UTEP Football: Can Miners improve upon 2020 season’s 3 wins?
Eight starters return to an inconsistent offense
It’s hard to get a read on UTEP on either side of the ball because there was a coordinator change in the offseason and the Miners had four games canceled due to COVID-19 last season. One thing that will be nice for UTEP is that they are going to have some consistency at the quarterback position heading into the season and that is not something that the program has always had.
Gavin Hardison had some good moments as the starting quarterback in 2020, but he was not always consistent. Hardison finished the season with nearly 1,500 yards to go along with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He has shown the talent to be a good starter in the C-USA, but he is going to have to raise his game if this team is going to improve and get three or more wins this season.
UTEP should have plenty of running backs that can contribute and they are all pretty talented. Deion Hankins was the main ball carrier last as a freshman and he already looked like he could be one of the conference’s best. The other two guys, Ronald Awatt and Quardraiz Watley, are more than capable of being good secondary options to Hankins. This is a talented backfield and will be tough for opponents to stop.
Much like the running backs, the wide receivers will also be a talented bunch. Jacob Cowing was the leading receiver for the Miners last season and after racking up 41 receptions for 691 yards and three touchdowns, he could be in for a monster season. Alongside Cowing, Justin Garrett is a talented player as well and they could form one of the top duos in the conference. Trent Thompson is a little undersized at tight end, but he brings experience and will be a factor.
The offensive line brings back four starters, including Jeremiah Myers, who was a selection on C-USA’s all-freshman team. This is a young unit that should be better this year as they get more experience.
This offense has playmakers in the backfield and at the receiver positions, their success will largely depend on the consistency at the quarterback position and a young offensive line.