Tag: UTEP Miners

Where do Oklahoma and their 2022 opponents rank in updated ESPN SP+ ratings?

How do the Oklahoma Sooners and their 2022 opponents rank in ESPN’s updated SP+ ratings?

It’s projection season, and the Oklahoma Sooners are the favorites in the Big 12 several months from the start of the 2022 regular season. According to ESPN’s SP+ ratings (ESPN+), the Sooners look like one of the best teams in the country.

SP+ considers returning production, recent recruiting results, and recent history of success. With departures for the NFL and through the transfer portal, the Sooners were No. 71 in returning production in February.

Their recruiting has been excellent in the last five years, regularly finishing with top 15 classes. While they lost quite a few of those recent signees to the transfer portal, Brent Venables and his staff did an excellent job of retooling their roster through the portal to account for the losses on the roster. That’s part of why the Sooners are still so highly thought of.

And despite not winning the Big 12 in 2022, the Sooners still finished the season with 11 wins, the seventh time they accomplished such a feat in the last nine seasons. They had nine wins during the COVID-19 season. Though they were never able to break through to a national championship game, the Sooners have been one of the most successful teams in the country over the last decade.

Heading into 2022, the Sooners’ strength of schedule should allow for them to stack up quite a few wins. According to the FPI, the Sooners’ strength of schedule ranked No. 42 in the country and No. 8 in the Big 12. 247Sports ranked it as the sixth easiest among 2022 contenders.

Some of that can be reflected in their schedule for 2022 relative to ESPN’s SP+ ratings. They have three opponents on their schedule that rank outside the top 100 in SP+; Kansas, UTEP, and Kent State. The highest-ranked team on the schedule is the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Though they won just three games in 2021, they’re a team that many think highly of heading into 2022 (for some reason).

The highest-ranked Big 12 team is the Texas Longhorns. With their offense, Texas should be really good in 2022. If they can improve upon one of the worst defenses in the country from 2021, they’ll be a contender in the Big 12 as long as Quinn Ewers lives up to the hype.

Defending Big 12 champion Baylor comes in at No. 40, the fifth highest-rated team in the Big 12. They lost a lot of talent to the NFL, like the Sooners did, but seem like a team due for a bit of regression after going from two wins to Big 12 champs in one season.

Taking a look out west, the USC Trojans look like a team that will depend heavily on their offense. They rank 24th in offensive SP+ and 84th in defensive SP+. While it will take time for Riley and the Trojans to rebuild a four-win team from 2021, some of the same problems may persist for Oklahoma’s former head coach.

Let’s take a look at how Oklahoma’s 2022 opponents (and USC) rank in ESPN’s SP+ ratings.

Oklahoma Sooners 2022 football schedule

Oklahoma Sooners 2022 football schedule.

The 2022 season for the Oklahoma Sooners marks a new beginning for one of the most storied programs in the history of college football.

Returning to help the Oklahoma Sooners embark on the next chapter is [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], who will make his head coaching debut against the UTEP Miners in Norman on Sept. 3. There’s no doubt that the Sooners’ fanbase will be fired up to watch and support their new head coach.

Also returning is former student assistant, now offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]. Lebby’s bringing his high-octane offense to the Sooners and brings along a former quarterback with him in [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag].

Gabriel’s experience helps the Sooners avoid a drop-off at quarterback with both starters from the 2021 season transferring out. Gabriel and the Oklahoma offense get a boost from the return of [autotag]Theo Wease[/autotag] who was out for 2021 due to an injury and initially entered the transfer portal only to return. The receiving yardage leader from the 2020 and 2021 seasons, [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], is back as well to give Oklahoma a nice duo on the outside.

The biggest question facing the Sooners is how they retool a defense that lost six starters from the 2021 season. But with support in the transfer portal from [autotag]Trey Morrison[/autotag], [autotag]Jonah Laulu[/autotag], and [autotag]Jeffery Johnson[/autotag] and some rising stars in Ethan Downs, [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag], the Sooners have answers.

Despite all of the turnover, the Oklahoma Sooners are still a contender for the Big 12 and if things go right could find themselves in contention for a College Football Playoff berth.

Some game times and broadcast information are still to be determined. Times are listed in the central time zone.

Week
Date
Opponent
Time
1 9/3 vs. UT-El Paso Miners TBA
2 9/10 vs. Kent State Golden Flashes TBA
3 9/17 at Nebraska Cornhuskers TBA
4 9/24 vs. Kansas State Wildcats TBA
5 10/1 at TCU Horned Frogs TBA
6 10/8 vs. Texas Longhorns in Dallas  TBA
7 10/15 vs. Kansas Jayhawks TBA
8 10/22 at. BYE WEEK
9 10/27 at Iowa State Cyclones TBA
10 11/5 vs. Baylor Bears TBA
11 11/12 at West Virginia Mountaineers TBA
12 11/19 vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys TBA
13 11/26 at Texas Tech Red Raiders TBA

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Oklahoma Sooners’ 2022 opponents ranked

The Oklahoma Sooners 2022 schedule offers several tough matchups, but how do their opponents rank when stacked up against one another?

The Oklahoma Sooners get the benefit of home-field advantage against the top teams of the Big 12 in 2022. After going on the road to face Baylor and Oklahoma State last season, they’ll get the 2021 Big 12 championship representatives in the friendly confines of Owen Field.

An early-season clash in Lincoln against the Nebraska Cornhuskers will provide a huge test to the new-look Sooners. Late season road trips to Iowa State, West Virginia, and Texas Tech loom large as well.

Every year in the Big 12 provides a tough slate of games, but the Sooners coaching staff is no stranger to preparing for and playing in tough environments and big-time matchups.

In an early look at the 2022 schedule, let’s see how the Oklahoma Sooners stack up as we rank their matchups from worst to first.

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Oklahoma’s 2022 schedule with game-by-game score predictions

And early look at the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 football schedule with game-by-game score predictions.

A lot of things have changed this offseason for the Oklahoma Sooners. While a lot of the college football world appears to be underrating the Sooners, they seem to be in a great spot to get back to the top of the Big 12 and national conversation.

Turnover hits every team, and while losing talented players always hurts, they seem to have mitigated those losses with several key additions in the transfer portal.

Though people will want to argue differently, the Sooners upgraded their coaching situation simply from a cultural and defensive standpoint. Granted, Venables will have to learn how to manage the gameday operation and in-game decision-making from the head coaching position. However, based on the way he and his coaching staff have attacked the offseason thus far, I have complete confidence that he’ll be prepared for his new role as the head coach.

Venables is a fantastic motivator and leader. He’s drawn rave reviews out of  Norman from players, recruits, and families and there’s a tremendous sense of buy-in to the new culture. His program will be locked in and engaged each and every week, not allowing the Sooners to have any emotional letdowns or flat performances.

In an early look at the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 schedule, there’s a real chance the Oklahoma Sooners could go undefeated. They’ll host Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Kansas State at home. Road trips to Fort Worth, Ames, Morgantown, and Lubbock will prove difficult and there’s always the Red River Showdown, which can be unpredictable.

The Oklahoma Sooners look like a team that’s capable of winning every game on their schedule, but that’s been the case in years past and they’ve found a way to lose one that most people thought they should win.

With that said, let’s take an early look at the 2022 schedule for the Oklahoma Sooners and go game-by-game to see how the Sooners might fare.

UTEP WR Jacob Cowing has entered the transfer portal

Could Texas be a good fit for the talented UTEP transfer?

One of the most productive wide receivers in the country has entered the transfer portal.

UTEP wide receiver Jacob Cowing entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. There is no doubt Cowing will receive interest from many Power Five teams this offseason.

The former two-star recruit from Arizona turned into a star at UTEP. Cowing compiled over 2,500 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career and finished first-team all C-USA in 2021.

The former UTEP Miner is a proven big-play threat. Cowing averages almost 20 yards per catch and had six touchdowns of 50-plus yards this season.

Texas could show interest in the in-state wideout. The Horns only took one wide receiver in the 2022 class and would benefit from the addition of Cowing. But first, Steve Sarkisian needs to hire a new wide receivers coach.

Cowing would be a great running mate for Xavier Worthy at Texas, the two wideouts could make up one of the more dynamic duos in the nation.

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See how UTEP scored a TD on a brilliant fake quarterback sneak in the New Mexico Bowl

The New Mexico Bowl remains undefeated.

The UTEP Miners pulled within two points of the heavily favored Fresno State Bulldogs in Saturday afternoon’s New Mexico Bowl with some classic misdirection.

Facing a 3-and-1 from midfield down nine, UTEP approached the line of scrimmage in a bunch formation with three in the backfield. All signs pointed to a run play, and Fresno State responded accordingly, putting 11 in the box.

What happened next was one of the gutsiest play calls we’ve seen all season.

Quarterback Calvin Brownholtz acted like he was going to run it up the gut, but at the last second, he dropped back and found a wide-open Trent Thompson streaking down the field with no defenders in sight. He connected with his tight end for a 51-yard touchdown to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 26-24.

You read that correctly. The Miners ran a FAKE QB SNEAK. From the bunch formation!

It’s unclear if this was an audible based on what Brownholtz and the coaches saw at the line of scrimmage, or if Miners coach Dana Dimel just has ice-cold water coursing through his veins at all times. Let’s just ignore the fact that Brownholtz looks to the sideline right before the snap and assume it’s the latter.

Regardless, it’s plays like these that make even the lower-tier bowl games magical. Long live the New Mexico Bowl.

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UTEP uses incredible trickeration on TD pass in New Mexico Bowl

UTEP reached into its bag of trickeration and came up with six points

UTEP had not won a bowl game in more than a half-century. So, when you get the chance you break out every possible play.

The Miners were facing a third-and-1 against Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday and they went deep into the game plan.

Check this out as Calvin Brownholtz comes on at quarterback and calls for a formation that says, sneak for the yard and bring Gavin Hardison back on to throw the ball with a fresh set of downs.

Brownholtz fakes the sneak and makes Dan Marino proud by duping the entire Bulldog defense as Trent Thompson takes off on a pattern.

Brownholtz pops up and delivers a pop pass to Thompson, who is in stride and en route to a touchdown on the 51-yard play.

UTEP trailed 26-24 after the TD with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter.

Absolute genius.

Blowouts and building blocks : Takeaways from Lincoln Riley’s four season openers

With week one of the college football season fast approaching, how has Lincoln Riley faired in season openers?

While Oklahoma didn’t punch its way into the College Football Playoffs in 2020, the COVID-altered campaign still provided some very positive takeaways for the Crimson and Cream.

In week five, the Sooners took down the Horned Frogs, 33-14 in Fort Worth. Quarterback Spencer Rattler dissected the TCU defense for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns. More impressively, the young signal-caller proved he had learned a valuable lesson following his benching in the previous game versus Texas as he completed 13 of his 22 passes with no interceptions. Rattler would throw just two more picks that season as the Oklahoma offense became as efficient as it was explosive.

A 41-13 beatdown of Oklahoma State in week eight showcased to the nation that Alex Grinch’s defense would only improve from there. The Sooners bottlenecked now-Carolina Panthers running back Chubba Hubbard to 43 yards on the ground while tormenting Spencer Sanders into three sacks and an interception.

Last, but certainly not least is the 2020 Cotton Bowl. Where OU’s 55-20 blowout win over Florida cemented the Sooners’ beliefs that they could hang against SEC competition.

Each season brings unique opportunities and challenges in the world of college football. However, looking back at a program’s past can help predict future tendencies.

With Oklahoma’s season opener against Tulane just 14 days away, here’s how the Sooners have faired in week one during the Lincoln Riley era.

Texas Basketball: Chris Beard adds UTEP head coach Rodney Terry as an assistant

Texas has hired former UTEP head coach Rodney Terry to join Chris Beard’s staff.

New Texas Longhorns basketball coach Chris Beard has been in position for less than a week and is already making moves to assemble his new staff in Austin. His latest hire is UTEP Miners head coach Rodney Terry.

Terry issued a statement via Twitter on Tuesday announcing that he will be leaving El Paso for Austin. The opportunity to coach at the University of Texas was too great to pass up.

As a head coach, Terry spent three seasons with the Miners with a 37-48 overall record after spending seven seasons as the Fresno State Bulldogs head coach with a 126-108 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Terry is returning to his roots as he played in Austin at St. Edwards University before becoming an assistant coach there in the early 90’s. He spent nine seasons at Texas from 2002 to 2011 as former head coach Rick Barnes assistant coach before taking the job in Fresno.

Now, Terry returns to Texas again as an assistant coach, but with much more experience and plenty of upside under the new regime.

Sam Ehlinger’s passing tendencies through two weeks

After two weeks of games for the Texas Longhorns, we examine how Sam Ehlinger has looked throwing the ball. What are his tendencies?

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Texas senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger is attempting to chase that elusive invite to New York by season’s end. While Ehlinger has put up some good seasons from a statistical standpoint for a Heisman bid, the thing that has held him back is the performance on the field. However, for the first time Ehlinger and the Longhorns are 2-0 under head coach Tom Herman. So can they do enough to get Sam to the ceremony?

Well the next step is retribution in Austin, Texas. In their last matchup at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the Longhorns came out on top 31-16. Ehlinger threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the win. He also added one on the ground as Ehlinger has shown the propensity to do. It was the 2019 game that helped derail their season.

Looking at 2020, we dive into the numbers to see how Ehlinger has performed through two games. Where has Sam been able to find success through the air?

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