Ask a UTEP writer: Boise State will face another talented rushing attack in home opener
Unlike last week, when Boise State was preparing for its season opener at UCF with nothing but old clips to go on, the Broncos have plenty of fresh game film to study before their home opener.
Boise State hosts UTEP on Friday (7:30 p.m., FS1). It’s the first time the programs have met since they were rivals in the Western Athletic Conference in the early 2000s, and the Miners will march into Albertsons Stadium having already played two games this fall.
UTEP (2-0) opened the season Aug. 28 with a 30-3 win at New Mexico State. The Miners followed that with a 38-28 win against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.
A common thread is a whole lot of carries by the Miners. They ran the ball 42 times for 203 yards against New Mexico State and 51 times for 289 yards last weekend. UTEP has three running backs — Ronald Awatt, Quardraiz Wadley and Willie Eldridge — that average more than six yards a carry. Awatt leads the team with 200 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.
Facing an offense that obviously wants to run the ball, the Broncos are going to have to finish tackles better than they did last week at UCF — when they gave up 255 rushing yards in a 36-31 loss.
El Paso Times reporter Bret Bloomquist sat down with the Idaho Statesman this week to preview Boise State’s opponent in its home opener.
Note: UTEP head coach Dana Dimel announced Monday afternoon that running back Deion Hankins will not play on Friday. Hankins entered the season at No. 1 on the Miners’ depth chart, but he suffered a shoulder injury in the season opener and did not play against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday.
1. Are the Miners going to come in and try to run all over the Broncos?
UTEP is going to be run heavy. Probably not as heavy as they were last week against Bethune-Cookman. I think the numbers dictated they were going to be able to wear them down. But UTEP’s offense does start with the run. They have a deep stable of running backs, even though the guy they thought was going to be the starter, Deion Hankins, is going to miss the game.
At wide receiver, they have two main targets, Jacob Cowing and Justin Garrett. I think they want to more players involved in the passing game, and they did get Tyrin Smith involved last week. I think they’ll try to run the ball a lot and try to establish Cowing deep and Garrett underneath.
2. Ronald Awatt is the team’s leading rusher. What are his strengths on the field?
He’s a hard, physical runner, which is kind of befitting what UTEP does. He’s also shown good breakaway speed. He had a long touchdown run against New Mexico State, where he outran the defense, which I never thought of as a strong point in his game. He’s a good slasher and really excels at finding small creases and getting downhill quickly.
Awatt was No. 2 (on the depth chart) coming into the year, and the guys behind him are awfully good, too. In fact, the second-leading rusher in UTEP’s last game was freshman Willie Eldridge, who had 118 yards. It was his first real action, and he was playing because Awatt and his backup, Quardraiz Wadley, were both banged up.
They’ll start with Awatt, but they’re going to mix in all three of them. Even with their starter (Hankins) out, UTEP feels like they go three-deep there.
3. Which unit on UTEP’s defense should Boise State be most concerned about?
For probably the first time since I’ve been covering them, so for more than a decade, UTEP’s strength on defense is actually the defensive line. (Defensive end) Praise Amaewhule is their best player. He’s also the only player on the defense that isn’t a transfer. Eight of the starters came straight from junior college. UTEP has a new defensive coordinator, Bradley Dale Peveto, and they have a really good front four. Linebacker was a concern, but they’ve played pretty well in the first two games.
At cornerback, they’ve had some trouble covering the deep ball. They feel like there’s talent there. One of their starters, Walter Neil, came from Kansas State, where he started for two years. But the deep ball is something they want to work on. Interceptions have been a problem recently. They only got two last year, so that’s been a focus.
4. UTEP hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2014. The Miners are already 2-0. Is this the year?
It could be. The game with New Mexico (Sept. 25) is kind of the key. UTEP probably won’t be favored again this year, unless they are against Old Dominion. If they can beat New Mexico and Old Dominion, that gets them to 4-1 (the one loss coming against Boise State), and they should be able to get a couple more wins to qualify for a bowl.
At UTEP, going to a bowl means the New Mexico Bowl. That’s usually their destination. Conference USA looked great over the weekend, though. UTSA beating Illinois could be a concern for UTEP. But the key is getting to 4-1 with a win over New Mexico.
5. What’s going to decide Friday’s game?
To be competitive, UTEP is going to have to play the best game it’s played in several years. I think UTEP feels like they’re more talented than they have been in recent years, and this will be their measuring stick.
The key for them is to play well by their standards. Do some things on the defensive line. Get the offense moving, establish the run game and use it to open the pass, and then see if they can get into the fourth quarter with a chance. And maybe most importantly, they have to stay healthy heading into a bye week before that very pivotal game against New Mexico.
UTEP AT BOISE STATE
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Albertsons Stadium
TV: FS1 (Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis). That’s channel 146 on Sparklight, 219 on DirecTV and 150 on Dish Network.
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 0-1; UTEP 2-0
Series: Boise State leads the all-time series 5-0, with three wins in Albertsons Stadium. The former WAC rivals haven’t played since 2004.
Vegas line: Boise State by 26
Weather: 61 degrees at game time, 10% chance of rain, 7 mph winds
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
