Coach Mike Price confident first UTEP win of the season will happen

The search for UTEP’s first win of the season continues and interim head coach Mike Price is confident it’s going to happen soon.

Monday, coach Price spoke about his first game back with the Miners after 5 years.

He took over the program following the sudden resignation of Sean Kugler just one week ago.

Price admitted to being a little nervous, “I called my wife before the game and said ‘I’m never nervous. What am I anxious about?” Price said, “But that’s part of being a coach, I think, is that excitement of the game and seeing the kids being excited. It’s really fun.”

Price’s homecoming was spoiled following a heartbreaking loss to Western Kentucky University at the Sun Bowl.

The Miners lost their 6th straight game of the season by just one point, the final 15-14.

Three missed field goals in the game came back to haunt the Miners.

Price said they’ll be working with kicker Brady Viles to help him improve, “He kicked off tremendously. And he’s capable of making those kicks.” Price said, “He didn’t make them. So we’re going to try to help him get better, just like the other players.”

Price is confident that if the Miners play with the same intensity as they did on Saturday, good things will happen.

“They played with their heart.” Price said, “It was not an easy week for anybody in the program and they had adversity and they overcame it in a huge way.”

Miners will hit the road to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to take on the 3-2 Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday, but Price isn’t too worried about the team on the other side of the field.

“I don’t care who we’re playing.” Price said, “I told the team that before the game. What I care about is how you’re playing. And all they’ve got to do is come out with the same enthusiasm and the same attitude and just get a little bit better and change some of those things that we talked about, and we’ll have a chance.”