Nebraska football’s first opponent in the 2024 season will be the UTEP Miners. This UTEP team is intriguing as it begins its first season under head coach Scotty Walden. Walden comes over from Austin Peay, where he compiled a 34-20 record.
Now, he has a chance to resurrect a program in UTEP that finished 3-9 last season. This will be Walden’s first time facing Nebraska.
The Miners have announced that redshirt sophomore Skyler Locklear has earned the starting job. Locklear transferred to UTEP after spending the last two seasons at Austin Peay.
He beat out Cade McConnell, who started six games last year for UTEP. McConnell threw for 1,437 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions last season.
Trey Goodman will be the Miner’s top receiver entering the season. He played for Walden at Austin Peay for the last three seasons.
In 2023, he had 34 catches for 721 yards and seven touchdowns. Goodman was named a first-team All-United Athletic Conference performer for his efforts.
UTEP’s top two rushers from last season, Deion Hankins (823 yards) and Torrence Burgess Jr. (620 yards), left for Texas State. This year’s starter, Jevon Jackson, is another transfer from Austin Peay.
Jackson put up impressive numbers, running for 1,373 and ten touchdowns. That ranked good enough for fifth in the FCS in total rushing yards.
Defensively, Maurice Westmoreland will make his presence felt on the field. In 2023, Westmoreland recorded 37 tackles, 10.5 for loss, and 7.5 sacks.
This will be Nebraska’s first matchup against UTEP on the gridiron. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on Fox.
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