How can UTEP fix its run game? Miners need answers for UNLV
There is enough wrong with the UTEP football team's offense to fill a playbook, but all roads to fixing it start in the same place.
The Miners need to sort out their running game, which ground to a halt against Arizona and hasn't been good since the second game of the season against Incarnate Word. UTEP has averaged 2.5 yards a rush in the last two weeks and that will have to double for the Miners to have a chance Saturday against UNLV.
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"We need to have more confidence in what we can do," was the assessment of tackle Alumna Nkele, who had his first career start against Arizona. "Sometimes people get down on themselves, but we can't get down. When we feel more confidence about what we can do, we do really great, like we did against UIW (Incarnate Word)."
That simple analysis sums up UTEP's mentality as it goes to work this week. There isn't a magic formula, a want the Miners can wave to mend the broken run game. As Dana Dimel said at his Monday press conference, UTEP needs to do what it does better.
In as much as coming up with a specific fix, Dimel said that will be addressed with play calling.
"Stay more patient with it, get the scheme we like and get really good at the schemes we run well that fit our backs so they can hit the holes with some juice and have some gusto," Dimel said. "Get the package of runs that fit our guys and get that humming at a fast pace.
"We can run the ball on most everybody we play. We're at our best when we run the ball. Going into this week we want to have our run game ready to go."
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Another thing the Miners can do is get healthier. Deion Hankins was knocked out of the last two games, and while he's a full go now, he said the challenge is to stay that way.
"As a running back you get banged up as the game goes on, especially the type of runner I am," Hankins said. "I'm getting hit every play. We just need to keep up with our bodies off the field to produce on the field.
"We need to finish off the game. The first half (against Arizona) was good, then we did struggle in certain areas. It comes down to health, keeping our body healthy."
Another factor that could work in UTEP's favor is the matchup. Arizona ranks 24th nationally in run defense, UNLV is 86th. Of course one-third of the Rebels' sample size is No. 2 Michigan and they were superb against the run in the win over Vanderbilt, but UTEP does feel like it can run the ball better against UNLV than Arizona.
"I do feel like this is a better matchup but we're going to approach each week the same as the previous week," Hankins said.
To get better results UTEP players kept coming back to better execution.
"To jump-start the running game, the o-line blocks five for five, make holes for our running backs so they can do their job," Nkele said. "We have a really good backfield, any one of those guys back there can make touchdowns."
Said quarterback Gavin Hardison: "We have to refocus and prepare even harder. It comes down to us as players, being more on the same page and making plays for our team when it comes down to it."
There's no magic in that answer, just a roadmap of where UTEP needs to get to Saturday.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Can UTEP fix its struggling run game? Miners need answers for UNLV
