UTEP Predictions & 2008 NCAA Football Picks
Mike Price has 26 years of head coaching experience under his belt, and has compiled a 25-23 record in four seasons at UTEP. But a down year last season, capped off by six straight losses to end the year, will have criticism coming Price’s way if the Miners suffer a third straight losing season in 2008. Can Price get back to the success he had in his first two seasons at the head of the program? Find out with Info Plays 2008 UTEP Miners football predictions below.
Offense:
The offense features Trevor Vittatoe at quarterback, who was second in the country among freshman QB’s with 3,101 passing yards last season. Price gave his compliments, saying Vittatoe was as good as any freshman quarterback he has ever coached. That’s big praise considering Price has coached Ryan Leaf and Drew Bledsoe, among talented others at Washington State. But it’s probably justified since Vittatoe averaged 297.5 passing yards per game against C-USA opponents. Although four of the team’s five leading receivers are gone from last year’s squad, all-conference wideout Jeff Moturi returns after a breakout 13-touchdown season. He will have to lead an inexperienced receiving corps, which is in desperate need of a second and third option outside.
Senior tight end Jamar Hunt is an animal at 6-7, 260 pounds. He gives Vittatoe a big target and should flourish is he’s not sharing time. Terrell Jackson, a 2006 transfer from Oregon, is UTEP’s leading returning rusher with just 202 yards. Replacing tailback Marcus Thomas will be a tough task, and if Jackson falters then sophomore Donald Buckram will be ready to step in. The line is anchored by center Robby Felix and left tackle Mike Aguayo. But beyond those two, this unit lacks proven star power with only a few capable backups.
Defense:
Pretty much anything the UTEP defense does this season has to be better than last year. The Miners allowed more than 500 yards per game, ranking 117th in the country in total defense. In comes former New Mexico defensive coordinator Osia Lewis with a 3-3-5 scheme Price says could be the future of college football defenses. The defense Lewis ran at New Mexico ranked 13th in the country last season. It features a hybrid safety/linebacker position that the team was planning on having junior Braxton Amy play until he tore his ACL in the spring.
Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith should step right in and could become a star at the position. Other playmakers on the defense are linebacker Adam Vincent and cornerback Josh Ferguson, who sat out the 2007 season with a medical redshirt. Lewis will also have junior college transfers, with two DB’s and two D-Linemen, vying for playing time.
UTEP Predictions at Info Plays: 3rd Conference USA West
Price built up the program in his fist two seasons at UTEP by winning right away. That success has allowed him to dodge, for the most part, heavy criticism for consecutive losing records. Hiring Smith as the defensive coordinator is a step in the right direction, and the offense should be prolific again with sophomore QB Vittatoe entering his second season under center. But no better than a third-place finish in the C-USA West Division can be expected.
Get a different perspective on 2008 UTEP football from the official site of the C-USA here.
Conference USA Wins Expected in ‘08: TULANE, RICE, SMU
Potential Scares/Losses: UCF, at Southern Miss, at Tulsa, at Houston, at East Carolina
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