From unusual plays to unique unis, UTEP is garnering attention but struggling to win
By Sam Fariss
The UTEP Miners are 0-5 and sit in last place in the Conference-USA standings. On Thursday night, they suffered their fifth loss of the season in a 20-point victory for the Sam Houston State Bearkats.
However, despite their abysmal record and horrendous conference ranking, the Miners have garnered quite a bit of attention over the past few days for their unique uniforms, their interesting style of play, and most obviously, their stance as underdogs.
UTEP even had a miraculous play against the Bearkats in Week 6 when the Sam Houston quarterback muffed a handoff to the running back and defensive back Kory Chapman recovered the fumble for a touchdown.
π€― @KoryChapman25 with a fumble recovery for a πππππππππβ
β UTEP Football (@UTEPFB) October 4, 2024
πΊ - CBS pic.twitter.com/8FlvVjr0bG
Another bizarre but notable moment from UTEP's matchup against the Bearkats is when the Miners lined up with five (yes, 5) wide receivers on the same side of the line of scrimmage.
Youβve heard of Trips but UTEP had QUINTS pic.twitter.com/u7qTn5xZG2
β Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) October 4, 2024
While the Miners ended up losing, the unusual plays and lineups brought quite a bit of attention to UTEP's football program. Not to mention, earlier in the week, fans fell in love with the Miners' incredible new helmet designs, a nod to the Latino population and culture in El Paso.
UTEP wearing βEl Chucoβ helmets tonight against Sam Houston, using El Pasoβs nickname β from the counterculture pachuco movement of the 1930s (e.g. zoot suits) that started in El Paso.
β RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 3, 2024
(Helmet π· @TMcHargue16) pic.twitter.com/lTjwwL587E
Sure, the Miners have suffered five losses already this season. Sure, UTEP has been outscored 163-79 in those five losses. However, football fans are pulling for them, begging them to find their footing and a win or two this season.
Iβm sorry, but I need UTEP to get it together on the field because there is not a single school in the country leaning into their personality in a more endearing way right now.
β Gerald Goodridge (@ghgoodridge) October 2, 2024
Beautiful stadium, low riders, now these unis. Beautiful. https://t.co/Jhk1DjjBCs
UTEP takes on Western Kentucky in Week 7, on Oct. 10, and the WKU Hilltoppers are already projected to win at least 7 games this season while the Miners are projected to win just 4.5 games.
The Miners and Hilltoppers are scheduled to kickoff at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday and fans can catch the game, and hopefully UTEP's first win, on ESPNU.
Read more:
manual