Miners happy at Ruidoso camp
Florida State takes two team photos
RUIDOSO — Since arriving in Ruidoso on Wednesday for summer training camp, the UTEP Miners football team has settled in nicely.
After spending 14 years in Socorro on the campus of New Mexico Tech, the Miners left for Alpine, Texas, last season to hold training camp under third-year head coach Sean Kugler.
UTEP announced its move to Ruidoso in July due to the first-class accommodations at the Lodge at Sierra Blanca. UTEP will spend 11 days at Camp Ruidoso.
One of Kugler’s favorite aspects of camp is not having diversions.
“You eliminate distractions,” Kugler said. “That’s why I love going away. The team is together 24/7. You build the camaraderie, come together as a team and it’s just strictly football.
“All we do is eat, meet, practice, sleep, get up, and their focus is completely on football. If we were in town, you got distractions — the girlfriends, going out to restaurants on free time, those type of things.”
He added: “Here, it’s just 100 percent football and that’s what I love about camp. I think these guys are in good shape. There’s nothing like getting out there and doing the actual football movements, especially when you put the pads on.
“The physicality of it wears you down. That’s what we’re doing right now — we’re getting into football shape.”
UTEP finished 7-6 overall and 5-3 in Conference USA last season as the Miners recorded their first winning season since 2005.
The mark also earned them their first bowl appearance since 2010. The Miners made their second appearance at the New Mexico Bowl, falling to Utah State 21-6.
UTAH STATE: The Aggies suspended senior wide receiver Hunter Sharp, sophomore offensive lineman Tyshon Mosley and senior cornerback
Bryant Hayes for the first two games of the season for a violation of team rules.
Sharp, from Palmdale, Calif., had 66 receptions for 939 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
Mosley, from Sandy, Utah, started 11 games last year as a redshirt freshman and played in all 14 at left guard. Hayes, from Compton, Calif., started three games last season and had 20 tackles.
COACH DIES: Charlotte offensive line coach Phil Ratliff died Sunday, six days after suffering a cardiac event. He was 44.
FLORIDA STATE: FSU opted to take two team photos during media day this year, one featuring suspended running back Dalvin Cook and one without him.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said he can’t make a final decision on Cook’s status with the team until he gets more information about the battery charge the Seminoles projected starting running back faces.
When Fisher was asked Sunday what he specifically was waiting for, the coach responded: “The exact facts of the case and … the truth.”
USC: Southern California opened fall camp with familiar expectations and plenty of new faces.
The Trojans were able to sign a full 25-man recruiting class in February after three years of NCAA sanctions. Add in four blueshirts — nonrecruited walk-ons who can receive scholarships on the second day of fall camp — and even second-year coach Steve Sarkisian struggled to keep track of everyone.
“It was fun to see a lot of our new players. It was hard to see them all; there’s a lot of them going at one time,” Sarkisian said Saturday.
FLORIDA: Running back Adam Lane is transferring seven months after earning most valuable player honors at the Birmingham Bowl.
Coach Jim McElwain made the announcement Sunday, saying the sophomore from Winter Haven, Fla., is dealing with family issues and wants to be closer to home.