[ contents ] 2012 preview 4,■ notebook ■ 5, miners at a glance■ 6, depth chart ■ 7, miners coast-to-coast ■ 8, roster 3 meet the miners 12,■ returnees ■ 33, newcomers 11 coaches & staff 40,■ head coach mike price ■ 44, andre patterson ■ 45, aaron price ■ 46, jeff banks■ 47, kirk davis ■ 48, gabe franklin ■ 49, guy holliday ■ 50, brian natkin ■ 51, nate poss ■ 52, chad raymond ■ 53, 39 robert rodriguez ■ 54, tom williams ■ 55, support staff 2011 season in review 58,■ stony brook & smu ■ 59, nm state & usf ■ 60, houston & tulane ■ 61, colorado state & southern miss ■ 62, rice & east carolina ■ 63, tulsa & ucf ■ 64, 2011 final results■ 65, individual 57 stats ■ 66, team stats ■ 67, defensive stats ■ 68, superlatives history & records 70,■ total offense■ 71, all-purpose yards ■ 72, rushing ■ 74, passing ■ 76, receiving ■ 78, scoring ■ 79, kicking ■ 80, interceptions ■ 81, defensive ■ 82, punting ■ 83, punt returns ■ 84, kickoff returns ■ 85, team records ■ 90, miscellaneous records ■ 91, sun bowl highlights ■ 92, sun bowl records ■ 93, longest plays ■ 94, bowl game records ■ 95, bowl recaps ■ 102, miners in the pros ■ 104, all-conference honors ■ 105, all-americans ■ 106, letterwinners ■ 110, miner greats ■ 115, 69 game-by-game leaders ■ 126, yearly team stats ■ 130, yearly team record ■ 131, yearly results media information 152,■ media policy ■ 153, tv/radio directory ■ 154, img college ■ 154, radio flagships 151 [ contents ] [ QUICK FACTS ] [ MEDIA RELATIONS ] Location El Paso, Texas Media Relations Fax (915) 747-5444 Founded 1914 Press Box Phone (915) 747-5154 Enrollment 22,640 Director for Media Relations Angela Olivas Nickname Miners ■ Primary Football Contact, Publications Colors Dark Blue, Orange, Silver Accent Office (915) 747-6451 Conference Conference USA Cell (915) 588-7335 Stadium Sun Bowl (51,500) Email [email protected] Surface Matrix 46 Sr. Assoc. AD for Communications Jeff Darby President Dr. Diana Natalicio ■ Secondary FB Contact, Men's Basketball, Men's & Women's Golf Director of Athletics Bob Stull Office (915) 747-6652 Head Coach Mike Price Cell (915) 204-0642 Alma Mater Puget Sound ‘69 Email [email protected] Career Record 174-174 (30 years) Associate Director for MR Mark Brunner UTEP Record 45-52 (eight years) ■ Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer Offensive Formation 1-Back Office (915) 747-5722 Defensive Formation 4-3 Cell (915) 472-6038 2011 Overall Record 5-7 (2-6 C-USA/5th West Division) Email [email protected] Lettermen Returning 43 (20 offense/20 defense/3 special teams) Assistant Director for MR Denise Mata Lettermen Lost 24 (13 offense/10 defense/1 special teams) ■ Volleyball, Cross Country, Track & Field Starters Returning 13 (7 offense/4 defense/2 special teams) Office (915) 747-6653 Starters Lost 11 (4 offense/7 defense) Cell (915) 820-2458 Athletics Phone (915) 747-5347 Email [email protected] Football Office Phone (915) 747-5224 Graduate Assistant for MR Stephanie Taylor ■ Rifle, Tennis, Softball Office (915) 747-7447 Cell (505) 804-4249 [ UTEP ATHLETICS MISSION STATEMENT ] Email [email protected] The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to providing a nationally-competitive athletics program as an integral component of the educational mission of the university. Athletic programs sponsored shall be UTEP Athletics Websites in compliance with the highest recognized standards of the institution and its athletics governing bodies. www.utepathletics.com Intercollegiate Athletics will operate in harmony with the university’s stated mission and be committed www.minerstrong.com to the intellectual, cultural, physical and social development of student-athletes. In particular, the Intercollegiate Athletics program shall serve as an educational opportunity for student-athletes and as a focal point to bring the student body, faculty and community together. Intercollegiate Athletics will ■ media relations mailing address actively support diversity in participation in all athletic programs and operations. Brumbelow Bldg., Room 126 201 Glory Road El Paso, Texas 79902 [ SOCIAL MEDIA ] ■ utep athletics @UTEPAtheltics [ CREDITS ] @UTEPAthletics The 2012 UTEP Football Factbook is a copyright publication of the UTEP Athletics Media @UTEPAthletics Relations Office. @UTEPAthletics Managing Editor Angela Olivas ■ www.utepathletics.com Editorial Assistance Mark Brunner, Jeff Darby ■ utep football Layout and Design Angela Olivas @UTEPFootball.OfficialPage Cover Design Angela Olivas @UTEPFootball Official UTEP Photographers Michael Reese & Ivan Pierre Aguirre ■ university Additional Photography Provided by: Brian Kanof, Christ Chavez, El Paso Herald-Post @UTEPMiners Archives, El Paso Times (Ruben Ramirez & Mark Lambie), Getty Images (Drew Hallowell, @UTEPNews Mario Prosperino), NCAA Photos, Ray Navarro, The Sun Bowl Association, University Communications (J.R. Hernandez, Laura Trejo), UTEP Library (Special Collections, Claudia Rivers). ■ www.minerstrong.com Copy current as of Aug. 15, 2012. [PREVIEW] ■ 4, notebook ■ 5, miners at a glance ■ 6, depth chart ■ 7, miners coast-to-coast ■ 8, roster 3 ■ preview [MINER NUGGETS] ■ who's back? ■ new faces on coaching staff The Miners return 43 letterwinners and 13 starters from last year’s squad that Brian Natkin (Offensive Line), Chad Raymond (Tight Ends) and Tom Williams (Safeties) finished 5-7 including a 2-6 finish in league play. UTEP has seven returning starters join the UTEP coaching staff for the 2012 campaign. on offense and four returning starters on defense. Former UTEP consensus All-American, Brian Natkin, returns to his alma mater after a ■ miners look to replace running game five-year stint at NCAA Division II Midwestern State. The Mustangs were a combined While its offensive line gained plenty of experience last season, UTEP lost the meat 41-15, including 10-1 in 2011, and claimed the Lone Star Conference title in 2009. He of its running game with the departures of Joe Banyard (69.3 ypg), Vernon Frazier mentored three All-Americans (Tony Burson, Lance Calloway and Amini Silatolu) and (36.2 ypg) and Leilyon Myers (30.7 ypg and 12 TDs). The trio combined for 1,634 of numerous all-conference selections. the Miners’ 1,859 yards last year. Sophomores Nathan Jeffery, who ran for 166 yards, and Josh Bell look to fill the void. Former Yale head coach Tom Williams has been appointed as the safeties coach at UTEP. Williams brings 11 years of collegiate coaching experience as well as NFL knowledge, ■ defense looks ahead to 2012 having been a defensive assistant for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. The Miners return two of their top-three tacklers from a year ago in S DeShawn Grayson (67) and LB Josh Fely (61). Senior LB Jamie Irving returns to the gridiron Raymond returns to the UTEP family having served as a program coordinator from after redshirting the 2011 campaign following a season-ending shoulder surgery 2008-10. Raymond served as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at New and starters DL Germard Reed, DL Horace Miller and CB Drew Thomas also highlight Mexico Highlands in 2011. the Miners’ defensive personnel returning alongside DB Richard Spencer and DL Greg Watkins. Miller led the squad in sacks with five and Reed, Watkins, Fely and ■ half-century in the sun bowl Spencer combined for 12. It will be a special season at the Sun Bowl, with 2012 marking the 50th year that UTEP will play its home games in the venue. The facility was originally designed to hold ■ edwards and leslie highlight receiving corps 30,000 spectators when it opened on Sept. 21, 1963. The second deck on the press Sixteen players registered a reception in 2011, eight of whom scored at least box was completed in 1969 and in 1982 extra seating was added. The present seating one touchdown. Of the 16, eight return for the 2012 campaign and five recorded capacity is 51,500. Recent additions to the stadium have included a state-of-the art multiple touchdown receptions in 2011. UTEP’s top-two receivers, Michael Edwards video board and scoreboards and a Matrix 46 playing surface. Nearly seven million fans and Jordan Leslie return for the 2012 season. have passed through the Sun Bowl turnstiles, and the Miners set a school record for attendance in 2005 at 47,899 fans per game. UTEP has played 279 games in the Sun Edwards led the squad with 50 receptions for 657 yards and a team-leading three Bowl, and enjoyed undefeated home records in 1988 (6-0) and 2000 (5-0). TDs. He recorded a career-best 187 yards at Rice and twice had seven receptions (Stony Brook & Rice). ■ did you know? UTEP enters 2012 having won at least four games in eight straight years for the first Leslie averaged 14.3 yards per catch, tops among returning wide receivers. He was time in program history. The previous long stretch was seven years (1936-42 & 1965- second on the squad tallying 30 receptions for 430 yards. He reeled in a career-high 71), and on only one other occasion was there a sequence of at least five years (six years, seven receptions for 119 yards against Tulsa. He became just the first freshman 1952-57). since the 2003 campaign to post a 100-yard receiving game. He led the squad in receptions in five contests in 2011. ■ talking wins and coach price Head Coach Mike Price has guided UTEP to 45 victories in his eight years with UTEP, The Miners return a trio of tight ends, Kevin Perry (203 yards), Eric Tomlinson which ranks third all time at the school. His next triumph will tie him with Mike (83 yards) & Craig Wenrick (105 yards). Each scored at least one touchdown and Brumbelow (46) for second place. Mack Saxon holds the school standard with 66 wins. averaged over 10 yards per reception. ■ utep & openers ■ campbell returns as special teams standout The Miners are 41-48-5 in season openers and 32-17-3 when opening a campaign at Ian Campbell was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award.