UTEP, New Mexico State to tangle for 90th time on Saturday
The rivalry attached to Saturday’s battle of I-10 has spilled beyond the football field.
Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima and El Paso Mayor John Cook have made a flag-waiving wager. The mayor whose team wins will have the city and school’s flags flown at the defeated mayor’s city hall.
Cook said it is just the latest chapter in a rivalry with a long history.
“We’ve had several rivalries before. I think he still owes me lunch from the last time the Miners beat NMSU, cause we did have a wager on that and he lost.”
UTEP coach Mike Price had a lot to say about the upcoming game at a media luncheon earlier this week:
“It’s a big game, no question. Coach speak says it’s just another game against a team with a different uniform. But it’s important for pride between these two schools, alumni, fans and communities. Whether you’re an alumni or fan, you want to beat the Aggies. It’s important for our players to know so they understand the history of the spade and the spittoon. Is that going to help us block Donte Savage or catch up to their receiver Austin Franklin, who is blazing fast? I don’t know. But we definitely know the importance of this game. Last year’s game was unusual. They took the opening kickoff and drove right down to the one-yard line with the combination of running and passing from their quarterback, who is really good. I’m glad to see him back because of the injury he sustained against us. They fumbled in the end zone. They had three overthrows in the first quarter that could have been touchdowns. I think they had an opening drive that lasted 10 minutes. In the second quarter we got things going with two field goals. We were ahead 6-0 and got to Manley with a couple of sacks. But 17 seconds before halftime, they threw a touchdown pass and were ahead 7-6. In the third quarter both teams missed field goals, and they looked like they were in command when they went up 10-6 with another field goal. And then, similar to the first game we played this year [versus Oklahoma], we ran the fake punt and had a 60-yard run before scoring a touchdown to go ahead 13-10. We missed another field goal in the fourth quarter and with a minute to go in the game we fumbled the ball, they recovered and had great field position. On the last few plays of the game their quarterback dropped back and planted his leg and his knee went out. We recovered the fumble and he was out for the rest of the year. It was a highly contested game last year. These are two different teams [in 2012]. Manley loves to throw the deep ball. They’ve got three really good receivers – Bateman, Franklin and Brown. They think Brown is their best route runner. He hasn’t caught the ball much. Franklin is fast, so he’s a real good punt return guy. Manley is definitely a quarterback who looks deep first. I think Franklin caught three TD passes in their first game. Their running backs are really good. Mustafa is really good and a huge threat on kickoff returns. We’ve got to watch him. He has only had like 10 carries, but let’s hope they don’t get it to him. Bryan Bonilla is playing really well, and Donte Savage is a tremendous player coming off a knee injury. He will be an NFL guy. B.J. Adolpho, their other linebacker, has played all out all year. Those are the guys to highlight on offense and defense. They are a better team than last year. I think DeWayne Walker has done a great job. They look like a major college BCS team. They’re big, their receivers are good size, they run and have good speed and they’re athletic. They’ve done a great job with recruiting.”
Read below for more on UTEP and NMSU.
UTEP (0-2) vs. New Mexico State (1-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15 at the Sun Bowl.
Series Record: UTEP leads the series 52-35-2
THE BASIC FACTS
– UTEP hosts NM State in the 90th matchup of the I-10 rivalry series.
– The series is the longest running in UTEP football history.
– The winner of the game takes possession of a pair of traveling trophies, the silver spade and the brass spittoon.
– UTEP is pursuing a fourth straight win over NMSU. The Miners haven’t beaten the Aggies four consecutive times since a run of six victories in a row from 1986-91.
– The Miners are seeking their first home win of the season after dropping a 24-7 decision to fourth-ranked Oklahoma in the Sun Bowl on Sept. 1.
– UTEP seeks to avoid its first 0-3 start since 2008.
– Following Saturday’s game, UTEP will be on the road for three of its next four contests, including back-to-back away games at Wisconsin (Sept. 22) and East Carolina (Sept. 29).
HOW THEY GOT HERE
– UTEP dropped to 0-2 with a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss on Sept. 8.
– The Miners fell behind 21-0 at the half and couldn’t get closer than 11 points (21-10) after the break.
– With starting tailback Nathan Jeffery (groin) sidelined, UTEP was limited to 37 yards rushing on 30 carries.
– Nick Lamaison completed 21-of-33 passes for 213 yards for the Miners, but was sacked five times.
– Ole Miss accumulated 538 yards of offense (332 rushing, 206 passing), including 18 plays of 10+ yards.
– Bo Wallace completed 15-of-22 passes for 174 yards and three TDs for the Rebels, and Jeff Scott rushed 13 times for 113 yards.
– NM State’s record was squared at 1-1 with a 51-24 setback at Ohio.
– The Aggies were outscored 30-10 in the second half after trailing by a touchdown (21-14) through two quarters.
– NMSU yielded 584 yards to the Bobcats (293 rushing, 291 passing) as Ohio’s Beau Blankenship rushed for 168 yards.
– NMSU QB Andrew Manley was 12-for-24 passing for 132 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
– Ohio held NMSU to 206 yards while posting nine tackles for losses and seven sacks.
UTEP VS. NM STATE
– UTEP leads the series 52-35-2.
– The Miners hold a 35-16-1 advantage in games played in El Paso.
– UTEP has won 18 of the last 27 games between the rivals in the Sun Bowl.
– The home team has been the victor in 11 of the last 15 games.
– The winning team has scored 30 points or more in 10 of the last 12 meetings.
– UTEP is 6-2 against NMSU under coach Mike Price.
– Last year the Miners put together a 16-10 win in Las Cruces, as Dakota Warren kicked three field goals and a 60-yard run by Joe Banyard off a fake punt spurred UTEP’s lone touchdown drive of the game.
– UTEP held NMSU to 258 yards in last year’s meeting (242 passing, 16 rushing).
– The 258 yards were the fewest by NMSU at home versus UTEP since 1991.
– The Miners’ 16-10 win at NMSU last season represented its first on the road when scoring fewer than 20 points since a 12-7 triumph at Wyoming in 1971.
