I realize I am an outsider, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a school fan site where they talk about the school's football team less than is done here.
Is there another fan forum where they actually discuss UTEP football?
- Thread starter elpasoeagle
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I'm guessing UMASS or UCONN talk football less than us but I don't care to check
It’s still the off-season. Nobody really likes the coach or expects him to do any better than 7-5.
Also no bowl wins or significant wins in forever.
Also no bowl wins or significant wins in forever.
To answer your question, no. Not that I know of. Kyyotes den used to have discussion, but I don't know how busy they are now. The athletic department is just in awful shape so it's hard to keep fan interest.
There is another forum (Kyyote's Den) where some of the old-timers prefer to congregate. That forum has even less traffic than this one, although it will pick up during the season. But yes, some of the biggest old-time fans choose to post there and rarely post here anymore.
I miss the insight from some of the guys who used to post on here, especially those who were able to attend practices. In particular, I always looked forward to reading UTEPDefense's FB analysis. It's too bad some of these guys no longer post here.
I went through years of bad football at UNT. Thankfully we had a change in leadership who believed that athletics, especially FB and BB, could be great ambassadors for the University and started investing. Hopefully, we will see the same at UTEP one day.
But look at the local media too. Years ago we got daily write ups from camp, a section in the newspaper dedicated to UTEP on game day. But now no one touches newspapers let alone the EP Times.
What is UTEP's most veteran unit? The anchors on the offensive line
Tackles Steven Hubbard, Zuri Henry bring different approaches but same excellence to the game
The UTEP offensive line has been together so long it's convenient to think of them as one big, monolithic organism.
They are five guys — five quite veteran guys — with five unique personalities that happen to mesh well. As for other similarities, coach Dana Dimel chuckles at the diversity represented on the two flanks, tackles Zuri Henry and Steven Hubbard.
"They are opposites as far as how they play the game," Dimel said. "Zuri is such a good technician, so intellectual. Hub is that physical, go-hit-you-in-the-mouth type of guy. They are both great players.
The Miners are happy to repeat the common refrain that this team will go as far as its lines will take them, which is what teams do when they are as stacked as UTEP is on both of its fronts.
The offensive line technically lists four returning starters from a group that was good last year, which doesn't include Zuri Henry, who had his 24th and 25th UTEP career starts at the beginning of last season before taking an injury redshirt.
Hubbard then stepped in, and in his second season after transferring from UTEP's biggest recruiting hotbed, Kilgore College, started nine games.
Inside them are center Andrew Meyer and guard Elijah Klein, two best friends who have combined for 70 career starts going back to 2018. Guard Justin Mayers, who is going into his fifth season, was an every-game starter last year.
If the UTEP offense is going to be good this season the line will guide them and the 114 career combined starts across the front is where so much optimism comes from.
"It's pretty fun, coming with my guys every day, getting better every day," Henry said. "We try to aim for the sky. We're trying to be the heartbeat of the team, win every day.
The senior left tackle Hubbard is the "newcomer" of the group as he's only been here since 2020, when he played five games in the free COVID year. In a rarity on this team, he's the lone junior college transfer starting on the line, though there are backups behind him who fit the more typical UTEP mode.
Hubbard is the brawler on the line, the physical tackle with a mean streak so coveted anywhere.
"If you look at any championship team anywhere across America, the o-line and d-line are the heart and soul of the team," Hubbard said. "Without those two position groups, the team is nothing.
"It's a good chemistry us being together so long. When I got here they accepted me for who I was and brought me like along."
Players such as Hubbard will never need long to fit in.
"We love Hub, the way he plays with such aggression and physicality," Dimel said. "He's a really aggressive player, he loves to play the game, he practices hard, he brings an edge to the game."
UTEP feels its offensive line is going to bring an edge to every game, a confidence fed by having so many players so familiar with each other.
It's hard to block though when the running scheme is basically always inside the tackles. Minimal misdirection, minimal screens, minimal passing to the TE. Just saying
Kyyote's had great insider intel on UTEP athletics. One insider blew the lid on a UTEP player months before the news did (under the Kugler regime). From thence on out UTEP has kept all rumors to a whisper since here and KD was blowing the lid on stuff. Hell, Bigwood has gone basically mum on here.
With Coach Dimel struggling to create even a consistent average quality performing team and Golding having a lack luster year two, fan interest is just "eh", right now. The marketing has gotten much better (peak was when Price finished year one and local business's were splashing his face all over El Paso, even trash trucks). Second, while it is not all football here as compered to Boise or other high mid majors, this site has been noted for having crazy bat poop dialogue.
Basketball is a whole different story. When UTEP loses, Miner fans form a circle and fire at each other and want AD Senter out of town by sun up the next day. Win and this site becomes as smooth as an OnlyFans video and chat forum.
Let's be real, my tongues speaking friend. Insiders are what they are. NONE of that will blow things to a whisper if we have a tough and dedicated media asking questions and digging deep. No pun intended.
In any case, there are stories to be told publicly whether or not UTEP coaches and admin like them. It happens at all levels.
If anything has happened to reduce "insider" stories on 'digs it's that "insiders" have simply gone away. If I were an "insider" I'd tell my stories whether or not anyone at the school liked it. I'm not a school employee. If I'm told something, I'm reporting it.
But I'm neither an "insider" nor a media person.
That made me spit my drink out I laughed so hard.
Kyyotes Den had good insider info because he became friends with Price. He was allowed anywhere before, during, and after practices. He did video interviews and had free reign. He was also blinded by his friendship with Price. (as are others) When Price left, so did his total access, which soured him quite a bit. He is up there in years now, so he probably couldn't do it as much any more anyway.
The Den is a click. Basically only folks from their inner circle get any traction there. Last I looked, it was on life support.
