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ACU vs UTEP Prediction Thread

Right, but you’re asking if they’re worse than the 2003 team, right now, it’s yes.
It’s actually a no. Cuz the 2003 team lost at home to an FCS team and got blown out by a 2 win Arizona squad. Unless we lose to ACU and get shut out at ULM the jury will be out all year in the comparisons.
 
It’s actually a no. Cuz the 2003 team lost at home to an FCS team and got blown out by a 2 win Arizona squad. Unless we lose to ACU and get shut out at ULM the jury will be out all year in the comparisons.

Unless you believe that the Miners are winning 8 games next year and that Gavin Hardison is better than Jordan Palmer, the answer is yes. That 2003 team beat a FCS team by 46. While the Cal Poly game was embarrassing, I believe UTEP would have beat them 95 out of 100 times
 
Unless you believe that the Miners are winning 8 games next year and that Gavin Hardison is better than Jordan Palmer, the answer is yes. That 2003 team beat a FCS team by 46. While the Cal Poly game was embarrassing, I believe UTEP would have beat them 95 out of 100 times
Why do the 2021 miners have to win 8 games to prove that the 2020 miners are better than 2003? Don’t they just have to beat ACU and another cusa game to finish with a better record?
 
Why do the 2021 miners have to win 8 games to prove that the 2020 miners are better than 2003? Don’t they just have to beat ACU and another cusa game to finish with a better record?

“Better” is a relative term. In straight results, if the Miners win on Saturday, they will be “better” than the 2003 team, as the worst record they could have is 2-10, which is “better” than 2-11.

I’m saying, they’re not “better” because I seriously doubt these players are winning 16 games in 2021 and 2022. In my opinion, the 2003 team would wipe the floor with this year’s team. Therefore, I don’t think they’re “better”.
 
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Do you think this UTEP team is better than the 1959 team? That’s the last time ACU and UTEP played, although we were ACC and you were Texas Western back then. FWIW, ACU leads the all time series with UTEP 3-2.
 
“Better” is a relative term. In straight results, if the Miners win on Saturday, they will be “better” than the 2003 team, as the worst record they could have is 2-10, which is “better” than 2-11.

I’m saying, they’re not “better” because I seriously doubt these players are winning 16 games in 2021 and 2022. In my opinion, the 2003 team would wipe the floor with this year’s team. Therefore, I don’t think they’re “better”.
If the Miners win on Saturday they will be better because they didn’t lose to an FCS team. They would still need to beat at least one FBS team.

Why do future results matter? We’re talking strictly 2003 vs 2020. 2004/2005 would be a lot different without Mike Price.

You have no idea how the team will perform the rest of the year. To say the 2003 team would wipe the floor is plain dumb. The 2001-2003 era was just as bad as the current one. They had maybe a win or two more but the beat downs were a lot worse.
 
Why do future results matter? We’re talking strictly 2003 vs 2020. 2004/2005 would be a lot different without Mike Price.

The difference is the coach of the 2003 team won the only conference championship UTEP has won in the last 50 years. He also turned out to be the best recruiter UTEP ever had. Price stopped winning once Nord's recruits left. To me that's the biggest "what if" in UTEP history. What would have happened had Nord got his 5th year of his five year plan. Dimel has never won anything. Nobody really think hes a recruiting powerhouse. The 2003 season should be the precedent for this season. If winning the a conference championship didn't give Nord enough built up equity to get a fourth season after three terrible seasons then Dimel sure as hell shouldn't get a fourth. Dimel has never won anything.
 
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Sorry, my friend NoWins, but I have to throw this out there. You have said repeatedly that history doesn't matter. The 1966 championship is meaningless. The Chicago Bulls 1990s dynasty doesn't matter.

By that logic, nothing the 2003 team did matters today. Nothing.

It doesn’t matter to recruits and doesn’t ensure future results. I was comparing teams, not suggesting anything else. No recruit is attending any school based on what they did in 2003.
 
Corona is the one who brought up the 2003 team.
Some are so offended that we discuss UTEP football on a thread. I saw a lot of people picking ACU. It reminded me of losing to Cal Poly. Will this team be worse than 03 is a reasonable comparison. I guess for some it’s better to not have anything to say or read.
 
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Some are so offended that we discuss UTEP football on a thread. I saw a lot of people picking ACU. It reminded me of losing to Cal Poly. Will this team be worse than 03 is a reasonable comparison. I guess for some it’s better to not have anything to say or read.

I’m not complaining, but for some, a dead board with no responses is desirable. I guess.
 
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IMO there’s just no way to compare teams from different eras.
Besides that my memories don’t go back that far! Stay young, old age sucks!!!!!!!!!!
 
The only reason why I'm picking us is, because it's their first game. We start off behind again, but come back to win with a field goal
Worst Team in FCS 30
Mediocre FBS team 28
 
In the EP Times today it says that Hankins was injured in practice Tuesday and missed practice on Wednesday and will be a game day decision. Can UTEP ever catch a break?

"A day after getting helped off the field with an injury, starting tailback Deion Hankins missed practice Wednesday. When asked, Dimel said he wasn't going to comment on Hankins' status.

After Hankins' injury Tuesday he returned to practice before it was over."
 
1.) It sucks to take Deion out of the Texas game early to try and protect him......just to then have him get hurt at practice a few days later.

2.) Deion's running style will take a physical toll and unfortunately probably lead to a number of "game time decisions" over his career.

3.) In some way, I am just glad that it is was a hopefully minor leg injury and not another concussion issue.
 
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In the EP Times today it says that Hankins was injured in practice Tuesday and missed practice on Wednesday and will be a game day decision. Can UTEP ever catch a break?

"A day after getting helped off the field with an injury, starting tailback Deion Hankins missed practice Wednesday. When asked, Dimel said he wasn't going to comment on Hankins' status.

After Hankins' injury Tuesday he returned to practice before it was over."
Can’t catch a break. Anything Dimel does is wrong and criticized. Play it safe and the fans are made cuz we’re not competitive. Even though we hardly ever are. Play aggressive and run the risk of injury and crippling the rest of the season. If a qb or rb gets hurt we’re going to depend on a third stringer.
 
Can’t catch a break. Anything Dimel does is wrong and criticized. Play it safe and the fans are made cuz we’re not competitive. Even though we hardly ever are. Play aggressive and run the risk of injury and crippling the rest of the season. If a qb or rb gets hurt we’re going to depend on a third stringer.

That’s FBS football. Injuries change career paths and coach’s jobs. UTEP isn’t the only school that deals with it. For every “whiner” like TJ Goodwin, there’s guys that crave the competition and will step up when called upon.
 
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That’s FBS football. Injuries change career paths and coach’s jobs. UTEP isn’t the only school that deals with it. For every “whiner” like TJ Goodwin, there’s guys that crave the competition and will step up when called upon.
That’s all good if we have a roster full of FBS talent. We have a couple of fbs players then some FCS talent, then some juco, then d2/d3. There’s a big drop off from our starters to our bench. Dimel has to play it safe unless we want 3-win conference members to score 70 on us like they used to.
 
That’s all good if we have a roster full of FBS talent. We have a couple of fbs players then some FCS talent, then some juco, then d2/d3. There’s a big drop off from our starters to our bench. Dimel has to play it safe unless we want 3-win conference members to score 70 on us like they used to.

That is why he is a bad coach. Scores don’t matter, as I forgot that SJSU scored 69 on UTEP in 2003. Didn’t matter much to Tyler Ebell, who transferred here the following offseason from UCLA.

UTEP could lose all their games 77-3 the rest of the year. The incoming coaches and players wouldn’t care too much and in 2037, no one will remember or care.
 
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If Hankins can’t play this Saturday we may not have an offense capable of beating ACU. From reading the EP Times article on ACU, their coach said they are ready to play. They will be throwing everything at UTEP.
 
If Hankins can’t play this Saturday we may not have an offense capable of beating ACU. From reading the EP Times article on ACU, their coach said they are ready to play. They will be throwing everything at UTEP.

I'll be shocked if they dont try to replicate the Whorns and go deep on the first play. I hope Hankins plays. If not the 2nd quarter box score with have Fields with 12 carries for -7 yards. I hope to see more of Eldridge.
 
I expect Fields to give 100% and come thru. They have a very capable qb but so does UTEP in Hardison. I totally expect ACU to stack the box and force UTEP to throw. If I was a d cordinator I would based on what I have seen. That leaves UTEP wr one on one and/or need to sit in the gaps. Take what they give you basically. Hardison also just needs to get better at just tucking it under and slide for those few extra yards. Canales play calling makes any UTEP fan queasy so the slots and wr need to come up like they did against SFA.
 
I expect Fields to give 100% and come thru. They have a very capable qb but so does UTEP in Hardison. I totally expect ACU to stack the box and force UTEP to throw. If I was a d cordinator I would based on what I have seen. That leaves UTEP wr one on one and/or need to sit in the gaps. Take what they give you basically. Hardison also just needs to get better at just tucking it under and slide for those few extra yards. Canales play calling makes any UTEP fan queasy so the slots and wr need to come up like they did against SFA.
Yes play calling is bad but it is Dimel that calls the plays.
 
The UTEP Miners will host the Abilene Christian Wildcats in the newly renovated Sun Bowl Stadium on Saturday night, marking the first meeting between the two schools since 1959.

UTEP managed to snap an 11-game losing streak in its season opener with a 24-14 victory over Stephen F. Austin. But the celebration was short-lived, as the outmatched Miners made their way to Austin last week to face the Longhorns. As expected, No. 14 Texas made easy work of the Miners in a 59-3 blowout. Now 1-1 on the season, Dana Dimel's Miners will look to rebound against Abilene Christian on Saturday. A win would give UTEP its first 2-1 start to a season since 2011.

Abilene Christian is set to embark on its first game of the season. The Wildcats are one of four FCS teams hailing from the Southland Conference that decided to opt out of the proposed 2021 FCS spring season in order to play a limited schedule this fall. Led by fourth-year head coach Adam Dorrel, the Wildcats are coming off a somewhat disappointing 5-7 season. They now go in search of a signature upset win on the road against an FBS opponent to kick off their 2020 campaign.

Abilene Christian at UTEP

Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 19 at 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
Spread: UTEP -4

When Abilene Christian Has the Ball
The Wildcats' top priority this offseason was finding a replacement for 2019 starting quarterback Luke Anthony, who left the program to compete for the starting job at Louisiana Tech as a grad transfer. Instead, it appears Dorrel has settled on a pair of quarterbacks to start the season in dual-threats Sema'J Davis and Iowa transfer Peyton Mansell.

Davis is the more experienced of the two signal-callers and will likely get the start. He had mixed results in a reserve role as a passer last season, completing 59 percent of his passes for 388 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. However, Davis really shined as a runner, adding 621 yards (6.1 ypc) and four scores on the ground in 2019. Mansell appeared in five games for Iowa in 2018, completing 5-of-8 pass attempts for 83 yards, to go along with 31 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Both quarterbacks will play on Saturday, and both are dynamic athletes that could prove to be a handful for the UTEP defense.

Wide receiver Kobe Clark returns for the Abilene Christian offense after setting the school's single-season record for receptions last season with 87. Former Nebraska transfer, Branden Hohenstein, will provide another experienced pass catcher for the Wildcats at tight end. Meanwhile, Tyrese White (5.6 ypc in 2019) and true freshman Jermiah Dobbins are expected to do most of the heavy lifting for the ACU rushing attack on Saturday night. An experienced offensive line, anchored by senior Kade Parmelly, will help lead the way. The UTEP defense would be ill-advised to look past a potentially dangerous Abilene Christian offense.



When UTEP Has the Ball
Quarterback Gavin Hardison will make his third career start on Saturday. The sophomore signal-caller struggled mightily against Texas last week as expected. However, he did perform reasonably well in Week 1 against Stephen F. Austin, which is a much better measuring stick for the purposes of previewing this matchup. Despite committing a pair of turnovers, Hardison was efficient in completing 61 percent of his passes for 212 yards and a touchdown against the SFA defense. Wide receivers Jacob Cowing (11 catches for 165 yards) and Justin Garrett (9 catches for 110 yards, 1 touchdown) have provided Hardison with a pair of reliable targets so far this season, a trend that should continue against Abilene Christian. The strength of the UTEP offense lies in the run game, where redshirt freshman running back Deion Hankins stole the show in week 1, running for 113 yards and a pair of scores on 17 carries against SFA. He could be in for a bigger workload on Saturday night.

The Abilene Christian defense is somewhat of a mystery, but there appears to be talent in place with a host of FBS transfers on the roster. All-Conference linebacker Jeremiah Chambers, who led the Wildcats in tackles last season, will be missed after exhausting his eligibility. Kameron Hill, the team's top returning pass rusher, also will be missed after opting out due to COVID-19 concerns. However, senior linebacker Jack Gibbens is back to spearhead the ACU defense following an impressive 2019 season that included 104 tackles (8.5 for loss), 2.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.

Final Analysis

This is not a particularly safe game for UTEP, and an upset isn't out of the question. The Abilene Christian offense will feature a pair of dual-threat quarterbacks who could create problems for the UTEP defense. The Wildcats also have added a slew of FBS transfers to their roster in the offseason to go along with a solid group of returning starters.

On the flip side, UTEP should still be the superior team in terms of personnel, and the Miners have already had time to jell and knock off the rust with two full games under their belt. Abilene Christian has not been afforded that luxury, and with so many new faces in the Wildcats' lineup, mistakes could be plentiful. That will be the difference, as UTEP starts the season 2-1 for the first time since 2011.

Prediction: UTEP 31, Abilene Christian 21

— Written by Rob McVey, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @Rob_UTVOLS.

(Top photo courtesy of @UTEPFB)
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Dimel is quoted in the EP Times as saying the UTEP passing game will be a big part of the game plan since the ACU secondary lacks experience. When was the last time we expected to have a good passing attack? When Price was coaching, of course.
 
ACU MVP hands down is their coach Adam Dorrell. He has a very impressive resume at DII level but 13 and 21 after three seasons at ACU but I can see why ACU is drooling for this game; they are a FCS school with FBS offense with an offensive minded coach who doesn't put a lot of stock on defense, hence his struggles at ACU.

I really do believe Hardison can have a great night against their defense

After two games in, Dimel has to, absolutely has to, pop them in the mouth to get any idea of them getting a FBS win out of their head.

O line has to look good like they did against SFA. D line has to get pressure and the secondary has to be aggressive and no blown containment.
 
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ACU believes they can win this game and will not show UTEP any respect. The Miners have to play smart and aggressive football on both sides of the field. UTEP can’t afford a slow start because ACU will get confident and will be hard to stop. The Miners have to take control of this game by playing hard nose football. Hope the Miners come ready to play this Saturday.
 
ACU MVP hands down is their coach Adam Dorrell. He has a very impressive resume at DII level but 13 and 21 after three seasons at ACU but I can see why ACU is drooling for this game; they are a FCS school with FBS offense with an offensive minded coach who doesn't put a lot of stock on defense, hence his struggles at ACU.

I really do believe Hardison can have a great night against their defense

After two games in, Dimel has to, absolutely has to, pop them in the mouth to get any idea of them getting a FBS win out of their head.

O line has to look good like they did against SFA. D line has to get pressure and the secondary has to be aggressive and no blown containment.

So you are saying the game may come down to whose defense sucks the least? Sounds right to me.
 
By how many does UTEP need to win to make you believe we might be on to something this season?
 
ACU MVP hands down is their coach Adam Dorrell. He has a very impressive resume at DII level but 13 and 21 after three seasons at ACU but I can see why ACU is drooling for this game; they are a FCS school with FBS offense with an offensive minded coach who doesn't put a lot of stock on defense, hence his struggles at ACU.

Dorell is well aware he’s an offensive guy. That’s why he worked with donors to come up with the money to lure a top FCS DC to Abilene


Dorrell hired FCS powerhouse South Dakota State’s Defensive Coordinator last year and has turned the defense over to him.
Clint Brown has hired assistants that understand what he’s trying to do and had a year to recruit players who fit his schemes, including several transfer defensive backs. I’m anxious to see how they hold up against UTEP’s passing attack.
 
By how many does UTEP need to win to make you believe we might be on to something this season?

21+ and by that I mean something other than winning by 14 and returning the last play of the game for a touchdown. Pretty much being up by at least that going into the 4th quarter
 
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Dorell is well aware he’s an offensive guy. That’s why he worked with donors to come up with the money to lure a top FCS DC to Abilene


Dorrell hired FCS powerhouse South Dakota State’s Defensive Coordinator last year and has turned the defense over to him.
Clint Brown has hired assistants that understand what he’s trying to do and had a year to recruit players who fit his schemes, including several transfer defensive backs. I’m anxious to see how they hold up against UTEP’s passing attack.

Should be an interesting game. The fact that it should be somewhat of a toss up game is probably why some of us UTEP fans may appear unfriendly and a bit disgruntled at times. Hard to think of a fan base at the FBS level who has been witness to more shit shows by a program than us loyal Miner fans.

On a side note, and not trying to be a d*%k here, whereas I know where you’re coming from, it sounds funny putting powerhouse and South Dakota State in the same sentence. Just sayin.
 
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