2008 UTEP Miners football team

NCAATeamFootballSeason
Year=2008
Team=UTEP Miners


Conference=Conference USA
Division=West
ShortConference=C-USA
CoachRank=
APRank=
Record=2-3
ConfRecord=2-0
HeadCoach=Mike Price
OffCoach=Bob Connelly
DefCoach=Osia Lewis
OScheme=Multiple
DScheme=3-3-5
Stadium=Sunbowl Stadium
Champion=
Bowl=
BowlResult=

The 2008 UTEP Miners football team represents the University of Texas at El Paso in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head football coach is Mike Price. The Miners play their home games at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas.

chedule

CFB Schedule Entry
date = 08/28/08
time = 5:00 pm
w/l = l
nonconf = yes
away = yes
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Buffalo
opprank =
site_stadium = UB Stadium
site_cityst = Buffalo, NY
gamename =
tv = TWC
score = 17-42
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 09/06/08
time = 8:15 pm
w/l = l
nonconf = yes
away =
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Texas
opprank = 9
site_stadium = Sun Bowl Stadium
site_cityst = El Paso, TX
gamename =
tv = ESPN
score = 42–13
overtime = CFB Schedule Entry
date = 09/20/08
time = 7:05 pm
w/l = l
nonconf = yes
away =
rank =
opponent = New Mexico State
opprank =
site_stadium = Sun Bowl Stadium
site_cityst = El Paso, Tx
gamename = The Battle of I-10
tv = Time Warner Cable
score = 34–33
overtime = CFB Schedule Entry
date = 09/27/08
time = 6:00 pm
w/l = w
nonconf =
away =
neutral =
rank =
opponent = UCF
opprank =
site_stadium = Sun Bowl Stadium
site_cityst = El Paso, TX
gamename =
tv = CBS Sports
score = 58–13
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 10/4/08
time = 5:00 pm
w/l = w
nonconf =
away = Yes
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Southern Miss
opprank =
site_stadium = M.M. Roberts Stadium
site_cityst = Hattiesburg, Mississippi
gamename =
tv = Time Warner Cable
score = 40–37
overtime = OTCFB Schedule Entry
date = 10/11/08
time = 7:05 pm
w/l =
away =
neutral =
homecoming = yes
rank =
opponent = Tulane
opprank =
site_stadium = Sun Bowl Stadium
site_cityst = El Paso, TX
gamename =
tv =
score =
overtime = CFB Schedule Entry
date = 10/18/08
time = 6:00 pm
w/l =
away = yes
nonconf =
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Tulsa
opprank =
site_stadium = Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium
site_cityst = Tulsa, Oklahoma
gamename =
tv = CBS Sports
score =
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/01/08
time = 7:05 pm
w/l =
nonconf =
homecoming =
rank =
opponent = Rice
opprank =
site_stadium = Sun Bowl Stadium
site_cityst = El Paso, TX
gamename =
tv =
score =
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/8/08
time = 5:00 pm
w/l =
nonconf = yes
away = yes
neutral =
rank =
opponent = Louisiana-Lafayette
opprank =
site_stadium = Cajun Field
site_cityst = Lafayette, Louisiana
gamename =
tv = CSS
score =
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/15/08
time = 7:05 pm
w/l =
away =
rank =
opponent = SMU
opprank =
site_stadium = Sun Bowl Stadium
site_cityst = El Paso, TX
gamename =
tv =
score =
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/22/08
time = 1:30 pm
w/l =
away = yes
rank =
opponent = Houston
opprank =
site_stadium = Robertson Stadium
site_cityst = Houston, TX
gamename =
tv =
score =
overtime =CFB Schedule Entry
date = 11/28/08
time = 11:00 am
w/l =
away =
opponent = East Carolina
opprank =
site_stadium = Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium
site_cityst = Greenville, North Carolina
gamename =
tv = CBS Sports
score =
overtime =*** Denotes the largest crowd ever for the Sun Bowl Stadium.cite news | url=http://elpasotimes.typepad.com/turnuptheorange/ | title=UTEP vs. Texas. It's game week; it's on! | work=Turn up the orange! | publisher=El Paso Times | date=September 72008 | accessdate=2008-09-06]

Game notes

Buffalo

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Miners
R1=0
R2=14
R3=3
R4=0
Home=Bulls
H1=14
H2=7
H3=7
H4=14In their first trip to the state of New York, UTEP rolled up 266 yards but had three turnovers while the Bulls' Drew Willy threw four touchdown passes to help Buffalo to a 42–17 victory over the Minders. Willy complete 10-of-16 passing attempts for 221 passing yards and no interceptions. His first completion of the game broke Cliff Scott's school record for career completions. The UTEP defense surrendered 484 total yards. [cite news | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282412084 | title=UTEP 17, Buffalo 42 - Willy's passing, solid ground game help Bulls top Miners | work=ESPN.com | publisher=The Disney Company | date=August 302008|accessdate=2008-08-31]

Texas

Linescore Amfootball
Road=#9 Longhorns
R1=7
R2=21
R3=0
R4=14
Home=Miners
H1=6
H2=7
H3=0
H4=0This game marks the first time for the Miners to play the Texas Longhorns.cite news | url=http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/all-time-record-teams.html | title=All-Time Records vs. Opponents | work=MackBrown-TexasFootball.com | publisher= University of Texas & Host Interactive | accessdate=2006-07-30] Texas holds a 2–0 record against the Miners, with the most recent game occurring in 1933 when the school was known as the The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy. Besides both being in The University of Texas System the two schools also share the same alma mater, " symbol.cite news | url=http://www.810whb.com/scripts/archives/getStory.asp?article=17377 | title=Border abuzz as UTEP prepares to host Texas | author=Carlton, Chuck | work=Dallas Morning News | accessdate=2008-09-06]

After the Miners opened their season with a loss to the Buffalo Bulls 42–17, Miners coach Mike Price said of the upcoming game against the Longhorns, "Man, I hope they're not as good as Buffalo."cite news | url=http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/08/31/0831texthird.html | title=Third and Longhorns: The sometimes warped view from the press box | author=Bridges, Jeff | work=Austin American-Statesman | publisher=Cox Enterprises | date=August 312008 | accessdate=2008-08-31]

The kickoff for the game was set for 8:00 pm local time (Mountain Time) which is an unusually late start and which translates to 9:00 pm in Austin. Sports analysts have speculated that the Miners' excitement for the game, the crowd noise, the distance traveled, and time may pose a problem for Texas. They have also compared the game to Texas' 2007 road trip to Central Florida, which was a very close win for Texas. Longhorn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp said of the time slot, "Doesn’t matter where we play, who we play or what time we play, Texas defense is gonna show up and play." [cite news | url= |title=Will Muschamp, you’re not from Texas but you’re saying the right things | work=Austin American-Statesman | publisher=Cox Enterprises | date=September 1,2008 | accessdate=2008-09-02] The Dallas Morning News reported the game was one of the most anticipated games in UTEP history and "because season-ticket packages were available for $99, some Texas fans bought them in advance to avoid the hassle of a single-game purchase. The sales pushed UTEP to nearly 24,000 season tickets, a school record."

The morning of the game, Las Vegas sports books favored Texas by 27 points. [cite news | url=http://www.vegas.com/gaming/sportsline_ncaaf.html | title=Gambling - NCAA football | work=Vegas.com | publisher=Vegas.com, LLC | date=September 6, 2008 | accessdate=2008-09-06] The weather forecast called for a gametime temperature of convert|83|°F|°C and mostly clear skies. [cite news | url=http://www.weather.com/weather/local/USTX0413?lswe=El%20Paso,%20Texas&from=searchbox | title=Today's weather for El Paso, TX | date=September 6, 2008 | work=Weather.com | accessdate=2008-09-06] The attendance was 53,415, the largest crowd ever for the Sun Bowl Stadium.

UTEP got the ball to start the game and scored a field goal. Texas was not able to secure a first down and punted back to Miners, who scored another field goal to take a 6–0 lead. On their second possession, Texas drove 80 yards for a touchdown on a McCoy pass to Quan Cosby. The extra point gave Texas a 7–6 lead which they still held at the end of the first quarter.

The Longhorns scored again ten seconds into the second quarter, as McCoy threw a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Dan Buckner. The Miners attempted a 65-yard field goal, but it fell short and Quan Cosby returned it 65 yards. Texas put John Chiles in as quarterback on the next series, and fullback Cody Johnson scored his second rushing touchdown of the season to make the score 21–6. With four minutes to go in the half, McCoy threw a touchdown pass to tight end Blaine Irby to make the score 28–6 with the extra point. UTEP scored a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the half, making the score 28–13 at half time.

Texas got the ball to start the second half and drove to the UTEP 14-yard line when McCoy threw an interception in the UTEP end zone; it was his first interception of the season. Neither team scored in the third quarter.

The Horns faked a wide receiver screen and scored on a McCoy pass to Jordan Shipley to extend the lead to 35–13. On the next Miner possession, Emmanuel Acho forced a fumble and Roddrick Muckelroy returned it for a touchdown, making the score 42–13. UTEP missed a field goal to end their next possession. Texas punted on their next possession, and then took over on downs when UTEP was unable to score on their last possession. The Horns kept the ball on the ground and ran out the clock.

NMSU

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Aggies
R1=0
R2=21
R3=7
R4=6
Home=Miners
H1=10
H2=10
H3=7
H4=6
Chase Holbrook passed for 329 yards and five touchdowns to lead New Mexico State to a 34-33 win Saturday over UTEP.

Holbrook connected with wide receiver Marcus Anderson on three scores, including the go-ahead touchdown with 3:12 to go in the game. Anderson finished with five catches for 70 yards.

Holbrook has 1,269 passing yards in three games against the Miners (0-3).

With the win, NMSU (1-1) snapped a six-game losing streak, while UTEP extended its losing skid to nine games. It was the Aggies' first win in the Sun Bowl since 1994.

In the second quarter, NMSU went up 14-10 on a pair of passing scores from Holbrook to Anderson.

UTEP quarterback James Thomas II answered with a 44-yard scoring run, but NMSU went ahead 21-17 on a 27-yard touchdown reception by A.J. Harris.

UTEP's Jose Martinez kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it 21-20 with 3:05 remaining in the half.

The Aggies took a 28-27 lead into the fourth quarter, until Thomas stretched into the end zone from a yard out and put UTEP back up 33-28.

NMSU went ahead for good on Holbrook's final touchdown pass to Anderson. The Aggie defense forced a UTEP fumble, then stopped the Miners on a fourth-and-11 in the final minute.

UTEP' top two running backs were out with injuries and starting quarterback Trevor Vittatoe left the game for good with an ankle injury after the third series.

Thomas led UTEP with 142 yards rushing and two scores, becoming only the third Miner quarterback to eclipse the 100-yard mark since 1982. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282642638]

UCF

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Knights
R1=0
R2=7
R3=6
R4=0
Home=Miners
H1=10
H2=17
H3=14
H4=17
Trevor Vittatoe threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns to lead UTEP to a 58-13 win over Central Florida on Saturday night, halting a streak of nine consecutive losses.

Jose Martinez kicked a 64-yard field goal for the Miners (1-3, 1-0 Conference USA).

Cornelius Brown, who had two interceptions and blocked a punt, led the UTEP defense as it forced UCF (1-3, 0-1) into six turnovers, including two fumbles recovered for touchdowns.

Vittatoe's second-quarter scoring pass to Jamar Hunt gave UTEP a 17-point lead, and Martinez' 64-yarder gave the Miners a 27-7 lead at halftime.

Rob Calabrese, making his first start for UCF, threw for 167 yards and a touchdown. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282712638]

outhern Miss

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Miners
R1=7
R2=10
R3=3
R4=7
R5=13
Home=Eagles
H1=14
H2=0
H3=7
H4=6
H5=10 Trevor Vittatoe threw four touchdown passes, including the game winner in double overtime, as UTEP defeated Southern Mississippi 40-37 on Saturday night.

Vittatoe hit Chris Adams on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime, after Southern Miss' Britt Barefoot gave the Golden Eagles a 37-34 lead with a 28-yard field goal.

It was the second consecutive victory for UTEP (2-3, 2-0 Conference USA) and the second straight loss for the Golden Eagles (2-3, 0-2).

Southern Miss is 0-2 in league play for the first time in the 13-year history of Conference USA.

The loss overshadowed a career-high effort by Damion Fletcher, who had 34 carries for 260 yards, becoming the program's all-time leading rusher in the third quarter. He has 3,654 career yards, passing Ben Garry, who finished with 3,595.

The 260-yard effort was also the second highest single-game mark in school history.

Vittatoe was 24 of 41 for 263 yards and four scores.

The Miners led 17-14 at halftime, thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Jose Martinez with 1:25 to go in the second quarter.

Fletcher gave USM an early lead on a 1-yard scoring run five minutes into the game.

Justin Estes missed a pair of short field goals for the Golden Eagles in the first half, one after Fletcher ran 56 yards to the Miners' 13.

Tory Harrison also had a 1-yard scoring run for USM in the second quarter.

The Miners responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Adams and an 11-yard touchdown run by Donald Buckram in the first half.

Martinez made the score 20-14 with a 34-yard field goal at the 11:33 mark of the third quarter.

UTEP tried an onside kick that USM recovered at midfield. The Golden Eagles took advantage of it to take the lead with a 10-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to Shawn Nelson.

The Miners came back with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Tufick Shadrawy on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 27-21 lead.

But Barefoot replaced Estes in the second half, and despite missing his first attempt, kicked a pair of short field goals in the fourth quarter. The second, from 22 yards out on the final play of regulation, sent the game into overtime.

The teams traded 4-yard scoring passes in the first overtime, as Vittatoe hit Terrell Jackson and USM's Austin Davis found DeAndre Brown. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282782572]

Tulane

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Green Wave
R1=
R2=
R3=
R4=
Home=Miners
H1=
H2=
H3=
H4=

Tulsa

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Miners
R1=
R2=
R3=
R4=
Home=Golden Hurricane
H1=
H2=
H3=
H4=

Rice

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Owls
R1=
R2=
R3=
R4=
Home=Miners
H1=
H2=
H3=
H4=

Louisiana-Lafayette

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Miners
R1=
R2=
R3=
R4=
Home=Ragin' Cajuns
H1=
H2=
H3=
H4=

MU

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Mustangs
R1=
R2=
R3=
R4=
Home=Miners
H1=
H2=
H3=
H4=

Houston

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Miners
R1=
R2=
R3=
R4=
Home=Cougars
H1=
H2=
H3=
H4=

East Carolina

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Miners
R1=
R2=
R3=
R4=
Home=Pirates
H1=
H2=
H3=
H4=

References

[http://utep.rivals.com/schedule.asp Schedule at Rivals.com]