Countdown to El Paso
Yes, it's only Tuesday, but the focus of this entry will be looking forward to Saturday's matchup between the University of Tulsa and UTEP. It's a big game for my alma mater as they continue to show that all the football program needed was a good coach and me to leave campus (combined record during my stay 9-37).
Saturday's game looks to be a battle where defenses may not need to appear in the grand tradition of the previous conference affiliations. UTEP fields a high-powered balanced offense behind the passing of Jordan Palmer and a running game led by Tyler Ebell. In the 2 games I have seen UTEP this year, they have put up 44 and 38 points respectively. The former was a home game against Houston and the 38 was last week's effort here at Rice. Scoring should not be a problem. Keeping opponents from scoring seems to be the struggle. The Houston game was 44-41 in OT and the game against Rice (the second worst team in America) was 38-31 and in doubt until the final minute.
Tulsa likewise has been prone to high scoring games. The offense is led by the combination of Paul Smith at quarterback and tight end Garrett Mills. The passing offense tends to provide 60-70 percent of the offense but the trio of running backs in Uril Parrish, Brandon Diles, and Tarrion Adams shouldn't be overlooked.
Tulsa's defense has been good against the pass this year, but has struggled against the run. That may be a result of the competition faced; however, I would expect the trend to continue. UTEP will inevitably focus its defense on containing Mills, a task which many teams including Oklahoma have been unable to accomplish. UTEP's somewhat porous defense leads me to believe that they will fail in this regard as well.
The teams are evenly matched so the matchup will likely come down to the X-factor players on both rosters. UTEP features WR/KR Johnnie Lee Higgins who will be used often as a deep threat and on fly sweeps and reverses. His kick returns will be key for the field position battle. Same story for Tulsa. Senior WR/KR Ashlan Davis has shown the ability to take any kickoff the distance (having returned 6 for TD's in his career, an NCAA record I believe). Ashlan has also improved as a receiver stepping up as a more notable option to complement Mills.
Because of my bias, I can't publish a pick. I hope Tulsa wins because of the implications of this game on bowl eligibility and the Conference USA race.
Kickoff 8:05CST Saturday night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
Saturday's game looks to be a battle where defenses may not need to appear in the grand tradition of the previous conference affiliations. UTEP fields a high-powered balanced offense behind the passing of Jordan Palmer and a running game led by Tyler Ebell. In the 2 games I have seen UTEP this year, they have put up 44 and 38 points respectively. The former was a home game against Houston and the 38 was last week's effort here at Rice. Scoring should not be a problem. Keeping opponents from scoring seems to be the struggle. The Houston game was 44-41 in OT and the game against Rice (the second worst team in America) was 38-31 and in doubt until the final minute.
Tulsa likewise has been prone to high scoring games. The offense is led by the combination of Paul Smith at quarterback and tight end Garrett Mills. The passing offense tends to provide 60-70 percent of the offense but the trio of running backs in Uril Parrish, Brandon Diles, and Tarrion Adams shouldn't be overlooked.
Tulsa's defense has been good against the pass this year, but has struggled against the run. That may be a result of the competition faced; however, I would expect the trend to continue. UTEP will inevitably focus its defense on containing Mills, a task which many teams including Oklahoma have been unable to accomplish. UTEP's somewhat porous defense leads me to believe that they will fail in this regard as well.
The teams are evenly matched so the matchup will likely come down to the X-factor players on both rosters. UTEP features WR/KR Johnnie Lee Higgins who will be used often as a deep threat and on fly sweeps and reverses. His kick returns will be key for the field position battle. Same story for Tulsa. Senior WR/KR Ashlan Davis has shown the ability to take any kickoff the distance (having returned 6 for TD's in his career, an NCAA record I believe). Ashlan has also improved as a receiver stepping up as a more notable option to complement Mills.
Because of my bias, I can't publish a pick. I hope Tulsa wins because of the implications of this game on bowl eligibility and the Conference USA race.
Kickoff 8:05CST Saturday night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
posted by Aaron at 9:50 PM
1 Comments:
Due to us both having important games afoot, I propose something involving alcohol and fried food be done on Saturday night.
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