UTEP Takes On Tulsa In Regular Season Finale Saturday

Miners Wrap Up Regular Season at Tulsa

UTEP (6-5, 3-4 C-USA) closes out the 2010 regular season on Saturday at Tulsa (7-3, 4-2 C-USA). The Miners are playing for the 12th straight week since opening the regular season on Sept. 4 versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The last time UTEP concluded the regular season earlier than this date was in 1994, when the Miners wrapped up a 3-7-1 campaign with a 25-21 loss at New Mexico on Nov. 19. UTEP also played its final regular season game on Nov. 20 in 1999.

The Miners take their last shot at winning a Conference USA road game. UTEP is 0-3 away from home in league play and has dropped 10 consecutive conference road games dating back to a 40-37 double overtime triumph at Southern Miss on Oct. 4, 2008. The Miners are 1-13 in their last 14 C-USA road games. UTEP is in jeopardy of going winless on the road in conference play in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2001-02.

Last year UTEP snapped a 20-game losing streak in regular season finales with a 52-21 rout of Marshall in the Sun Bowl. The Miners haven’t won consecutive regular season finales since 1982-83.

Scouting Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane is on a roll, winning four straight games and six of its last seven overall to surge into a tie for first place in C-USA’s West Division. Tulsa is 4-0 at home this season with an average margin of victory of 26.3 points.

Tulsa ranks third nationally in turnover margin with 26 takeaways and only 13 giveaways. The Golden Hurricane is also 10th in the country in total offense (486.5 ypg), 11th in scoring offense (38.9 ppg), 17th in net punting (38.8 avg.), 15th in rushing offense (218.6 ypg), 22nd in rushing defense (122.8 ypg), 24th in passing offense (267.9 ypg) and 25th in punt returns (11.5 avg.). Individually, junior WR Damaris Johnson is second in all-purpose yardage (180.1 avg.) and 20th in kickoff returns (27.4 avg.), freshman DB Marco Nelson is tied for fourth in interceptions (0.6 per game), junior QB G.J. Kinne is 10th in total offense (307.8 ypg) and sophomore DB Dexter McCoil is tied for 17th in interceptions (0.4 per game).

Tulsa is averaging 43.2 points in C-USA action. The Golden Hurricane pinned 64 points on Rice, 52 on Tulane, 49 on East Carolina and 48 on Memphis.

Kinne completed 20-of-31 passes for 154 yards and rushed 31 times for 190 yards in Tulsa’s 28-25 triumph at Houston last Saturday. The game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, as the Golden Hurricane went up 28-10 late in the third quarter before the Cougars scored a pair of late touchdowns.

Series History

The Golden Hurricane holds a 10-8 advantage in the series, including a 5-4 edge in games played at Tulsa. The home team has won each of the last six matchups in the series after the visiting team prevailed in nine of the first 12 meetings.

Delving Deeper into the Tulsa Series

UTEP and Tulsa have combined to average 62 points per game in their 18 meetings, making it one of just eight series (minimum three meetings) to produce at least 60 ppg on average since 1950. The others are Houston (76), Southern Miss (68), Rice (68), Boise State (66), Louisiana Tech (65), Nevada (62) and San Jose State (61).

The Miner/Golden Hurricane combo (828 ypg) is also one of nine series to produce at least 800 yards per contest on average since 1950. The others are Houston (1,018), Texas Tech (870), Tulane (865), Southern Miss (863), Louisiana Tech (871), UAB (846), Marshall (814) and Nevada (812).

When UTEP and Tulsa last squared off in Tulsa, the two squads combined for 112 points, making it the highest-scoring game (both teams) in Miner history.

The Last Meeting

Donald Buckram rushed for 165 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns — including the game-winner with 29 seconds remaining — as UTEP stormed back from an 11-point deficit in the final period to beat Tulsa, 28-24, on Oct. 21, 2009 in the Sun Bowl.

The Miners trailed 24-13 with 12:37 to play before their defense forced three-and-outs on three straight possessions by the Golden Hurricane.

UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe capitalized by engineering scoring drives of 61 and 54 yards, and UTEP secured its biggest fourth quarter comeback win since 2007 at SMU. No play was bigger than a fourth-and-three at the Tulsa 12-yard line midway through the final period, which Vittatoe converted by throwing a four-yard pass to Buckram – setting up the touchdown that sliced the Golden Hurricane’s lead to three points.

UTEP got off to a great start, scoring the game’s first 13 points, then allowed 24 unanswered to the Golden Hurricane before finishing strong. Vittatoe shrugged off a rough first half in which he threw two interceptions in Hurricane territory to complete 17-of-38 attempts for 271 yards.

Tulsa hadn’t allowed a rushing touchdown all season before yielding two to Buckram in the final frame.

UTEP-Tulsa Player Ties

The Miners do not have any players from Oklahoma on their roster, while Tulsa features 25 Texas natives. Tulsa junior QB G.J. Kinne and UTEP freshman DL Marcus Bagley are from Mesquite. Golden Hurricane freshman RB Ja’Terian Douglas and Miner senior OL Rod Huntley are natives of Arlington. TU junior TE Michael Britton and UTEP senior QB Trevor Vittatoe call Bedford home. Golden Hurricane freshman LB Donnell Hawkins and UTEP senior RB Donald Buckram are from Copperas Cove and graduated from Copperas Cove HS. TU junior LB Curnelius Arnick and UTEP freshman DB Adrian James hail from Dallas. Golden Hurricane sophomore DB Brian Moore and Miner junior OL Nathan McCage are from Spring. TU senior DB Charles Davis & junior DB Chris Ford and UTEP senior WR Kris Adams call Fort Worth home. Golden Hurricane sophomore DB Lowell Rose and Miner senior WR Evan Davis & senior TE Elijah Goldtrap are natives of Los Angeles, Calif.

UTEP-Tulsa Coaching Ties

Tulsa defensive coordinator Paul Randolph and UTEP associate head coach/co-offensive coordinator Bob Connelly served together on the staff at Alabama for three years (2003-05). The Crimson Tide appeared in two bowl games (2004 Music City & 2006 Cotton) in that time frame.

Miners are Bowl-Eligible

UTEP is bowl-eligible for the first time in five years and has six or more victories for only the seventh time in the last 40 seasons. The Miners finished 6-4 in 1970, 7-4 in 1987, 10-3 in 1988, 8-4 in 2000, 8-4 in 2004 and 8-4 in 2005.

Mike Price is the fourth coach to lead UTEP to three or more seasons with a minimum of six victories, joining Mack Saxon (six), Mike Brumbelow (five) and Bobby Dobbs (four).

The Miners have played in 12 bowl games all-time and posted a 5-7 record with losses in their last four appearances (UTEP’s last bowl win was in 1967). Conference USA’s 2010 bowl tie-ins are as follows:

Bowl Date Location Opponent New Orleans 12/18 New Orleans, La. Sun Belt Beef O’Brady’s 12/21 St. Petersburg, Fla. Big East Hawai’i 12/24 Honolulu, Hawaii WAC Military Bowl 12/29 Washington, D.C. ACC Armed Forces 12/30 Dallas, Texas Mountain West Liberty 12/31 Memphis, Tenn. SEC

UTEP’s National/Conference Team Rankings

Here is a look at where UTEP rates statistically in the FBS and C-USA.

Category Stat FBS C-USA Rushing offense 142.8 ypg 77 7v Passing offense 228.9 ypg 57 8 Total offense 371.7 ypg 67 9 Scoring offense 26.0 ppg 72 9 Rushing defense 177.8 ypg 87 8 Pass efficiency defense 125.8 62 6 Total defense 391.6 77 5 Scoring defense 24.9 ppg 58 2 Net punting 36.4 ypg 59 5 Punt returns 14.2 avg. 12 2 Kickoff returns 25.7 avg. 7 2 Turnover margin -0.36 85 6 Pass defense 213.7 ypg 60 6 Passing efficiency 123.0 84 10 Sacks 1.1 avg. 112 12 Tackles for losses 3.6 avg.118 11 Sacks allowed 1.2 avg. 25 4

UTEP’s National/Conference Individual Rankings

Here is a look at where some of UTEP’s top players statistically rate in the FBS and C-USA.

Player Category Stat FBS C-USA K. Adams Receiving 81.0 T27 3 M. McClure All-purpose 117.6 57 6 M. McClure Kickoff returns 29.1 7 2 T. Nixon Interceptions 0.3 T46 T5 T. Vittatoe Passing efficiency 125.1 72 9 T. Vittatoe Total offense 231.2 48 6 D. Warren Field goals 1.0 T58 T6

UTEP Falls at Arkansas, 58-21

Ryan Mallett threw for a school-record five touchdowns and ran for another as no. 14 Arkansas beat UTEP, 58-21, last Saturday.

Knile Davis added a career-best 182 yards rushing on just 11 carries for the Razorbacks, including a 70-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Arkansas ran for 326 yards on its way to a season-high 577 total yards.

Mallett finished 19-of-26 passing for 215 yards.

The Miners took a 14-7 lead in the first quarter after Marlon McClure’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Razorbacks then took control, scoring 45 unanswered points to take a 52-14 lead.

Davis started the onslaught with his long touchdown run. Mallett followed with five straight touchdown throws for the Razorbacks, two to tight end D.J. Williams.

Leilyon Myers put UTEP ahead 7-0 in the first quarter, breaking through the middle of the Arkansas defense for a 51-yard touchdown run. The Miners gained 355 yards in the loss but were plagued by three turnovers.

Price Can Tie Dobbs For Third-Most Wins Among UTEP Coaches

Mike Price carries a 40-43 record at UTEP into the Tulsa game and needs just one win to tie Bobby Dobbs for the third-top total among Miner head coaches. Mack Saxon is first with 66 wins, followed by Mike Brumbelow with 46 and Dobbs with 41.

Miners Have Allowed Second-Fewest Points in C-USA West

Despite playing the maximum 11 games to this point, UTEP has allowed the second-fewest points among C-USA West Division teams with 274. SMU has surrendered 271 points in 10 games.

The Miners are fourth in the league in points allowed behind UCF (196), Southern Miss (256) and SMU.

Source: UTEP Athletics