Nov. 18, 2008

UTEP-Houston Notes (PDF)

The Basic Facts

UTEP (5-5, 4-2 C-USA) and Houston (6-4, 5-1 C-USA) meet on Saturday at Robertson Stadium with a lot on the line for both teams. The Miners need to win one of their last two games to clinch bowl eligibility, while the Cougars are trying to stay in the driver's seat in the C-USA Western Division race.

Both squads enter the game on a roll. UTEP has won four of its last six games, and Houston is 5-1 in its last six contests.

Houston is second in the nation in passing offense (399.5 ypg), third in total offense (556.7 ypg) and eighth in scoring offense (41 ppg).

UTEP is 2-2 on the road this season, including 1-1 in C-USA action with a loss at Tulsa and a win at Southern Miss. The Miners will close out the regular season at East Carolina on Nov. 28.

This will mark UTEP's first game on grass this season. The Miners are 6-5 on grass and 24-23 on turf under coach Mike Price. It is also the first day game of the year for UTEP, which is 4-6 in day games and 26-22 under the lights in Price's tenure.

The Series

UTEP leads the series 3-2. The Cougars have beaten the Miners each of the last two years -- 34-17 in Houston in 2006 and 34-31 in El Paso in 2007. The 2006 game was the first between the schools in Houston.

The Last Meeting

Terrance Ganeway scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 7:01 remaining in the game, giving Houston a 34-31 victory over UTEP on Oct. 27, 2007 in the Sun Bowl. The Cougars piled up 520 yards of offense. UTEP was unable to pick up a first down on its last two offensive series. The Miners started their final drive with 2:06 left, but Trevor Vittatoe's sideline pass to Lorne Sam on fourth down and a yard to go fell incomplete.

The Miners scored back-to-back touchdowns to start the second quarter in building their largest lead of the night, 17-7. Sam threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jamar Hunt, and Vittatoe connected with Joe West for a 34-yard score. But the Cougars responded with 13 consecutive points, capped by a pair of short by field goals by T.J. Lawrence, to go ahead 20-17 early in the third quarter. It was a seesaw battle after that, with UTEP taking its final lead of 31-27 on Vittatoe's 35-yard TD pass to Jeff Moturi with 8:57 left.

Marcus Thomas rushed 28 times for 178 yards to lead UTEP. Case Keenum hurt the Miners with his passing (13-for-20, 116 yards) and running (10 carries for 72 yards). Anthony Alridge ran for 204 yards on 27 attempts for the Cougars, who gained 306 yards on the ground. Houston played a turnover-free game after beginning the night with 21 giveaways in seven contests.

UTEP-Houston Ties

UTEP DB Clarence Ward and Cougar WR L.J. Castile are alumni of La Marque High School ... both teams feature a player from Anchorage, Alaska (UTEP DB George Kelly and Houston OL Jaryd Anderson) ... UH head coach Kevin Sumlin got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Washington State from 1989-90 when Mike Price was head coach of the Cougars.

Last Action

Trevor Vittatoe threw for a career-high 410 yards and three TDs as UTEP cruised past SMU, 36-10, on Saturday in the Sun Bowl. Kris Adams had a career-high 145 yards receiving and three touchdowns, and Jose Martinez tied the school record with five field goals as the Miners racked up 544 yards of offense. UTEP was stout defensively as well, limiting SMU to 201 yards of offense.

On the first play of UTEP's first offensive series, Vittatoe completed an 85-yard pass to Adams for a score. The Miners scored the first 10 points of the game and didn't look back, building a 26-3 advantage at the half.

UTEP forced six turnovers and received interceptions from Dustin Bell, Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith, Nuuese Punimata and Melvin Stephenson II. The Miners have picked off seven passes over the last two games.

SMU finished with 137 yards passing and 64 rushing.

Houston blasted Tulsa 70-30, as Case Keenum threw for 402 yards and six TDs and Tyron Carrier had 292 all-purpose yards. The Cougars recorded 32 first downs and 641 yards of offense, and put up 28 points in the second quarter and 21 in the third.

UTEP in the National Stats

UTEP is sixth in the country in turnover margin (1.30), 17th in passing offense (273.5 ypg), 21st in passing efficiency (143.17), 24th in scoring offense (33.7 ppg), 34th in total offense (404.4 ypg) and 35th in net punting (36.5 ppg). UTEP's top-100 individual national rankings are as follows: Kris Adams, 48th in receiving yards per game (73.1); Cornelius Brown, tied for 58th in interceptions (0.3 avg.); Josh Ferguson, tied for 46th in kickoff returns (24.0 avg.); Jose Martinez, tied for second in field goals (2.0 avg.) and 11th in scoring (9.7 ppg); Jeff Moturi, 94th in receiving yards per game (56.1) and tied for 97th in receptions per game (4.2); Kyle Petersen, 20th in punting (42.5 avg.); Adam Vincent, 23rd in tackles (9.1 avg.); and Trevor Vittatoe, 17th in passing efficiency (148.02) and 26th in total offense (255.3 ypg).

UTEP in the C-USA Stats

The Miners are first in C-USA in turnover margin (1.30), fourth in total offense (33.7 ppg) and passing efficiency (143.1), and fifth in passing offense (273.5 ypg), kickoff returns (21.1 avg.) and punting (36.5 avg.). Individually, Kris Adams is tied for eighth in scoring touchdowns (6.0 ppg); Cornelius Brown is tied for fifth in passes defended (1.0 avg.) and tied for seventh in interceptions (0.3 avg.); Josh Ferguson is tied for sixth in forced fumbles (0.2 avg.); Jose Martinez is first in field goals (2.0 avg.), field goal percentage (.833) and kicking scoring (9.7 ppg), second in scoring (9.7 ppg) and fourth in PAT percentage (.974); Kyle Petersen is third in punting (42.5 avg.); Robert Soleyjacks is first in fumble recoveries (0.4 avg.); Adam Vincent is second in tackles per game (9.1); and Trevor Vittatoe is fourth in passing efficiency (148.0) and passing average per game (259.9 ypg), and sixth in total offense (255.3 ypg).

Splitting First 10 Games a Rare Occurrence

UTEP is 5-5 through 10 games for only the second time in school history. The Miners were also 5-5 in 2006 before dropping their final two games of the slate to close out the year 5-7.

Miners Turning Things Around in November

UTEP entered the season with a six-game losing streak in the month of November, and hadn't won a game in the month since 2006. But the Miners improved to 2-1 in November with last week's 36-10 victory over SMU. UTEP has posted back-to-back wins in November for the first time since 2005. The last time the Miners won three straight games in November was in 1970. UTEP is 7-23 in November since 2001 and 7-11 in November under coach Mike Price.

Vittatoe and the 400-Yard Club

QB Trevor Vittatoe threw for 410 yards against SMU last week, surpassing his previous career high by one yard. He had 409 yards passing versus East Carolina in 2007. His 410 yards passing against SMU mark the eighth-best single-game total in school history. Vittatoe is only the fourth signal-caller in school annals to have multiple 400-yard passing games, joining Sammy Garza and Jordan Palmer (three each) and Brooks Dawson (two). Vittatoe is the only player in school history to have two 400-yard passing games prior to his junior year. Garza had all three of his 400-yard games as a senior, Palmer had one as a junior and two as a senior, and Dawson had one as a junior and one as a senior.

Vittatoe Making Rapid Ascent Up Charts

Only a sophomore, Trevor Vittatoe is already fourth on UTEP's all-time passing list with 5,700 yards. Jordan Palmer is first with 11,084 yards, Billy Stevens second with 6,485 and Sammy Garza third with 6,130.

Vittatoe is also fourth on the Miners' career total offense yardage list with 5,654 yards behind Palmer (11,041), Garza (6,056) and Stevens (5,696).

Vittatoe owns 52 career passing touchdowns, the second-top total in school annals behind Palmer's 88. Vittatoe has thrown for three or more touchdowns in each of the last seven games, a UTEP record.

More on Vittatoe and the Record Books

Trevor Vittatoe has passed for 250+ yards in seven straight games, a career-long streak. Over the last seven contests he has averaged 300.0 yards through the air. Vittatoe is the first Miner player to compile seven consecutive 250+ yard passing performances. Jordan Palmer had a five-game string in 2006, the previous school standard.

Vittatoe has thrown for 2,599 yards and 27 TDs in 2008. Those figures already rate eighth and second respectively on the school seasonal lists. Palmer owns the school record for touchdown passes in a season -- 29, established in 2005.

Still More Vittatoe Tidbits

Trevor Vittatoe is the only player in school history to toss five TD passes in a game as both a freshman (Rice `07) and a sophomore (Louisiana-Lafayette `08).

Vittatoe has six career 300-yard passing games, tied for the third-best total in school history behind Jordan Palmer's 16 and Billy Stevens' seven.

His 148.02 passing efficiency rating in 2008 would rate second in the Miner record book behind Jordan Palmer's 149.60 figure in 2006.

Defense Dominant Against SMU

The UTEP defense held SMU to 201 yards of offense -- 137 passing and 64 rushing. The 201 yards were the fewest by a Miner opponent since SMU had 190 in 2007. The last time UTEP limited an FBS foe other than SMU to 201 yards or less was New Mexico in 1999 (179 yards).

Over the last two games, UTEP has given up an average of 17.0 points and 292.5 yards of offense -- a far cry from the first eight contests of the season, when the Miners yielded 39.4 ppg and 483.4 ypg.

Turnover Margin Climbs to +13, Sixth in the Country

The Miners have now collected 25 takeaways against only 12 giveaways this season for a sparkling turnover margin of +13 (1.3 per game). That figure rates sixth nationally. Oklahoma leads the country in turnover margin (1.60), with Florida second (1.50), Wake Forest third (1.40), and Minnesota and Baylor tied for fourth (1.36).

UTEP is tied for 11th in the country in turnovers gained, and rates second in C-USA in that category behind Southern Miss (26). The Miners are tied for 19th in the nation in interceptions (14), second in the league behind UCF (17) and Southern Miss (15). UTEP has committed the fewest turnovers in C-USA (12), and is tied for 11th in the FBS in that department.

The Miners have forced four or more turnovers in four games this season for the first time since 2004. UTEP's +6 turnover margin versus SMU ranks first in the modern era of football at the school.

UTEP Picks Off Seven Passes in Two Games

The Miners have come up with seven interceptions over the last two games -- two by Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith and one each by Dustin Bell, Josh Ferguson, Nuuese Punimata, Melvin Stephenson II and Clarence Ward. UTEP now has eight players with an interception this season, the first time that has happened since 2004 when nine players had picks. The seven interceptions over the last two contests are the most for the Miners in back-to-back games since they had eight in the first two outings of the 2005 season.

Martinez Appointed a Groza Star Again

For the third time this season, Jose Martinez was selected one of three Lou Groza Stars of the Week on Monday. Martinez was also honored on Sept. 29 and Nov. 3. He is the only three-time winner this season. Miami's Matt Bosher, Florida State's Graham Gano, Navy's Matt Harmon, Air Force's Ryan Harrison, Utah's Louie Sakoda, Wake Forest's Sam Swank and Alabama's Leigh Tiffin are each two-time recipients.

Martinez tied the school record by making five field goals and tallied 18 points against SMU last week. He also hit five field goals versus East Carolina a year ago. Reagan Schneider shares the school record for field goals in a game after connecting on five against Houston in 2005.

Martinez's 18 points tied his personal best, originally established versus East Carolina in 2007.

Martinez a Semifinalist for Groza Award Again

K Jose Martinez, one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award in 2007, is one of 20 semifinalists for the award in 2008. He is 20-for-24 on field goals this year and has made his last 15 attempts. Martinez is also 37-for-38 on PATs.

Martinez is the only Groza Award finalist from `07 to repeat as a semifinalists this year (Arizona State's Thomas Weber and Indiana's Austin Starr returned in 2008 but did not make the list). This year's list of finalists will be announced in early December.

Martinez Climbing Career Charts Too

Jose Martinez is now 37-for-44 on field goals and 81-for-84 on PATs for a total of 192 points in two seasons at UTEP. He tied for seventh on the Miner career scoring list with Marcus Thomas. Fred Wendt is sixth with 195 points. Martinez ranks fourth in school history in kicking points and field goals, second in field goal percentage (.841), tied for fourth in PATs and fourth in PAT percentage (.964).

On the single-season lists, Martinez is tied for second in kicking points (97), sixth in points, second in field goals, fourth in field goal percentage (.833), tied for sixth in PATs (37) and seventh in PAT percentage (.974).

Martinez Makes a Little History

Although he missed tying the NCAA record for longest field goal without a tee by one yard, Jose Martinez's 64-yarder against UCF on Sept. 27 was a C-USA and school record. The previous C-USA record was a 57-yard field goal by Martinez against Houston last season. The previous school record was a 59-yard field goal by Keith Robinson versus Rice in 2002.

Martinez made a 70-yard field goal in practice earlier this season.

Quite a Year for Adams

The Miners entered the season wondering who would emerge as their no. 2 receiver and complement Jeff Moturi, who caught 13 touchdown passes in 2007. Turns out they found their no. 2 guy in Kris Adams, although his stats suggest he's the no. 1 guy. Adams leads the team in receiving yards (731) and touchdown catches (10). The 10 touchdown receptions tie him for the sixth-best seasonal total in school history. Last week against SMU, Adams reeled in an 85-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Vittatoe, the longest play from scrimmage for the Miners this year and their longest pass play since 2004.

Adams posted a career-best 145 yards receiving on five catches versus the Mustangs, including three TD receptions -- tying for the second-top game total in Miner annals. Volley Murphy holds the school standard with four TD grabs against BYU in 1967.

Adams has had three 100-yard games in 2008, and three multiple touchdown performances. He has reached the end zone 10 times over the last seven contests.

He is averaging 20.9 yards per catch this season, a figure which would rate second in UTEP lore behind Murphy's 21.9 figure in 1967.

Moturi Putting Together Another Solid Year

After enjoying a breakthrough 2007 campaign, Jeff Moturi has been steady in 2008. He leads the team in receptions (42) and is second in yardage (561), with eight TD catches. Seven of the eight TDs have come over the last five games after a slow start to the year.

Moturi has five career 100-yard games -- tied for ninth in school history -- including 109 against Rice on Nov. 1. He

He now owns 107 career catches for 1,452 yards and 21 TDs. The 21 TD catches rank third in school history. Lee Mays is in second place with 28 touchdown receptions.

Seeing Double

UTEP had two wideouts record multiple touchdown receptions at Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 8, as Kris Adams and Jeff Moturi each reached the end zone twice. The last time this happened was on Sept. 25, 1965, when Chuck Hughes had three TD catches and Bob Wallace had two in the Miners' 35-14 win at New Mexico.

Price Notches 30th Win at UTEP

The Miners' 36-10 triumph over SMU was Mike Price's 30th victory as head coach of the Miners. Price is 30-28 in his fifth season in El Paso, significant because only eight coaches before him (out of 23) have posted winning marks in the Sun City. Price already ranks fourth in school history in wins behind Mack Saxon (66), Mike Brumbelow (46) and Bobby Dobbs (41). Overall Price, the 1997 National Coach of the Year at Washington State, is 159-150 in his 27th year as a collegiate head coach.

Jackson Joins 100-Yard Club

Terrell Jackson became the third Miner to have a 100-yard rushing game this season at Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 8 with 14 carries for 105 yards. He follows in the footsteps of James Thomas II (142 yards versus New Mexico State) and Donald Buckram (107 yards against Tulane). The last time UTEP had three players with 100-yard rushing games in a season was in 2002 (Howard Jackson twice, Matt Austin and Sherman Austin once).

Vincent Leads Stop Troops

Senior LB Adam Vincent has quietly put together strong numbers for the UTEP defense this season. He is second in Conference USA in tackles per game (9.1) and has produced 91 stops in 10 games. Over the last seven games, Vincent has totaled 69 tackles (9.9 avg.) with double-digit takedowns on six occasions.

Tough Finish for the Miners

UTEP will close out the regular season with games at Houston and East Carolina. Both teams are bowl eligible and have combined to post a 7-2 mark at home this season. Both teams lead their respective divisions of Conference USA. And both teams have recorded a pair of wins over ranked opponents this season. The Pirates have topped no. 15 Virginia Tech and no. 8 West Virginia, and the Cougars have stunned no. 23 East Carolina and no. 24 Tulsa.

Miners Wrap Up Home Slate With 3-3 Mark

UTEP finished 3-3 in its six home games this season, including 3-1 in Conference USA play. The Miners lost two home games by a total of six points to New Mexico State (34-33) and Rice (49-44). The Miners have gone .500 or better at home in five straight seasons -- all under Mike Price -- for the first time since the Sun Bowl's inception in 1963.

The Miners averaged 37,296 fans in home games this year, up from a 36,568 average in 2007.

Miners Have Balanced Attack in `08

UTEP has been led in rushing by four players in 10 games -- Donald Buckram, Terrell Jackson and James Thomas II three times and Vernon Frazier once. The last time four different players led UTEP in rushing over the course of a season was 2003, when Matt Austin, Howard Jackson, Jimmy Smith and quarterback Jordan Palmer took turns heading up the ground game. If Daniel Palmer is UTEP's top rusher in a game this season, the Miners would have five different individuals leading the team in rushing for the first time since 1992.

The Miners have been led in receiving by four different players this season as well -- Kris Adams six times, Jeff Moturi twice, and Jamar Hunt and Tufick Shadrawy once apiece.

Who's Not Here

UTEP has lost six players to season-ending injuries -- DBs Braxton Amy and Roddray Walker, DL Brandis Dew, LB Royzell Smith, OL Rod Huntley and RB Jason Williams. All but Dew are expected back in 2008, and all but Walker have started games for the Miners.

Resilient Miners Come All The Way Back From 0-3

For the first time in school history, UTEP recovered from an 0-3 start to get back to the .500 mark. The Miners started 0-3 fourteen times prior to this season. UTEP has also rebounded from a 3-5 mark to get to 5-5 this season.

UTEP has set a school record for most wins following an 0-3 start. The 1997 club finished 4-7.

New Kids on the Block

Fifteen freshmen have seen action for the Miners already this season, including nine true freshmen -- Antwon Blake, Michael Farrar, Josh Flores, Ramonte Harris, Jamie Irving, Negale Miller, Bernard Obi, Daniel Palmer and Nick Sampson. Only two true freshmen -- Isaiah Carter and Craig Wood -- played for the Miners in all of 2007.

Streak Continues For Felix

Senior center Robby Felix made his 46th consecutive start last week against SMU. He has started every contest since his freshman year of 2005. Felix is on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the nation's top center, for the third year in a row.

Miners Have Four Captains in `08

UTEP has four captains this season, including defensive co-captains Josh Ferguson and Adam Vincent. The offensive captain is Robby Felix and the special teams captain is Jose Martinez.

Bell in the Two-Deep, But Not in the Media Guide

Junior DB Dustin Bell isn't included in the 2008 UTEP media guide, but is listed second on the depth chart at right corner. Bell originally signed with the Miners as a wide receiver in the spring of 2006 before spending the last two seasons at Bakersfield College. He played his prep ball at Wilmer Hutchins High School in his hometown of Dallas, earning All-State and district MVP honors his senior year. He had 93 catches for 1,770 yards and 27 touchdowns in his high school career, leading Wilmer Hutchins HS to district titles his sophomore and senior campaigns. He was also an All-District baseball and basketball player. Bell compiled 70 tackles and 10 interceptions in two years at Bakersfield College. Bakersfield had the top-rated defense in the Western State Conference during the 2007 season, limiting the opposition to 256.3 yards per game. Bell's younger brother Derrius is a sophomore defensive back at SMU.

Eye-Popping Offensive Numbers Under Price

Since Mike Price took over as head coach for the 2004 season, UTEP has played 58 games and scored 30+ points thirty-seven times -- a school record. The Miners have had seventeen 40-point games under Price, another school standard. UTEP has racked up 23,359 yards of offense under Price (402.7 avg.), including the top two seasonal outputs in school annals -- 5,074 yards in 2007 and 5,073 yards in 2005. UTEP's 32.4 ppg average under Price is also tops among all coaches in school history.

The Miners compiled 544 yards of offense last week versus SMU, their ninth 500-yard game under Price (7-2 record).