July 20, 2012
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By Mike Garabedian
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Following the Homecoming game against June Jones and SMU, the UCF football team will travel to Sun Bowl Stadium to battle UTEP on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. Last year, UCF defeated the Miners, 31-14.
UTEP is coming off a season in which it finished 5-7 and missed a bowl game. Head Coach Mike Price is looking to change the Miners 2-6 Conference USA record and help reach their third bowl game in his tenure.
The team ranked fifth in C-USA scoring last year, just behind the Knights with 26.6 points per contest. Led by a rushing attack that averaged 4.5 yards per carry, the offense racked up 380.5 yards a game.
The defense gave up just over 30 points a game in 2011, ranking seventh in C-USA. The Miners were in the bottom half against the run and pass last year and return five starters on defense.
UTEP begins the year with a tough road, playing one of the roughest non-conference schedules in all of FBS football. The Miners host powerhouse Oklahoma in the first game of the season and then travel to Ole Miss and Wisconsin for two of the next three games. This should prepare Price's team for the final eight games of the season, all vs. C-USA opponents.
Offensive Player to Watch
With eight of 11 starters returning on offense, the Miners should improve on their 26 points-per-game average. This year's player to watch will be the quarterback. Nick Lamaison is coming off his only season as a starter; the junior QB led the team with 1,718 yards, completing 130-of-224 passes in eight starts because of injury. He also had 12 touchdowns but was sacked 19 times and threw 10 interceptions. Sophomore QB Carson Meger threw for 669 yards on 71-of-122 passes with two touchdowns and five interceptions in his three starts. If the Miners are going to compete in C-USA, this competition must be settled before the season and the TD to INT ratio must improve. Leading receiver Mike Edwards and sophomore running back Nathan Jeffery should take away some of the pressure from these quarterbacks and help the offense flourish.
Defensive Player to Watch
With five starters returning from a year ago, this will allow the team to play young recruits who have high upsides, such as former three-stars Marcus Bagley, Devonte Richardson and Dashone Smith. This year's player to watch on defense will be strong safety DeShawn Grayson. The senior was second on the team in tackles last year with 67, including two interceptions and a forced fumble. He was part of the C-USA All-Freshman Team and will be looking to add stability to a defense that is young and athletic. Grayson has nice size at 6-foot-0, 205 pounds, and is hoping for a big year to boost his NFL chances.
Knights vs. Miners Matchup to Look Out For
With a lot of exciting match-ups to watch on gameday, the one to keep an eye on will be the UTEP wide receivers vs. the UCF defensive backs. The Miners graduated four receivers from a year ago but return their top two. The Miners leading receiver, Mike Edwards, is coming off a season where he caught 50 balls for 657 yards and three touchdowns. With UCF cornerback Josh Robinson's departure to the NFL, senior A.J. Bouye and sophomore Brandon Alexander should be assigned of shutting down Edwards and Jordan Leslie, who averaged 14.3 yards per catch as a freshman. Assisting the UCF corners will be a strong safety duo of Kemal Ishmael and Clayton Geathers. The duo started every game last season and should provide some hard hits as they combined for 148 tackles a year ago. If the UCF defensive backs can slow down the Miners top two receivers, QB Nick Lamaison should have a long day in front of him.