UTEP Football: Can Miners start to turn things around in 2020?

Offense has been one of the nation’s worst

The UTEP offense has been, to put it plainly, one of the worst in college football. In 2019, they ranked 119th in the nation in scoring offense, and in the 100s in passing and total offense. The rushing offense wasn’t too far off, sitting at 96th in the country.

There is some positive to look forward to in 2020. For the Miners, the will be one of the best groups of receivers El Paso has seen in quite a while. Justin Garrett led the team in 2019 with 40 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns and Jacob Cowing and Devaughn Cooper round out an exciting stable.

At tailback, Quardraiz Wadley has shown signs of explosiveness. Unfortunately, he’s dealt with injuries during his time at UTEP, keeping him from reaching his full potential.

Beyond receiver and tailback, there is a ton of unknown. The offensive line is serviceable on the inside, but at both tackle positions, there has to be improvement. The passing offense posted just 191 yards per game, and improvement will start with better quarterback protection.

Speaking of quarterback, there is a dearth of experience at the sport’s most important position for the Miners. The only Division 1 experience in the whole room comes in the form of just two appearances for Gavin Hardison in 2019. He’ll compete with freshman TJ Goodwin for the job, who’s coming off of a strong Spring where he made this a real battle for the starting spot.