Defense Roster Evolution under Kugler.

[UTEPDefense]

I have posted before that I believe that Kugler is doing a good job of balancing our scholarships. I also feel that he is building good depth in areas that we have not seen for a long time.

Here are two examples of what he has built on defense:

Defensive Line:

In 2012, the year before Kugler arrived, UTEP had only 2 defensive linemen over 280 pounds. And that was for a 4 d-line formation.

Today, UTEP has 7 defensive linemen over 280 pounds. And that is for a 3 d-line formation.

Linebackers:

- In 2012, the year before Kugler arrived, UTEP had zero Linebackers over 230 pounds.

Today, UTEP has 6 Linebackers over 230 pounds.

Obviously having bigger players is not everything, but I like the building that he has been doing and I am hoping that these numbers will begin to translate into better results on the field.

 

[JCorona]

I remember a few of Price teams with winning records losing to teams with awful records like UAB and Memphis simply because they were so much bigger than us on both sides of the line.

 

[MinerInWisconsin]

I have posted before that I believe that Kugler is doing a good job of balancing our scholarships. I also feel that he is building good depth in areas that we have not seen for a long time.

Here are two examples of what he has built on defense:

Defensive Line:

In 2012, the year before Kugler arrived, UTEP had only 2 defensive linemen over 280 pounds. And that was for a 4 d-line formation.

Today, UTEP has 7 defensive linemen over 280 pounds. And that is for a 3 d-line formation.

Linebackers:

- In 2012, the year before Kugler arrived, UTEP had zero Linebackers over 230 pounds.

Today, UTEP has 6 Linebackers over 230 pounds.

Obviously having bigger players is not everything, but I like the building that he has been doing and I am hoping that these numbers will begin to translate into better results on the field.

I count 9 D-linemen over 280 with 2 of them over 300.

 

[UTEPDefense]

The key word was "over" 280. We have 7 d-linemen that are more than 280 pounds.

We then have 2 more players that are exactly at 280 pounds. If we were to say 280 or higher, then yes, we are up to 9 players today. If we look at it that way, then the improvement is still at the exact same significance, as we have 9 d-linemen at 280 or higher today, compared to only 4 d-linemen at 280 or higher the year before Kugler arrived. The increase is the same 5 more d-linemen today than before Kugler arrived. But the biggest difference in comparing the two, is that these 9 total 280+ d-linemen are fighting for only 3 spots today, compared to the 4 spots that were available back when we only had 4 d-linemen at 280 or higher.

http://www.utepathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=football&roster=20&sort=position

 

[UTEPfan1966]

Ok cool. We have bigger defensive players and more of them. Big woop if they can't get to the QB or stop the run. I havent seen anything the past few years hinting that they will this year either....

bleh

 

[FeralFelidae]

We had a 4-DL set when we had small DLs, and we switch to a 3-DL set when we have an abundance of large DLs.

Way to play to our strengths, coaches!

 

[UTEPDefense]

You might end up being right 1966, but building a football program properly can take several steps and many years. One step was adjusting our program's academic performance. Another step was re-balancing the scholarships evenly across all units and positions. Then comes building depth across the board and properly staggering classes at each position group.
I view these above changes in DL & LB as positive number movements for our program and they are in-line with a program plan that was stated as a goal in year one and has been worked on for many years. Remember that there are recruits from Kugler's very first recruiting class(Jones, Metz, Hernandez, Cockrell, etc.) that are barely going to be Seniors this upcoming season.

Again, last year was a disapointment and you are right that we might continue to fail. But I view these steps as positive signs of program building and my hope is that if we keep doing these right things off the field, that they will eventually translate into success on the field.

 

[UTEPDefense]

We had a 4-DL set when we had small DLs, and we switch to a 3-DL set when we have an abundance of large DLs.

Way to play to our strengths, coaches!

Not necessarily, because as shown in the original post, our increase in LB's with size has actually grown at a pace that is greater than our d-line growth. So we actually have an "abundance" of both, including 21 total Linebackers on the roster to play only 4 spots.

 

[jdubb66]

The key word was "over" 280. We have 7 d-linemen that are more than 280 pounds.

We then have 2 more players that are exactly at 280 pounds. If we were to say 280 or higher, then yes, we are up to 9 players today. If we look at it that way, then the improvement is still at the exact same significance, as we have 9 d-linemen at 280 or higher today, compared to only 4 d-linemen at 280 or higher the year before Kugler arrived. The increase is the same 5 more d-linemen today than before Kugler arrived. But the biggest difference in comparing the two, is that these 9 total 280+ d-linemen are fighting for only 3 spots today, compared to the 4 spots that were available back when we only had 4 d-linemen at 280 or higher.

http://www.utepathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=football&roster=20&sort=position

I like how you did this. You have to draw the line somewhere.

 

[utep-piggy]

Quantity over quality? We shall see if this added size translates to improved production and W's. Kugler often cites the size of his offensive line yet this has done little to improve points scored and more wins. AARON PRICE FOR OC!!

 

[UTEPfan1966]

I think while building a program, you should also show signs of improvement.....on the field. I haven't seen that as of yet.

UTEPD, while I LOVE your factual based discussions, I also see homerism in your posts. The fact we have soooooo many local kids on our roster just leads me to believe we will never have a winning record, no matter how the spin is put on it.

 

[UTEPDefense]

I think while building a program, you should also show signs of improvement.....on the field. I haven't seen that as of yet.

I can't disagree with that opinion, particularly after last season's result was easily viewed as a disapointing step back.

UTEPD, while I LOVE your factual based discussions, I also see homerism in your posts. The fact we have soooooo many local kids on our roster just leads me to believe we will never have a winning record, no matter how the spin is put on it.

I do believe in my posts that what he is trying is worth the attempt. As for the homerism, yes, you are probably a bit correct there as well. As much as I try stay grounded, there is always a degree of optimism right before the beginning of a season.

 

[UTEPfan1966]

As much as I try stay grounded, there is always a degree of optimism right before the beginning of a season.[/QUOTE]

I totally get that. I find myself overly optimistic for the basketball team this year as well.
I was stoked when they finally let Price go. I loved the hard ass attitude Kugler brought in. Now I am fed up and just can't buy into it anymore. It takes more decent players for football than it does for basketball to make us good.

We shall see...