The UTEP football team is set to start a new era under coach Scotty Walden at Nebrsaka, which is expecting its 397th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
Nebraska is a 27.5-point favorite as it begins a second season of huge expectations under coach Matt Rhule.
Both teams are coming off losing seasons and looking to snap a bowl drought.
UTEP Miners
Where: El Paso
2023 Record: 3-9
Streak: Lost 3
Coach: Scotty Walden, first season (34-20 career)
Returning starters: 1 offense, 2 defense, kicker
2023 Scoring offense: 19.9 (116th)
2023 scoring defense: 28.5 (85th)
Miners overview
UTEP is starting over this season, perhaps more than most teams with a new coach and staff.
The Miners hired Scotty Walden from Austin Peay as their 27th coach in December, after a mass exodus of players from last year’s 3-9 team that started when Dana Dimel was let go. Walden, in turn, brought most of his staff with him from Peay as well as 11 players, starting a transformation of the roster.
UTEP returns 31 lettermen and 50 roster members, while bringing in 65 new players, including the top-rated recruiting class in program history.
There is excitement around the program, which comes with change, and curiosity to see how a roster full of stars from the Football Championship Subdivision can adjust to the step up in levels to the FBS.
Miners offense
UTEP’s quarterback battle between incumbent Cade McConnell and Skyler Locklear went to the wire before Locklear was announced as the starter, but there is a possibility both could play. The Peay transfer Locklear (a backup last year) represents more of a run-pass option threat, while the incumbent starter McConnell is the classic drop-back passer.
The receiving corps for the “Blue Blaze” is mostly FCS transfers, with Kam Thomas, Trey Goodman and Ashton Nickelberry from Austin Peay and Jaden Smith from Eastern Kentucky as names to watch. Peay transfer Jevon Jackson is the workhorse tailback.
The question mark will be the line, a mixture of Peay transfers, returners from last year and a true freshman working together for the first time in a game.
UTEP’s stated goal on offense is to snap the ball every 12 seconds, spread the field and get the ball to speedy playmakers.
Miners defense
UTEP’s “Orange Swarm” has more holdovers here as they make a small transition from last year’s 4-2 front to this year’s 3-3, though the 3-3 is more of a hybrid with a 4-2.
The Miners presume their strength will be on the line with their pass rush, spearheaded by first-team All-CUSA returner Maurice Westmoreland. The linebackers (other than Westmoreland, listed as a bandit, an edge rusher) and most of the secondary are new to starting at the FBS level, though Peay transfer Xavier Smith at safety was an FCS freshman all-American mention last year.
Their weakness has been against the run game, where Nebraska was good last year.
The Miners aim to play a high-pressure defense that will hope to put pressure on quarterbacks.
Per Nebraska coach Matt Rhule: Defensive coordinator JJ “Clark’s defense is very similar to ours: 3-down, 4-down, 3-5 hybrid. All the same things that they do is what we do. So you have to be able to handle their pressure packages and the way that they attack you.”
Players to watch
Bandid Maurice Westmoreland. A first-team all-CUSA selection last year, he led the league with 7.5 sacks. Per Nebraska coach Matt Rhule: “Westmoreland is a pro. He’s a pro. He’s very versatile, great arm over, great ability to affect pass rushers. He can rattle his pass, shoulder shake, get tackles off balance. He’s not afraid to take the inside move, which is the hallmark of a really confident pass rusher. He’s got a really great motor. He can also drop into space.”
Slot Kam Thomas. He was a star receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner for Peay last year. He had two punt returns for a touchdown last season; UTEP hasn’t had multiple kick returns for scores this decade. Offensively he is listed as a Miner back, a hybrid receiver/running back.
WR Trey Goodman. He was a first-team all-conference player at Peay last season when he had 721 yards on 34 receptions with seven touchdowns.
Key stats
128: That’s where the Miners ranked out of 132 teams against the run last season when it gave up 202.25 yards on the ground. Nebraska is starting the year with a tailback-by-committee approach and it could be set up for success.
65: The Miners’ 115-player roster has 65 newcomers instead of 31 returning lettermen.
3: UTEP’s coaching staff is the third youngest in the nation at the FBS level, at 34.7 years old. Walden is the second youngest coach in the FBS, at 34 years old.
Where: Lincoln, Nebraska
2023 Record: 5-7
Streak: Lost 4.
Coach: Matt Rhule, second season (5-7 at Nebraska, 34-20 overall)
Returning starters: 6 offense, 7 defense, kicker, punter
2023 Scoring offense: 18.0 (120th)
2023 scoring defense: 18.24 (13th)
One of the most storied programs in college football history hasn’t had a winning season since 2016 but optimism is high as they enter the second season under Matt Rhule, who came over from the Carolina Panthers after a successful stint at Baylor.
In his two previous college stops, at Temple and Baylor, his teams won four and six more games, respectively, in his second season compared to his first, and there is hope in Lincoln that this will happen again this year. Bolstering that hope is a five-star recruit at quarterback and the fact that Nebraska didn’t lose a single starter to the transfer portal, a rarity in this age.
Cornhuskers offense
The attention naturally falls to true freshman quarterback Danny Raiola, whose father, Dominic, is a Cornhusker offensive lineman legend who played 14 years in the NFL. Raiola was the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the country, a five-star who flipped his commitment from Georgia to Nebraska.
He is in a good situation to succeed behind an offensive line with 153 combined starts and 224 games played. The running game will start as a four-headed committee, most of whom have extensive experience.
The Huskers didn’t have a receiver with more than 310 yards last season, so they have revamped their receiving corps with transfers Jahmal Banks (Wake Forest) and Isaiah Neyor (Texas), along with returning tight end Thomas Fidone II.
Cornhuskers defense
Nebraska ranked 11th in total defense last year and 13th in scoring defense behind defensive coordinator and El Pasoan Tony White and he has a bunch of that unit back.
Their two most productive players, safety Isaac Gifford and linebacker Javin Wright, return, as do all four starters on the defensive line. That veteran defensive line will face a UTEP offensive line playing its first game as a unit together in the FBS.
The Cornhuskers were 8th nationally in defending the run last season and that’s where their defense starts.
Players to watch
QB Dylan Raiola. How the true freshman handles his first collegiate start will define that side of the ball in this game. A veteran offensive line puts him in a good position.
S Isaac Gifford. He was the motor behind one of the nation’s best defenses last year when he had 86 tackles and eight pass breakups.
RT Bryce Benhart. He is expected to get his 42nd career start for Nebraska, which would set a new record for career starts by a Husker offensive lineman.
Key stats
2: Dylan Railoa will be Nebraska’s second true freshman to start at quarterback in a season opener. Adrian Martinez was the first in 2018 (a loss to Colorado).
377: Consecutive home sellouts for Nebraska when it fills up Memorial Stadium against UTEP. The stadium has an official capacity of 85,458. Nebraska drew 86,183 for its last home game last year against Iowa.
153: Combined starts for Nebraska’s offensive line, the fifth most in the country entering the 2024 season.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Scouting report: UTEP Miners football vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers
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