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Former head coach Gary Nord did a decent job of recruiting on the heels of the 2000 WAC title, but he and his staff weren't good enough at developing the young talent. Price has pieces to work with welcoming 58 lettermen to try and turn things around right away. If Tulsa can do it last year, then UTEP can certainly be a bowl team with this group.
O.K., so that might be a bit optimistic considering all the problems and only two wins over D-I teams in two seasons, but anything can happen in the world of the WAC, and anything can happen under Price.
Price's off-the-field problems have been well documented, but he brings a renewed spirit both to the program and to himself. He knows this is truly his final chance. If he can't make any improvements, he's never going to get another shot at a bigger name school. But moving on isn't what he cares about right now. It's all about making UTEP a conference contender again and having fun along the way. That's all fans of a downtrodden program can ask for.
The Schedule: The Miners aren't good enough to beat Arizona State or Boise State, but the early home date against the Broncos will show just how far Price has to go. The finishing kick isn't all that bad and if there's even the slightest bit of an improvement, it should yield at least two late wins. A six-win season with this slate is very attainable.
Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Howard Jackson. The diminutive senior had a breakout 2003 season finishing fourth in the nation in total yards. He's not just a jitterbug quick running back, he's a fantastic receiver and kickoff returner.
Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Robert Rodriguez. The man in the middle has led the WAC in tackles two out of the last three seasons and has 322 career tackles. While not a huge player, he's active enough and sure enough of a tackler to be an All-WAC performer, and a fringe candidate for All-America honors.
Key player to a successful season: The quarterbacks (again). The four-man rotation of last year has now become a three man battle for playing time. Orlando Cruz, Jordan Palmer and Omar Duarte must produce far more than they did last year combining for 13 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions.
The season will be a success if ... UTEP wins six games. There's way to much experience and way too much new life with the new coaching staff not to come up with a winning season. It's not all that hard to come up with a big season in the WAC, and UTEP should be able to do it.
Key game: Sept. 18 vs. Boise State. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. It's asking too much for the Miners to beat the Broncos so early in the year, but a win would be the type of spark that could make this a very, very exciting season.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Penalties: UTEP 109 for 864 yards - Opponents 86 for 744
- Average yards per pass: Opponents 8.5 - UTEP 6.3
- First half scoring: Opponents 288 - UTEP 144
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