College Football 2021- Post Covid Edition
- Thread starter Minerinciter
- Start date
Nice gem. I didn't know that either. Only drew 22k. How the hell did UTEP ever agree to that?
Money, I’m sure. Probably thought it would draw better and be good for both teams. It might have been the 2nd ever college football game held there too.
I was at that game. Alamodome was still fairly new. Took my (ex)wife and kids. My son still remembers us getting our asses handed to us something like 45-10 or something like that. And he was like 9 years old at the time.
**** me for being a lifelong Miners fan...
Ok, hat tip to Minerinciter for the lead but too many tweets included and I'm addressing the letter from C-USA to the AAC.
I'm well known to hate C-USA but I appreciate the leadership of the conference to reach out to the AAC to discuss regionalization. I've read the statements from AAC / Mike Aresco poo-pooing everything and saying they're not interested and all that bullshit but the reality is that they need to have this discussion with C-USA if they are going to survive. The MWC essentially told them to **** off and that sets a market value on their conference. They don't have much leverage in the larger scheme of things.
I think they'll hem and haw and act all high and mighty for a while but they know they have to come to the table and have the discussion. C-USA, AAC, and the Sun Belt MUST work out a regional conference alignment agreement or they will all go the way of the WAC. What a shame. The WAC was once a ****ing awesome conference with us, a strong UNM, BYU, Utah, etc.
Oh well, shit happens. Times change. Mike Aresco will either come to the table or see the AAC wither away like the once mighty WAC did.
Got You,
Dana Dimel believes UTEP could have done this a year ago, if anyone could have come to El Paso.
The Miners are 5-1 this season. Yes, UTEP. The five wins already equal the number of wins the program had over the past four seasons combined. It’s just the eighth time they’ve done this in 107 years of football and only the third time since 1989.
It doesn’t matter if the competition hasn’t exactly been the toughest (the four FBS opponents they beat are 5-20). Dimel inherited a team that went 0-12 in 2017, and the Miners went 2-22 in Dimel’s first two seasons (including 1-1 against FCS teams). Wins are wins, and they’re finally coming.
“It’s been cool how we’ve won games,” Dimel said. “We’ve come from behind, or lost a lead and gained them back. Those are hard things to do, hard hurdles to climb when you’re turning a program. It’s built the confidence. … At Kansas State, one of our biggest things was trying to build a culture where you expect to win. I think our guys have finally gotten to that point.”
But what about last year? Dimel saw it starting then. UTEP went 3-5, including two FCS wins and a 0-4 record in conference play. On paper, it didn’t look all that special. Then you realize five of those seven games were on the road, including all four Conference USA games. That was because of COVID-19. Whether because of an outbreak within the Miners or an opponent, six games were canceled or postponed. North Texas refused to play in El Paso due to an outbreak in the city.
“I thought we were real close to being a good team last year, but when no one would come play us at home, it broke all our momentum,” Dimel said. “We start 3-1 and never got a home game after that.”
Now, the Miners are winning again, and they’re doing it with the K-State model Dimel learned under Bill Snyder. Dimel played at K-State from 1984-86 before Snyder arrived, then coached there from 1987-96, again in 2005 and again from 2009-17. What does that mean? On offense, he says that means explosive plays amid an otherwise pedestrian attack. That’s not an insult. It’s what the numbers show.
The Miners are No. 73 in total yards per game (389.8) and No. 86 in scoring (25.8 points per game). But they’re No. 11 nationally with 20 plays of at least 30 yards and No. 7 in plays of 40-plus yards (12). As a result, they’re No. 52 in yards per play.
The run game has been all-or-nothing, too. The Miners have been almost as likely to rush for 10-plus yards (31 rushes) as they have been to rush for a loss (29 rushes excluding sacks). They keep plugging away on the ground and taking deep shots in the air. Eventually, it pays off.
“It’s our MO,” Dimel said. “We might not have 500 yards a game, but we’re always one of the best teams in yards per play. To me, that’s one of the top stats. We’re over six yards per play, so similar to our numbers at K-State. Then you rely on a great defense.”
The biggest beneficiary of that style is wide receiver Jacob Cowing, who ranks third nationally at 23.4 yards per catch (26 catches for 609 yards and four touchdowns). Cowing is the perfect example of the under-the-radar Kansas State find. He was a two-star recruit out of Arizona. Dimel’s friend Tim Beck, then the Texas offensive coordinator, tipped off Dimel to Cowing after the Longhorns ran out of space for him early in their 2019 recruiting class. Dimel pulled up the tape and couldn’t believe what he saw.
“He’s like a Tyler Lockett,” Dimel said, invoking the Seattle Seahawks receiver. “He hasn’t gotten to that stage yet, but he’s that dynamic of a performer in our system like Tyler was at K-State. He makes all the plays and he’s fast as heck.”
Cowing measures 5-11, 170 pounds. Lockett was 5-11, 175 at Kansas State. Cowing had only two catches for 24 yards last week against Southern Miss, ending a three-game streak with at least 100 receiving yards, but he took an end-around 53 yards for a touchdown.
UTEP is 112th nationally in completion percentage but 15th in yards per attempt because the Miners are fifth in air yards per attempt at 12.5, according to Pro Football Focus. (the national average is 9.0) Cowing has been targeted at an average of 15.5 yards downfield. That’s seventh-most among all players with at least 40 targets.
“We love that we air the ball out,” Cowing said. “We can go out there and play our game.”
The depth and talent has increased dramatically over the past four years. In Dimel’s first few years, injuries decimated the roster, slowing growth. But since then, depth has been built.
“We’ve hit on virtually every one of our juco guys — it’s crazy, the amount of talent we picked out of there,” Dimel said. “Then we’ve done really good in high school with the offensive line and a good mix on the D-line. Against Southern Miss, we played 12 defensive linemen at least 13 snaps or more. It’s crazy we’ve been able to build that kind of depth. We’ve been blessed with our recruiting evaluations on the line. Our talent level has really increased.”
Dimel entered this season with new coordinators on both offense and defense. He calls the offensive plays, but he hired former Michigan State offensive coordinator Dave Warner for the same role at UTEP. The two previously worked together at Houston and Wyoming. Longtime SEC assistant Bradley Dale Peveto came in as defensive coordinator, and the defense has improved in essentially every major defensive stat.
The Miners’ scoring defense has risen from No. 76 to No. 40. They’ve improved from No. 49 to No. 12 in yards per rush and No. 90 to No. 18 in yards per play.
This is what Dimel always envisioned. He took over the worst program in the country in 2018, coming off that 0-12 season, and he said it would take time.
“I said four or five year was where you’d start to see a turn,” he said. “When I got the job, the AD and I talked and I said, ‘I’ve been through this before. You gotta guarantee some time to get this going. You don’t take a job like this unless you get time. You can’t flip it overnight.’ He agreed. He said he wouldn’t even start evaluating me until year four. Sometimes it takes five or six years.”
The opponents get tougher from here on out, starting with Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs are a seven-point favorite, but Dimel feels good about his team’s chances. One more win, whenever it comes, would make the Miners bowl-eligible. It would be a remarkable sendoff for a group of players who went through five wins in four years.
“It’d mean a lot,” Cowing said. “One of our biggest goals was to get the seniors to a bowl game. It’d be special to send them out with a big bang, creating that memory.”
I agree that if we had played a few more conference last year we would have won at least one or two more.
I'm starting to feel a little more confident that Cowing sticks around next year. It would be in his best interest to jump at a P5 offer but life is filled with many uncertainties and nothing is guaranteed. He seems like a loyal kid that wants to be part of UTEP's history and happy in this offensive system. I wish we could convince a business to get him an NIL deal.
I'm starting to feel a little more confident that Cowing sticks around next year. It would be in his best interest to jump at a P5 offer but life is filled with many uncertainties and nothing is guaranteed. He seems like a loyal kid that wants to be part of UTEP's history and happy in this offensive system. I wish we could convince a business to get him an NIL deal.
From The Athletic UTEP is ranked 18th Hardest AD Job in CFB and 7th hardest AD job in G5.
First-place votes: 0
The Miners look headed for a bowl this year, but that’s happened just twice since 2005. El Paso’s remote location lessens the impact of being in Texas, and West Texas has far less talent than the I-35 corridor in the middle of the state or the Houston area in East Texas.
“That one is brutal,” one agent said.
El Paso sits on the border of the United States and Mexico. The remote location and lack of success, which in many ways go hand in hand, were the chief reasons cited for the Miners’ inclusion.
UTEP
Points: 15First-place votes: 0
The Miners look headed for a bowl this year, but that’s happened just twice since 2005. El Paso’s remote location lessens the impact of being in Texas, and West Texas has far less talent than the I-35 corridor in the middle of the state or the Houston area in East Texas.
“That one is brutal,” one agent said.
El Paso sits on the border of the United States and Mexico. The remote location and lack of success, which in many ways go hand in hand, were the chief reasons cited for the Miners’ inclusion.
C-USA Football: What They're Saying - Week Seven
DALLAS - Ten Conference USA teams are in action in Week Seven, with all five games as conference matchups. North Texas hosts Marshall on Friday night to kick the week off on CBS Sports Network. WKU hits the road to take on Old Dominion, UAB travels to Southern Miss in a West Division clash, 6-0...
conferenceusa.com
"Conference USA midseason advanced analytics breakdown - Underdog Dynasty" https://www.underdogdynasty.com/pla...-analytics-breakdown-cusa-football-statistics
Maybe y'all could make sense of these figures. I have no idea if it means we're good or not.
Maybe y'all could make sense of these figures. I have no idea if it means we're good or not.
Well, the “Havoc” category is apparently an indicator of how our defense is good at disrupting plays.
I’d say that’s accurate, indicating we’re pretty good on the defensive side of the ball.
Folks, this is UTSA. Football is doing well but don’t believe their stuff. They do this crapola.
Mountain West discussing possible expansion, commissioner Craig Thompson says
Mountain West discussing possible expansion "literally daily," commissioner Craig Thompson says, noting that ADs are meeting twice a week on topic
www.coloradoan.com
UTSA has to be high on their list. Could we turn things around fast enough to latch on with them?
I see UNT as their number 1 if SMU is not interested. A couple of AD's in the mwc have said they want ctz schools in big markets so the top 3 would be UNT, Rice and UTSA.Mountain West discussing possible expansion, commissioner Craig Thompson says
Mountain West discussing possible expansion "literally daily," commissioner Craig Thompson says, noting that ADs are meeting twice a week on topicwww.coloradoan.com
UTSA has to be high on their list. Could we turn things around fast enough to latch on with them?
The AAC is also in the picture so who do they want? Rice, UTSA but probably not UNT since SMU is close. Maybe UTEP can wedge in there somehow but it's iffy.
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Marshall up 35 - 0 at UNT. We better win that game. UNT looks like us two years ago.
Their coach is getting 1.9 million/year. I would gather that UNT is hoping for a quick turnaround.
We're f***** for this round. That public rebuke by the MWC was because UTEP was contacting them and couldn't take the hint. No way we're getting into the AAC. Wasting all that money on hoops, which is absolutely meaningless in expansion, is the worst decision UTEP could have possibly made.
That means that Wilson/ Senter would have to start spending money upgrading all their athletic facilities, not just the revenue generators. But they would have to change how the Natalicio era was for thirty years. That will not be easy to do.Mountain West discussing possible expansion, commissioner Craig Thompson says
Mountain West discussing possible expansion "literally daily," commissioner Craig Thompson says, noting that ADs are meeting twice a week on topicwww.coloradoan.com
UTSA has to be high on their list. Could we turn things around fast enough to latch on with them?
He could have probably made 1 - 1.5 million more if he had taken the KSU job. Now UNT has to figure out a way how to buy him out. It's becoming clear that the little qb he had was his main reason for success at UNT.
Well, he is about to have his 3rd losing season in a row. This is his 6th year, 2 winning seasons and now 4 losing seasons. 4 bowl games due to shortage of bowl eligible teams so they went bowling twice with a losing record. Lost all 4 bowls.
UNT’s stadium looked very empty on tv. Not sure what their attendance was but it looked like a few hundred people. Their fans were also saying half of the team did not come out after half time. It looks like some of the players are giving up on the coaching staff. I’m planning to see the Miners when they play there next month.
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None of the 5 Texas schools, UTEP, UTSA, UNT, Rice or Texas State are going to be chosen by the AAC or the MWC because of either there attendance or won loss records. It's all about markets and recruiting territory and both of those hurt UTEP's chances.
I think I will have to learn to love the conference we're in instead of the conference I want the Miners to be in since it's looking like that will not happen anytime soon.
I look forward to conference games vs NMSU, SHSU, Missouri State, etc. I'll be pleasantly if it turns out better than that in the near future.
That doesn't mean UTEP should give up though. I think even if CUSA sucks even worse soon, UTEP should start shooting for the moon athletically and build itself into a future Big 12 candidate as Killer has said.
I think I will have to learn to love the conference we're in instead of the conference I want the Miners to be in since it's looking like that will not happen anytime soon.
I look forward to conference games vs NMSU, SHSU, Missouri State, etc. I'll be pleasantly if it turns out better than that in the near future.
That doesn't mean UTEP should give up though. I think even if CUSA sucks even worse soon, UTEP should start shooting for the moon athletically and build itself into a future Big 12 candidate as Killer has said.
College Game Day in El Paso would be awesome and draw a huge crowd! Dream on. 😒
So UCF used a power point presentation for the Big 12 pitch. We really dropped the ball. Should have had Dimel make us one to pitch to AAC and MW. We would have been in for sure.
