Last year, UTEP opened up the season 5-1 but would manage to win just one game the rest of the way. They did end up making a bowl game, with a 6-6 (3-5 CUSA) regular season mark, but was no match for BYU in the New Mexico Bowl, falling 24-52.  

With just 11 returning starters, including only two on the offensive side of the ball, it looks like head coach Mike Price and the Miners will take a big step back in 2011. Here is a closer look at what the Miners will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my thoughts on where they will finish in the Conference USA standings.  

Offense

While a number of offensive positions need to be filled this offseason, the first thing the Miners need to do is find a new starting quarterback to replace Trevor Vittatoe. He left UTEP as the all-time leading passer in yards, touchdowns and total offense. The Miners bring back sophomore Carson Meger, but the expectation is that junior college transfer Nick Lamaison will take over the starting job. Lamaison has the potential to be a solid player, but it won’t be easy with what the Miners have coming back on this side of the ball.

UTEP came into 2010 really expecting to be able to move the ball on the ground with the return of star running back Donald Buckram, who rushed for 1,594 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2009. However, Buckram would end up totaling just 334 yards. Junior Joe Banyard picked up some of the slack, with a team-high 623 yards and eight touchdowns, and will be the feature back this season.

The Miners figure to be down a few notches at the receiver position, as they lose three of their top four from last year. One of the players who has departed is Kris Adams, who led the team with 47 catches for 1,070 yards and 14 touchdowns. The only starter back is junior Marlon McClure, who had just 30 catches for 343 yards and one touchdown.

What is really going to make it hard for the offense to remain competitive is the fact that all five starters must be replaced on the offensive line. They do add in a couple of solid junior college transfers, junior left tackle James Martin and junior center James Robinson, but overall this unit is a major concern heading into the 2011 season.

Defense

With nine starters back on the defensive side of the ball, the Miners are going to have to rely on this unit to give them any chance of putting up wins this season.

Look for big improvements to be made on the defensive line, where UTEP returns the starting defensive tackle duo of sophomores Marcus Bagley and Germard Reed along with senior defensive end Bernard Obi. The only concern I have is that this unit will wear down over the course of a game, as the offense doesn’t figure to give them much rest.

UTEP should also see much better play in the middle of the field, as they return all three starting linebackers from last season. The two players who will carry this unit are senior outside linebackers Royzell Smith and Isaiah Carter.

The Miners will welcome back three more starters in the secondary, including one of the top safeties in the conference, senior Travaun Nixon. Also back are senior corner Antwon Blake and junior free safety DeShawn Grayson. This is a very experienced bunch, but they will still struggle against the top quarterbacks.

2011 Prediction: Sixth Place in CUSA West

While the defense should be better than it was a year ago, the lack of returning starters on the offensive side of the ball will keep the Miners from doing any damage inside the conference. With home games against the likes of Houston, Southern Miss, East Carolina and Tulsa, UTEP likely won’t be favored in a single conference game this season.

For more on the Miners upcoming season, check out my UTEP football predictions article. If you want to see where I have all 12 teams finishing inside the conference, take a look at my 2011 Conference USA predictions.