As WKU football prepares to take on the University of Texas El Paso Miners on Thursday, I sat down with Sebastian Perez-Navarro, staff writer for The Prospector, to talk about UTEP football.
The Miners head into Thursday after a tough start to the season. UTEP is 0-5 and 0-2 in Conference USA play. Perez-Navarro said the reason for the slow start is that UTEP is “trying to rebuild with figures that are still adapting to the FBS [Football Bowl Subdivision] world.”
“[Head Coach] Scotty Walden, it’s his first gig as an FBS coach. He came from Austin Peay… that’s an FCS school. He still needs to adapt,” Perez-Navarro said.
He also said key players for the Miners, such as wide receiver Trey Goodman and “Miner back” Kam Thomas, who both made the move to UTEP from Austin Peay along with Walden, are guys that have not fully adapted to the FBS level.
Perez-Navarro said a solution to UTEP’s problems would be getting the “offense in a rhythm.” The Miners are averaging only 15.8 points per game, a mark that sits at 125th in FBS and last in C-USA. UTEP sits at 113th in FBS in total yards per game, averaging 322 yards per contest.
On the other side of the ball, the Miner defense is allowing 32.6 points and a staggering 239 rushing yards a game, a mark that is fourth worst in FBS. However, Perez-Navarro said the overwhelming offensive struggle is something that has skewed the stats of a UTEP defense that has looked “phenomenal” in his eyes.
“Those yards, they aren’t a direct representation of the on the field product,” he said. “I think the main story here is that the defense has just gassed itself out because they haven’t been given enough adequate time and rest.”
Perez-Navarro blamed some of the offensive struggles on the lack of a true starting quarterback. Cade McConnell and Skyler Locklear have both started for UTEP this year. Locklear has thrown for 710 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions on 104 attempts. McConnell has thrown for 444 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on 64 attempts.
McConell started for the Miners last week against Sam Houston and went for 204 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Locklear did not play against the Bearkats.
“When you’re flip flopping back and forth between quarterbacks, obviously, it’s a situation which no coach likes to be in. It’s a hard situation to adjust your offense too,” Perez-Navarro said.
Perez-Navarro said that he would not be surprised if UTEP kept the game close. For the Miners to pull off the upset against the Hilltoppers, he said the UTEP defense would have to stay energized, the Miner offense would have to turn red zone opportunities into points and Walden would have to manage the clock better than he did in UTEP’s close loss against FCS Southern Utah.
