Since Mike Price was named head coach of the UTEP Miners, a winning attitude was brought onto the team that has not been seen since the 2000 Humanitarian Bowl season.

That in itself must have been a daunting task because the Miners have only seen six wins in the past three seasons, the Sun Bowl was as barren as the desert and the players were as gloomy as the El Paso nights.

Fast forward to the 2004 season and the Miners are (4-2, 2-1 WAC), the Sun Bowl is filled with rowdy fans, and the players couldn?t be happier.

Unfortunately, the Miners next assignment this past Saturday was Ryan Moats, who leads the WAC in rushing with 1,114 yards, and his team, the LA Tech Bulldogs, who are (4-3, 3-0 WAC) coming off a win over SMU.

To make matters worse, it is LA Tech?s homecoming, and they would be ready to give their hometown fans a win.

The stage was set, the teams were ready, and as Michael Buffer loves to say, "Let?s Get Ready to Rumble!"

Game Summary:

The Miners were definitely ready to rumble, as they scored the first touchdown on a seven-yard pass from QB Jordan Palmer to TE Jonas Crafts. The rumble was taken away five minutes later as RB Moats scored his only touchdown of the game.

This set the tone for the rest of the game, because without Moats the LA Tech Bulldogs were apathetic on offense for the rest of the game.

Halftime Score:

UTEP: 20

LA Tech: 14

Other than a 52-yard rushing touchdown, the Bulldogs second half scoring was credited to their kicker Danny Horwedel.

The Bulldogs were only able add 13 points in the second half, which was a testament to how much the UTEP defense has improved from last year.

But it was not only defense that improved, so has the Miners offense, which really exploded by scoring 24 more points to give them the victory.

The most notable score was Johnnie Lee Higgins, who had 65-yard touchdown reception from Palmer.

The win improved the Miners to (5-2, 3-1 WAC), while LA Tech?s record went to (4-4, 3-1 WAC).

Final Score:

UTEP: 44

LA Tech: 22

Here are a few Pros and Cons from the game.

UTEP Miners

QB: Jordan Palmer

Pros: Palmer is finally learning the offense, and it was very evident on Saturday. He had a season high 259 yards of passing, threw four TDs and had no INTs, which means he is keeping the mistakes down. Price?s coaching is finally showing.

Cons: Palmer is still getting sacked because he stays in the pocket too much. He must learn to make quicker decisions, and learn the hot reads. He made a few careless throws.

RB: Howard Jackson

Pros: Jackson was just as advertised. He gained 114 yards on the ground, and added 54 from the air. He is still tough as nails and as quick as lightning after four years. If the offensive line could make bigger gaps to for Jackson to run through, defenses beware.

Cons: Jackson took some big shots that he shouldn?t have. He must stay away from those hits if he wants to finish the season strong.

Punter: Bryce Benekos

Pros: Benekos had seven punts for 323 yards. Talk about getting field position. His longest punt of 66 yards allowed the Miners to get the field position for a field goal. He is the X-factor of the special team?s squad.

Cons: He had a punt blocked. Not sure whose fault it was, but you have to find a way to get the ball out as quick as possible.

UTEP Defense:

Pros: Adrian Ward?s two interceptions, and Mike Dowdy?s one interception were both very helpful to the Miners momentum. The defense held Moats to under 100 yards. Only Miami, Tennessee and Auburn were able to do the same. Their hard hitting attitude really affected Moats.

Cons: Not many cons other than the fact that the corners got beat a few times.

LA Tech

QB: Matt Kubik

Pros: Stayed in the game and had 151 passing yards.

Cons: Threw three interceptions and looked lost when he couldn?t hand the ball off to Moats.

RB: Ryan Moats

Pros: He gained 99 rushing yards and scored a touchdown. He deserves everyone?s respect just for coming back into the game every time he got injured. This guy is tough, but he may not last the season if he keeps getting hit as hard as he did.

Cons: I know he showed a lot of courage coming into the game, but sometimes you have to "live to play another game." His team was lost without him, but the possibility of losing his team?s offensive output for the season is much worse than one game. Please sit on the bench!

Well that is all for this week. Please come back next week for another UTEP Miners? report.

If you want to learn more about the UTEP Miners, just visit their official athletics website at: www.utepathletics.com.

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