Texas El Paso
8th Conference USA6-6
Brigham Young
5th Mountain West6-6
Texas El Paso @ Brigham Young preview
University Stadium (Albuquerque)
The Skinny: The FBS postseason officially kicks off with the 5th Annual New Mexico Bowl featuring a match-up between two former Western Athletic Conference rivals in the Cougars and the Miners. BYU (6-6, 5-3 Mountain West Conference) comes to Albuquerque having closed the season strong with wins in five of its final seven games after a forgettable 1-4 start.
Conversely, UTEP (6-6, 3-5 Conference USA) staggers into the postseason having dropped five of its last six games after a 5-1 start. The Miners are no stranger to Albuquerque having beaten New Mexico there, 38-20, back on Oct. 2. The game marks the first time the two former WAC rivals have played since 1998.
Point spread: Brigham Young -11. Over/under -50.
Brigham Young’s edge: The Cougars are hardly the explosive offensive team they’ve been in years past. But, after averaging a little more than 15 points per game over the first five games, they appear to have found their groove offensively. BYU averaged a robust 37 points per contest over their final five contests.
UTEP’s edge: The Miners, led by the speedy Marlon McClure, have benefited with field position. They rank 11 nationally in punt returns with an average of just under 14 yards and 10th in kickoff returns at just under 26 yards per return.
The Quarterbacks: True freshman quarterback Jake Heaps directed a more efficient BYU passing attack that averaged better than 260 yards per game over the Cougars’ final four games, while a stingy BYU defense did the rest by holding its final four opponents scoreless in the first half.
Miners quarterback Trevor Vittatoe has had to shoulder the load for an offense that has had trouble running the football at times. The senior has responded well for the most part, completing nearly 55 percent of his passes for 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Junior Joe Banyard is the Miners’ leading rusher with just 612 yards. That inability to run has put considerably more pressure on the UTEP defense and has contributed to the Miners’ late-season slide.
NFL prospects: Brigham Young – LT Matt Reynolds, S Andrew Rich. UTEP – G Rod Huntley.
Bowl History: Brigham Young – The Cougars are making their sixth consecutive bowl trip, but are just 10-17-1 overall in bowl games. However, they’ve won three of their last four, including a 2009 triumph over No. 18 Oregon State, 44-20, at the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl. UTEP – The Miners are 6-6 all-time in bowl games and making their first postseason appearance 2005. UTEP has dropped its last four bowl games.
Conversely, UTEP (6-6, 3-5 Conference USA) staggers into the postseason having dropped five of its last six games after a 5-1 start. The Miners are no stranger to Albuquerque having beaten New Mexico there, 38-20, back on Oct. 2. The game marks the first time the two former WAC rivals have played since 1998.
Point spread: Brigham Young -11. Over/under -50.
Brigham Young’s edge: The Cougars are hardly the explosive offensive team they’ve been in years past. But, after averaging a little more than 15 points per game over the first five games, they appear to have found their groove offensively. BYU averaged a robust 37 points per contest over their final five contests.
UTEP’s edge: The Miners, led by the speedy Marlon McClure, have benefited with field position. They rank 11 nationally in punt returns with an average of just under 14 yards and 10th in kickoff returns at just under 26 yards per return.
The Quarterbacks: True freshman quarterback Jake Heaps directed a more efficient BYU passing attack that averaged better than 260 yards per game over the Cougars’ final four games, while a stingy BYU defense did the rest by holding its final four opponents scoreless in the first half.
Miners quarterback Trevor Vittatoe has had to shoulder the load for an offense that has had trouble running the football at times. The senior has responded well for the most part, completing nearly 55 percent of his passes for 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Junior Joe Banyard is the Miners’ leading rusher with just 612 yards. That inability to run has put considerably more pressure on the UTEP defense and has contributed to the Miners’ late-season slide.
NFL prospects: Brigham Young – LT Matt Reynolds, S Andrew Rich. UTEP – G Rod Huntley.
Bowl History: Brigham Young – The Cougars are making their sixth consecutive bowl trip, but are just 10-17-1 overall in bowl games. However, they’ve won three of their last four, including a 2009 triumph over No. 18 Oregon State, 44-20, at the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl. UTEP – The Miners are 6-6 all-time in bowl games and making their first postseason appearance 2005. UTEP has dropped its last four bowl games.