UTEP football ready for Orange & Blue spring game

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The UTEP football team will put a cherry on top of its 2024 spring season, the first in the Scotty Walden era, with its Orange & Blue game on Saturday at the Sun Bowl.

“It’s our opportunity to showcase and give our fans something to be proud of. It’s a well-deserved breath of fresh air in terms of energy,” said UTEP head coach Scotty Walden. “I just want our fan base to be able to see clean football, a competitive game, and I want it for our kids to be a culmination of all their hard work.”

UTEP’s Orange and Blue game will mark the team’s 15th and final “opportunity” of the spring season. UTEP is hoping to put out everything it has worked on for about the last month on display at the Sun Bowl.

UTEP is also looking to make the spring game an all-around show. Twenty-five former UTEP football players from the 1990’s and 2000’s will serve as honorary coaches for Saturday’s Orange vs. Blue Spring Game, UTEP announced on Thursday. They will participate in a series of mini halftime competitions including punt/pass/kick, 40-yard dash, one-on-one, longball toss and tug of war, that will score points for their team.

Headlining the UTEP legends is current Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Will Hernandez and NFL veteran Quintin Demps. The two were tabbed as the Orange & Blue game celebrity coaches.

“I really appreciate our administration for putting on such an amazing event. We kind of started to combine ideas back all the way back in January. Things that we had done at our previous institution and kind of what had been done here and then just make it more fit into ours.” Walden said.

“The biggest thing I wanted to get across was I want our fan base to be excited about the season because we want to give them a product to be proud of,” Walden said. “I also wanted to welcome back all of our alums and I want to get our administration involved.”

Saturday’s spring game also marks the first-time fans will get to check out the new brand of UTEP football. All of the Miners’ spring practices this season were closed to the public and some parts of its practices even closed off to the media. So, after playing behind closed doors most of the spring, the doors will finally be open on Saturday at the Sun Bowl.

“You’re going to see a brand of fearless, fast and physical football,” UTEP wide receiver Trey Goodman. “You’re going to see an energized sideline. You’re going to see an energized field. You’re going to see an energized blue and orange team, coaches and staff on both sides. That’s just the culture that we bring to the game. We’re so excited to just exemplify all the things that we’ve been working hard on.”

The UTEP Orange & Blue game kicks off at 10 a.m. at the Sun Bowl. Admission to the game is $5. Tickets to the Orange & Blue Game are available by visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets or by calling (915) 747-UTEP.

Fans must have a game ticket to access the UTEP Athletics “Garage Sale” which will immediately follow the Orange & Blue game at approximately 1 pm in the Sun Bowl concourse.

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