UTEP will lean on veteran offensive line for success this season

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- There is hope amongst the UTEP Miners that they will put together a winning record and advance to their 16th bowl game in program history, a big reason for that hope is because of the experience that the Miners bring back.

There's probably no more experienced group than the offensive line.

"They have all the talent in the world and also on top of that they are really smart and experienced so I have all the trust in the world and think they're going to play really well this year," quarterback Gavin Hardison said.

The combination of Steven Hubbard (left tackle), Justin Mayers (left guard), Andrew Meyer (center), Elijah Klein (right guard) and Zuri Henry (right tackle) is battled tested and the leadership they provide is unmatched.

The quintet have 120 starts between them and four out of the five are seniors and they're ready to use that experience to be a force up front this season and ensure defenses struggle to get to Hardison.

"I think that we have a chance to be one of the strong points in this team and be one of the best o-lines in the conference," Klein said. "We're all guys that come out here with the intent to work hard and avoid any of those down days because that's usually the biggest impact on football when you let those days bring you down."

The O-line will look to make an impact immediately in their season opener against Jacksonville State on Saturday, Aug. 26th.

On Monday the Miners began preparing for Jax State.

The game will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. MT and air on the CBS Sports Network.