded a team-leading 10 pass break-ups, while Ferguson caught two interceptions.

Seniors Tim McCullouch and Bryant Tisdale are looking to compete for the starting job. Tisdale will have to wait since he is in a cast all spring recovering from a fractured hand.

Newcomers Lance Castleberry (5-9), Da-mon Cromartie (6-2) and Cordero Cooks (6-2) will grow into the system, and may even get a reserve spot. The coaching staff did a terrific job by recruiting size, and it will pay dividends in the future.

Safeties

The Miners return senior Joe Fleskoski and junior Quintin Demps at strong and free safety, respectively. They tied for most interceptions on the team last season, with three each, and can only improve with Hundley's defense fresh in their minds. Demps led all defensive backs with 78 tackles, while Fleskoski was second with 75. The safety position will stand pat, minus any injuries before the season.

Senior Phillip Moss adds depth and athleticism at strong safety, while incoming redshirt freshman Braxton Amy will compete with Demps. Amy was a highly sought recruit from Richmond (Texas) Foster High School. He was the Houston Area MVP as a senior, and showcased his athletic ability by winning the team slam dunk competition last season.

2006 UTEP Special Teams

Kickers

UTEP’s kicking game is again solid, with senior Reagan Schneider and the addition of JUCO transfer Jose Martinez. Both have impressive accuracy. Schneider has missed only one of 104 PAT attempts at UTEP, and has connected on 15 field goals of 40 yards or greater, while Martinez converted 81.3 percent (13-of-16) of his field goal attempts with a long of 52 yards in 2005.

Martinez is well known for his kickoff ability. He averaged 78.2 yards on kickoffs during his sophomore season. Schneider is still looking to improve on that aspect of his game over the summer.

Punters

UTEP’s punting game will also see a familiar face in Ryan Hotchkiss, but with Hotchkiss being a senior the coaching staff knew they needed another leg, and found a dandy in Kyle Peterson.

"Last year, we didn't have anyone else," Miner punters coach Jeff Banks said in a recent El Paso Times article."It was just Ryan. So it's really going to make him better, because he knows he's going to be the guy and we trust him with his job. But at the same time, we're showing him that there is talent behind him, and we're going to push him."

Peterson, 6-2, 160 pounds took part in the Army All-American game and was regarded as the top punter in the West region. You don't see too many kickers receive scholarship offers much less punters land a Div I ride, but the West Covina (Calif.) South Hills product had no such problems and coach Price new he was special.

"Petersen has a huge leg," Price said. "He's going to be really something. He's really pushing Ryan Hotchkiss, who won't be able to take a day off and will have to stay sharp."

Hotchkiss realizes he will be highly scrutinized this year with the talented underclassmen, but knows it is his job to lose. With the starting job a year away Peterson knows he just has to work to hard.

"I just hope I can come in and fulfill those expectations and make the coaches happy," Petersen said in a recent El Paso Times news article.

Punt/Kickoff Returners

The speedy Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr., who was rated 43rd nationally in punt returns (9.4 avg.) and tied for 60th in kickoff returns (22.4 avg.) last season, is a no-brainer. Quintin Demps is the other option because of his quickness, and agility.

The coaching staff will still be looking for other choices on the depth chart, but don’t expect changes in the starting positions. Josh Ferguson may be the 2nd in line to Demps because of his small frame, and speed.

2006 UTEP Bottom Line

The Miners face San Diego St. at Qualcomm Stadium in their opener, and with a 2-2 record in season opening games since 2002, the Miners are looking to start with a win. Their next three games include Texas Tech at home, at New Mexico, and a home rivalry game against NMSU. The Miners must play one game at a time this year because they face quality opponents in every game they play. Without question the team would love to start 4-0, but this will be difficult considering Texas Tech is creeping the second week shadows.

The keys to a successful season will be: Palmer staying under 10 interceptions, the running game balancing out the offense, avoiding key injuries, and using the depth the staff recruited so the Miners do not lose their last games. The senior heavy bunch does not need much to motivate them this year, but they know this can be a special year.

"All of us expect us to go undefeated, because there's not a single team on our schedule that can beat us," Phillip Moss said in a recent El Paso Times article.

Prediction: 10-2 (6-2), #1 in the West and a bowl game appearance.