UTEP football team heads to camp in Ruidoso

The UTEP football team left campus Friday morning for their annual training camp in Ruidoso.

The team will practice the next eight days in the fresh mountain air before hosting a final scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 10:30 a.m.. Fans are also invited to partake in a team barbecue at 4 p.m. that day.

The Miners will then head back to El Paso on Sunday, Aug. 12.

Coach Dana Dimel says it’s imperative the Miners have a productive camp, since the season begins in less than a month.

UTEP opens its regular season with a home game against Northern Arizona on Sept. 1.

“It’s changed so much now. You only get 29 days. That’s why it’s so important that we hit the ground running,” said Dimel.

Dimel is in his first season with the Miners but wanted to keep the tradition of Camp Ruidoso alive. He said that during his time at Arizona, the Wildcats trained away from campus with positive results. So, he sees the value in a getaway before the season begins.

“The two things I’ve been stressing the most are leadership and unity. And I think this brings so much unity,” he said.