Rebuilding Miners face many challenges
The University of Texas at El Paso struggled through the worst 2017 season in the country.
Coach Sean Kugler resigned after an 0-5 start and the Miners tapped former coach Mike Price to hold things together until a long coaching search was completed. UTEP came close under Price, but it couldn’t earn a win.
The good news is UTEP has nowhere to go but up. The bad news is it may take time to start moving.
The math helped the Miners earn the last-place spot in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team.
entering overall) UTEP Dana Dimel (0-0, first season; 30–39
0-12 overall, 0-8 in Conference USA; last in West Division
Kugler came to UTEP determined to field a hard-nosed defense and elite rushing attack. UTEP struggled to overpower its opponents in the trenches and couldn’t keep its quarterbacks healthy to field a respectable passing attack. The lack of diversity on offense made it easy to shut down the Miners’ offense. Kugler resigned before the season even reached the midpoint and UTEP asked Price to help keep the team unified.
UTEP was in the midst of an athletics director search when Kugler was fired, so it took the school months to eventually hire Kansas State offensive coordinator Dana Dimel to take over the football program.
5 5
6 OL Will Hernandez, WR Tyler Batson, DB Devin Cockrell, LB Alvin Jones
RB Treyvon Hughes, DB Kahani Smith, OL Derron Gatewood, DL Chris Richardson, DB Nik Needham
The Miners’ biggest strength likely will be their secondary, with returning starters Nik Needham, Kahani Smith and Kalon Beverly anchoring the unit. Needham is the top returning tackler (59 stops, 28 solo). The defense also returns 2017 All-Conference USA Freshman Team honoree Trace Mascorro.
Center Derron Gatewood, who has started 27 games, returns to anchor the offense. He’ll be joined up front by returning linemen Ruben Guerra and Greg Long.
Dimel’s biggest recruiting win was landing Kai Locksley, an Iowa Western transfer who was named the 2017 Spalding NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year. Locksley, who started his college career at Texas and is the son of Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, threw for 2,238 yards on 176-of-265 passing (66.4 percent) with 20 passing scores and six interceptions. The quarterback rushed for 705 yards on 112 attempts and a team-best 20 rushing scores.
The Miners lose elite offensive lineman Will Hernandez, a key team leader who is projected to be selected early in the NFL draft.
Although Dimel and his staff quickly put together a solid recruiting class, it won’t be easy to plug all the holes on the roster. While there is talent sprinkled throughout the roster, the Miners lack depth and athletes who can make the move from Kugler’s pro-style attack to Dimel’s spread offense.
Kugler also made some odd personnel decisions, opting not to target any kickers. As a result, the Miners lost multiple winnable games under Price’s direction late last season because Kugler didn’t believe in burning recruiting resources and scholarships on specialists.
A new coach should provide an energy boost, but lack of depth and a tough schedule will make it difficult to immediately climb out of the C-USA cellar.