UTEP begins spring practice with high hopes for second year under Dana Dimel

We are nearly six months away from UTEP’s first game of the 2019 season at home against Houston Baptist on Aug. 31.

But six months is not a long time in the world of college football.

UTEP began spring practice Monday hoping that improved chemistry and the lessons learned from a 1-11 season in 2018 will pay off with more victories in year two under head coach Dana Dimel.

“You know, now the bonds are there. The experience on offense is there,” said quarterback Kai Locksley, who is entering his second year with the Miners. “And this is year two, so now we can just go out there and play. It’s not so much thinking and processing.”

Coach Dimel said he was impressed with the mental focus of his team on day one of spring ball, which will culiminate in the annual spring game on April 13.

But they’re also doing as much as they can off-the-field to give their players an edge heading into what they hope will be a new era for the team.

“We’ve amped up our nutrition, what we’re providing the players. So, hopefully, they’ll just be healthier and stronger and learn how to practice better,” he said.

Dimel also addressed the offseason departure of defensive lineman Trace Mascorro, a promising young talent who left the program to go to Sam Houston State in February.

Mascorro was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2017. But Dimel says Mascorro, a native of Refugio, felt UTEP was too far from home. It’s about a ten-hour drive to El Paso from Refugio compared to three-and-a-half to Sam Houston State, which is located in Huntsville.

“You know, Trace’s biggest issue the whole time he was here was proximity to home. His parents came to every game, and they really were struggling with the distance that they had to travel to each and every game,” said Dimel.

In addition to the departue of Mascorro, the defensive line is also recovering from a number of lingering injuries, leading to some concern about depth on the line, particularly on the ends, in 2019.

“We’re three guys down right now on our defensive line that have still not recovered from last year’s injuries or offseason surgeries,” said Dimel. “So, right now, I would say our defensive end position is probably our biggest concern for depth.”