UTEP, Improved Tulane Likely to Decide C-USA West

[MrMustang1965]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Last season five of the current C-USA teams competed in bowl games. Of the five -- Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB and UTEP -- UTEP is the only team that will not compete in the C-USA East this season.

So, while the teams in league's loaded eastern half battle each other for a spot in the C-USA title game, the road to the Dec. 3 contest in the West seems a little clearer.

Unlike in the stacked Eastern Division, the Miners are the lone bowl team playing in the C-USA West. In fact, the Miners were the only team to even finish with an above .500 record in 2004. Of the division's six teams -- Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa and UTEP -- only Tulane (5-6) and Tulsa (4-8) were able to win more than three games.

Based on that fact and the cast of returning players second-year coach Mike Price has, it's no wonder why the Miners are the early favorites to run away with the Western Division. However, the Miners seem unaffected by the lofty preseason expectations.

"We have to remember what got us here," Price said. "We can't forget about how hard we worked to achieve what we did."

Junior quarterback Jordan Palmer will be back under center as UTEP begins it's first season in C-USA. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native threw for 2,818 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore and ended the year with three consecutive 300-yard games. Palmer's 2,818 yards is the third highest single season total in school history.

Additionally, with the Miners losing only one wideout from 2004, Palmer will have plenty of familiar targets to throw to. The UTEP coaching staff is expecting big things this year out of senior Jayson Boyd, who had 42 receptions for 560 yards and five touchdowns last season.

Joining Boyd are Johnnie Lee Higgins (34 receptions, 700 yards and 10 touchdowns) and Chris Francis (33 receptions, 558 yards and four touchdowns), making up the Miners top three receiving threats.

Other returnees include Aaron Givens, Chris Marrow, Daniel Robinson and Jacob Gonzales.

Arguably already one of the top receiving units in the conference, the Miners also added 6-foot-5, 225-pound junior college transfer David Sutton this year.

"The wide receivers are going to be a strength of this team," Price said.

The return of senior linebacker Thomas Howard highlights the Miners' defensive unit. Named to the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the nation, Howard figures to be one of the top players in C-USA.

Last season the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Lubbock native tied for the team lead with eight sacks, and finished second with 14 tackles for loss. Howard had 62 overall tackles in 2004.

However, the Miners are thin on returning starters behind Howard. Two linebackers, two defensive ends, and both corners will all be replaced this fall. However, where the Miners lack starters they have experience, and -- with the exception of linebacker -- depth. That experience, combined with the players returning on offense, may be enough to lift UTEP to the top of the C-USA West.

An experienced Tulane team that went 5-6 overall last season, also has its sights set on the C-USA West title.

The Green Wave enter 2005 with an experienced team that has 31 players that have started games over the last two season, including 16 regular starters from 2004. The Green Wave are hoping that experience will make the difference for a team that had a more than disappointing 2004.

Junior Lester Ricard returns for his second year as the starting quarterback, looking to live up to the legacies of recent first-round draftee Patrick Ramsey and J.P. Losman.

After struggling for most of last season, Ricard came alive with a six-touchdown performance in a 59-55 upset of then-25th-ranked (in BCS rankings) UAB. Ricard continued on his tear with a 323-yard, four-touchdown performance against Navy before going down for the season with a wrist injury against Army.

"Lester really started to show what he could do in the last half of last season," head coach Chris Scelfo said. "He was coming on strong before going down with the injury, but he looked good in the spring and has really taken on a leadership role this offseason."

Tulane has had a stellar track record with quarterbacks in recent years and will need Ricard to continue that tradition if it hopes to challenge for the C-USA title.

Of the two teams, Tulane has the much easier road to the C-USA title game than UTEP. After a season opening tilt against Southern Miss, Tulane plays just three I-A teams (Marshall, Navy and UTEP) that had winning records last season. The only other above .500 team is I-AA Southeastern Louisiana.

UTEP, on the other hand, will see four bowl teams next season. The Miners open with New Mexico State Sept. 3 then travel to Memphis two weeks later. After facing Tulane Oct. 14 on ESPN, the Miners face Marshall Oct. 22 and meet UAB Nov. 19.

UTEP is the runaway favorite and should qualify for the C-USA title game. However, with Tulane's final rebuilding process almost over, the race should be exciting.