UTEP, NMSU look to jumpstart seasons in rivalry game

UTEP and NMSU will meet Saturday in a battle for bragging rights, pride, and perhaps most importantly, their first win of the season.

The Miners enter Saturday’s clash at the Sun Bowl with an 0-3 record and 15 straight losses going back to last season.

Meanwhile, the Aggies have already played four games and lost all of them by double digits. They’ve also already lost one rivalry game this year, falling 42-25 at home last weekend against New Mexico. But head coach Doug Martin isn’t fazed.

“This is the first time that I’ve felt good about our football team,” Martin said in his weekly news conference Tuesday. “And I know that may seem strange after the four games we lost. But we played physical Saturday. And we played with a lot of energy.”

The Aggies are expected to start Josh Adkins at quarterback against UTEP. Adkins entered the season third on the depth chart, but impressed Martin enough in the second half against UNM to be named the starter this week.

But from UTEP’s perspective, it doesn’t really matter who plays quarterback for NMSU.

“You know, we’re not going to change our strategies much for Adkins being their starter,” said UTEP head coach Dana Dimel. “We’re just gonna study their tendencies, study what they’ve done well, what they’ve struggled with. Try to be good against their strengths and try to attack their weaknesses.”

NMSU won last year’s Battle of I-10 in resounding fashion, 41-14. The victory ended UTEP’s eight-game win streak in the series.

But the focus right now is less on who’s beaten whom in the past few seasons. Rather, it’s who can salvage their season Saturday night.

“Any time you can get a win it builds confidence toward the rest of the season, and it does something emotionally for all kinds of players,” said NMSU offensive lineman Jamin Smith. “And some of the younger guys, they haven’t experienced what it’s like to have a win yet.”

This year’s game is set for a 5:30 p.m. kick-off Saturday at the Sun Bowl.