Boise State University (-26) vs University of Texas at El Paso

Date: Friday, September 10th, 2021

Time: 7:30pm MT

Stadium: Albertsons “Bronco Stadium” (Capacity 36,387)

TV:FS1

Radio: KBOI 670 AM

Broadcasters: Alex Foust and Petros Papadakis

Know Thy Enemy

WARNING: The following content is not suitable for Miners, UTEP Miners that is, as Boise State gets set to host the University of Texas at El Paso Friday night on “The Blue.” Miners Head Coach Dana Dimel said that his team is seeking that “signature win’ this week, adding, “This would be a huge, huge signature win for us to get to the point where we could beat Boise, a national figure. That's the reputation they have, they've had it for a long time. To beat them on the road would be gigantic."

The reason why it would be such a “gigantic” win is because UTEP football is not very good. Dating back to 1968 the Miners have only managed to win over 50% of their games in a single season 6 times. They have only one 10-win season in their entire program's history dating back to 1935! Needless to say, recruiting probably is more like the scenes from Glory Road when coach Don Haskins, trying to recruit a player, says, “Don Haskins, Texas Western down in El Paso. Hey, after the game, I’d like to talk to you about playing for me.” And the Player responds, “Play for you at Texas Western? Thanks, coach, but I’m partial to winning!

However, UTEP is off to a good start this season with a record of 2-0, after beating New Mexico State in the Battle of I-10 and last week against Bethune-Cookman. It’s their first two win start since 2005.

On offense the Miners are a physical running team that will feature multiple running backs in 21 or 12 personnel. UTEP has multiple running backs that are averaging over 6 yards per carry early on this season. Look for UTEP to try and establish their run game, and use the run to take shots in the pass.

On defense UTEP has talent at all three levels on the defense, but none more than on the defensive line. The D-line is anchored by standouts Praise Amaewhule and Keenan Stewart. Many think that this defensive line has the chance at being among the best in Conference USA.

The Miners are coached by Dana Dimel. Dimel is in his fourth season as UTEP head coach and his 10th season overall as a head coach. Dimel’s first two seasons at UTEP were all about laying the foundation for revival of Miners football. In 2020, the Miners began to see results, as they tripled their win total. This season is all about proving he can turn things around before it’s too late.

Boise State and UTEP played annually from 2000-2004. The Broncos are 5-0 during that time. The Broncos largest margin of victory was a 58-3 win in 2002 and their smallest was a 38-23 win in 2000.

What Happened in 2004

The last time Boise State and UTEP squared-off, head coach Andy Avalos was donning a helmet and shoulder pads instead of a headset and clipboard for the Broncos. Back in september of 2004 the Broncos traveled to the Sun Bowl in El Paso in an early season contest. The #23 ranks Broncos would fall behind 10-0 in the first quarter before a big 20 point second quarter gave the Broncos a 20-17 lead going into halftime. In the second half the teams would trade touchdowns first by the Miners on a 5 play, 80 yard drive capped off by a Jackson Howard touchdown run. The Broncos would answer with an 80-yard drive of their own, but an unlikely hero would score the go-ahead touchdown as back up tight end Andy Weldon would recover a Jared Zabransky fumble in the endzone to put the Bronco up for good 27-24 going into the final frame. Boise State would push across three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win the game 47-31. Boise State won the game despite four turnovers by quarterback Jared Zabransky. Zabransky finished the game 26 of 37 with 392 yards and two touchdowns. Gerald Alexander led the defense with two interceptions.

Players to Watch

UTEP

Rs.SO., PRAISE AMAEWHULE, DE #23

There is high praise from the coaching staff about young pass rusher Praise Amaewhule. The 6’3” sophomore from Katy, Tx is a bright spot on this Miners team. A second-team all conference member last season, Amaewhule led the team in sacks and tackles for loss. Amaewhule loves to rush the passer and get his big paws in the passing lanes to knock down potential throws at the line of scrimmage. Look for the Broncos to gameplan around this young stud.

SO., JACOB COWING, WR #6

Cowing, a sophomore out of Maricopa, AZ is the go-to receiver for UTEP. Since stepping foot on campus Cowing has done nothing but produce. As a freshman in 2019 Cowing led the Miners in every major receiving category. Last year as a sophomore he led the team in receiving again and was named Second Team All-Conference USA. This year is just more of the same, leading the team in yards and touchdowns. The Miners don’t throw the ball a lot, but when they do they throw it to #6.

Rs.JR., RONALD AWATT, RB #22

The 2021 season has been the coming out part for Ronald Awatt. The 6’ junior for Lubbock, Texas has hit the ground running for the Miners this season. He’s just one of three running backs that UTEP will utilize on Friday, but he is averaging 100 yards per game on the ground on 15 carries. Awatt has become the guy due to injury and he hasn’t squandered his opportunity.

BOISE STATE

SR., KHALIL SHAKIR, WR #2

This week we’re not going too deep down the depth chart to find our first player to watch. Shakir has been the lifeblood of the Broncos offense for quite some time and we all know that. Last week Shakir was on a “snap count” and wasn’t fully in the game plan. However, that didn’t stop the receiver from leading the team in receptions and scoring two touchdowns. This week all things point to “Shak” being fully available, so watch out, it could get ugly for the Miners defense Friday night.

Rs.FR., RODNEY ROBINSON, NICKEL #4

Rodney Robinson will get his first start Friday night in replace of Kekaula Kaniho as he sits out the first half because of the targeting penalty last week. The Freshman from San Bernardino plays the game extremely hard and is an up and coming player for the Broncos. Robinson might not play a lot in the second half, so keep your eyes on #4 in the first two quarters because Friday night might be a glimpse into the Boise State future.

Rs.SO., ISAIAH BAGNAH, EDGE #30

Defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson had good things to say about the edge rusher from Canada. Danielson praised Bagnah for his ability to overcome injuries and lack of playing time and focus on getting better at what he can control. It all paid off last week with his two sacks against the Knights. Bagnah might not be on the field a lot, but when he gets on the field Friday don’t be surprised if Isaiah goes off.

Focus Position Group: Offensive Line

A lot of attention was put on the Boise State offensive line this week during media availability. Issues in the run game, pass protection, snapping snafu’s and the loss of Jake Stetz has everyone keying in on how the Broncos big boy’s will respond this week. No, the UTEP defensive front doesn’t pose as big of a threat as their opponent last week, but if the Broncos can’t figure out any semblance of a run game and can’t figure out how to be the aggressor, it could be a long season.

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

Collapse the Mine(rs)

UTEP will run the ball and run the ball a lot. Last week against B-CU, the Miners ran the ball 75% of the time. Last week against UCF the Broncos gave up a ton of rushing yards to the tune of 271 yards. Stopping the run could be a key to the game each and every week and until the Broncos show that they can actually stop the run it will be a glaring weakness on this defense. This week they will have to take the next step and stop the run game.

Sharing is Caring
10 different players caught a pass last week against UCF. Five had multiple catches. The Broncos looked their best on offense when they were spreading the ball around and getting different players involved. Look for the Broncos to continue that trend and spread the ball all over the field this week.

Tune Up not Tune Out

This week isn’t your typical “trap” game, but anytime you play what many see as a lesser opponent the week before a “big game,” it has the potential for disaster. With Boise State's match up with Oklahoma State next week the Broncos will have to come out focused on fixing the mistakes from last week and fine tuning their game instead of just going through the motions and having their minds on OSU.

Editorial Note:

Last week didn’t end the way that Bronco Nation hoped it would. After a strong first half that had the Broncos leading 21-0 early in the second quarter and holding a 10-point halftime lead, everything seemed to be going just right for Boise State. Then came the third quarter. Lots of things happened in the third quarter, the offense couldn’t move the ball, the play calling seemed to get conservative, and the defense was on the field way too much. Lots of things went wrong for the Broncos and yet they had the ball late in the game with a chance to score and take the lead. The Broncos didn’t play great and yet were still in it. That has this eternal optimist hopeful that if they get things figured out, Boise State could be a force to be reckoned with this year.

I imagine Boise State will come out pretty motivated this week to get back on the winning side of things. Boise State has won 19 consecutive home openers and are 17-3 in their last 20 games as a favorite in Albertsons Stadium.

This game has all the potential in being a classic “get right '' blow out and we get that #halfahundred that coach Plough promised.

Boise State 52, UTEP 17

Rev's Rundown

Revs Rundown 2021 Week 2 Boise State vs University of Texas at El Paso