2017 UTEP Football Media Guide Is a Copyrighted Publication 3 Conference USA Notes of the UTEP Athletics Media Relations Office
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2017 MEDIA GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 PREVIEW CREDITS The 2017 UTEP Football Media Guide is a copyrighted publication 3 Conference USA Notes of the UTEP Athletics Media Relations Office. 4 Miners At A Glance 5 Preseason Notes Managing Editor Denise Mata 10 Depth Chart Editorial Assistance Drew Bonney, Kevin Coleman 11 Alphabetical Roster Jeff Darby, Andrew Holguin, Aaron Lozano 12 Numerical Roster Layout and Design Denise Mata Cover Designs Stephanie Avalos & Charles Davis Official UTEP Photographer: Michael Reese 13 MEET THE MINERS Additional Photography Provided by: Ivan Pierre Aguirre, Brian Kanof, Christ Chavez, El Paso Herald-Post Archives, El Paso Times (Ruben Ramirez & Mark 14 Returning Miners Lambie), Getty Images (Drew Hallowell, Mario Prosperino), NCAA Photos, 42 Newcomers Ray Navarro, The Sun Bowl Association, University Communications (J.R. Hernandez, Laura Trejo), UTEP Library (Special Collections, Claudia Rivers). 47 COACHING STAFF Copy current as of July 11, 2017. 48 Sean Kugler - Head Coach 51 Brent Pease - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks 53 Tom Mason - Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers 99 RECORDS 55 Spencer Leftwich - Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line 57 Brian Natkin - Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator 100 Individual Game Best- Total Offense/Rushing 59 Andrew Browning - Defensive Line 103 Individual Game Best- Passing 60 Cornell Jackson - Running Backs 105 Individual Game Best- Receiving 62 Don Yanowsky - Asst. Special Teams Coordinator/ 106 Individual Game Best- Scoring Recruiting Coordinator/Safeties 107 Individual Game Best- Kicking, Extra Points (PATs), and Interceptions 63 Chuck Veliz - Wide Receivers 108 Individual Game Best- Punting, Punt Returns, and Kickoff Returns 64 Derrius Bell- Cornerbacks 119 Individual Leaders - Total Offense 65 Kirk Davis - Speed, Strength & Conditioning 110 Individual Leaders - All-Purpose Yards 66 Nate Poss - Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations 111 Individual Leaders - Rushing 67 Graduate Assistants 113 Individual Leaders - Passing 69 Support Staff 115 Individual Leaders - Receiving 116 Individual Leaders - Scoring 118 Individual Leaders - Kicking 119 Individual Leaders - Interceptions 71 IN REVIEW 120 Individual Leaders - Defensive 74 Game One vs. NM State 122 Individual Leaders - Punting 75 Game Two vs. No. 11 Texas 123 Individual Leaders - Punt Returns 76 Game Three vs. Army 124 Individual Leaders - Kickoff Returns 77 Game Four vs. Southern Miss 126 Team Records 78 Game Five at LA Tech 136 Miscellaneous Records 79 Game Six vs. FIU 137 AP Top 25 80 Game Seven at UTSA 138 Sun Bowl Highlights 81 Game Eight vs. Old Dominion 140 Sun Bowl Records 82 Game Nine vs. Houston Baptist 141 Longest Plays 83 Game 10 at Florida Atlantic 143 Bowl Game History 84 Game 11 at Rice 158 Lettermen 85 Game 12 vs. North Texas 164 Miner Greats 86 Individual Statistics 170 Game-by-Game Leaders 87 Team Statistics 184 Yearly Results 88 Defensive Statistics 209 Year-by-Year Team Stats 89 Game Highs 213 UNIVERSITY 214 This is UTEP 88 AWARDS & HONORS 215 President - Dr. Diana Natalicio 89 Conference Awards 216 Athletic Director - Bob Stull 90 All-America Honors 218 Sun Bowl Stadium 219 Miner Athletic Academic Center 220 Athletic Training Room 221 Athletic Weight Room 92 IN THE PROS 93 Miners In The Pros 222 MEDIA 97 Miners In The NFL 98 Draft Picks 223 Media Information 224 UTEP on the Radio 225 Media Outlets 1 PREVIEW PREVIEW CONFERENCE USA NOTES Conference USA begins its 23rd year in 2017-18 as it continues to compete and In addition to the numerous NCAA Tournament berths, C-USA has sent four promote the success of its student-athletes. The league has adapted to the ev- men’s soccer teams to the NCAA College Cup, three softball teams MEDIA to UNIVERSITY the RECORDS PROS HONORS REVIEW Wom- IN STAFF MINERS er-changing landscape of collegiate athletics over its first two-plus decades, but en’s College World Series and three volleyball teams to the NCAA Sweet 16. The the commitment to excellence, integrity, leadership and its student athletes in league has also had 39 national champions in NCAA track and field competi- competition, academics and community is unwavering. tion, one national champion in diving, and numerous NCAA individual and team competitors in cross country, golf, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Conference USA enjoys a far-reaching fan base with its 14 members: Charlotte, Overall, Conference USA teams and individuals have made more than 2,000 FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Tex- NCAA appearances. as, Old Dominion, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, UTSA and WKU. SUCCESS OFF THE FIELD Debuting in 1995, Conference USA teams have combined for 100 bowl appear- C-USA institutions are among the nation’s best in academic performance of ances in football, 106 NCAA Tournament appearances in basketball, including student-athletes, bolstered by the fact that student-athletes at league schools three Final Fours, 69 NCAA baseball appearances including six College World have a higher graduation rate than the general student population. Among Series berths, 89 NCAA soccer tournament appearances including four trips to C-USA’s 5,000 student-athletes, there are champions off the playing field as the College Cup, and 39 individual national champions in track and field and well. In 22 years, more than 33,000 student-athletes have been named to the cross country. Commissioner’s Honor Roll or received the Commissioner’s Academic Medal, indicative of outstanding achievement in the classroom. Success is not limited to athletic achievement, however, as 220 Conference USA student-athletes have garnered Academic All-America honors, 749 have C-USA ON TV achieved academic all-district laurels and thousands of student-athletes have C-USA enjoys significant television exposure through partnerships with ESPN, earned a college degree. CBS Sports Network, Stadium and beIN SPORTS. The multi-tiered selection process that is rooted in partnering with all four networks provides extensive Conference USA sponsors competition in 19 sports – nine for men (baseball, national exposure for football, men’s and women’s basketball, and all other con- basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and indoor and outdoor ference sports. track and field) and 10 for women (basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, soft- ball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, and vol- C-USA membership include institutions within eight of the Top 40 media mar- leyball). kets and four in the Top 25 according to Nielsen. C-USA home markets this year will include more than 13 million TV households, a 30 percent increase from The league promotes the scholar-athlete ideal, honoring outstanding academ- four years ago. ic achievement with numerous conference-sponsored awards, including the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Commissioner’s Academic Medal as well as CUSA.TV sport-specific All-Academic teams. CUSA.TV officially launched in the Summer of 2016 making all non-televised team sports available as part of a subscription package. The site offers all events C-USA annually awards postgraduate scholarships, along with the Sport Ac- in one location so fans can watch home and away matchups of their favorite ademic Awards, Scholar-Athletes of the Year and the Institutional Academic team or season long events from their favorite sport. The site showcases weekly Excellence Award. Additionally, Conference USA presents a Spirit of Service feature stories as well as postgame interviews, players of the week highlights Award three times each year, recognizing student-athletes who excel on the and other exciting content. field, in the classroom and give back to the community through significant ser- vice efforts and participation. C-USA IN THE COMMUNITY The conference’s current footprint is concentrated with 14 members in 10 states SUCCESS ON THE PLAYING FIELD and a combined area population of more than 30 million. With a commitment Conference USA performers have achieved great success in competition, plac- to community involvement, the conference developed several initiatives to ing the league among the top conferences in the nation. maintain strong ties in C-USA cities, as well as with fans and alumni across the country. C-USA schools also place a priority on giving back to their communi- Football ties through volunteer service with local and national organizations. Individu- *100 teams have earned bowl bids ally, student-athletes are recognized each season through the Spirit of Service *Eligible for the College Football Playoff award. *Conference USA has nine bowl affiliations through the 2019 season, securing a minimum of five berths annually. Conference USA has primary bowl tie-ins GOVERNANCE with the Bahamas Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl, Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Hawai’i Conference USA has significant representation in the NCAA governance struc- Bowl, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, St. Petersburg Bowl and Zaxby’s Heart ture. The presidents of the member institutions serve as the league’s Board of of Dallas Bowl, along with secondary arrangements with the Camping World Directors. Independence Bowl and the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. A PROUD HISTORY Men’s Basketball Conference USA was formed in 1995 and quickly emerged as one of the na- *126 postseason teams (54 NCAA, 48 NIT, 12 CBI, 10 CIT, 2 LV16) tion’s top conferences. The conference unveiled its name, logo and commis- *One National Championship title game appearance sioner April 24, 1995, in Chicago. The league’s charter members were Charlotte, *Three Final Four teams Cincinnati, DePaul, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Saint Louis, *Seven Elite Eight NCAA Tournament teams Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB and USF. Eleven of the institutions began athletic *One NIT Champion and five NIT semifinalists participation in 1995, while Houston joined competition in the fall of 1996. *Inaugural CBI Champion *One CIT Champion The league’s headquarters were established in Chicago and, after nine years, *Inaugural Las Vegas 16 Champion relocated to the current office in Irving, Texas.