Saturday
BYU (6-6) vs. UTEP (6-6), 2 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Line: BYU by 11 1/2.
Series Record: BYU leads 28-7-1.
Last meeting: BYU 31-14 in El Paso, Texas, on Nov. 14, 1998.
What’s at Stake
A winning season. That’s what happens when 6-6 teams are matched in a bowl game, but don’t be too quick to shrug off the New Mexico Bowl. There have been recent thrillers – Colorado State rallied to beat Fresno State 40-35 in 2008 and Wyoming beat Fresno State 35-28 in double overtime last year.
Key Matchup
UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe versus BYU’s defense. Vittatoe, a four-year starter, ranks among the nation’s most productive QBs with 12,194 career yards passing, 12,089 total yards and 94 TDs. After BYU’s 1-4 start, coach Bronco Mendenhall took over as defensive coordinator and turned the season around.
Players to Watch
BYU: S Andrew Rich led the Cougars with 106 tackles this season. He’s had four games with at least 10 stops, twice logging 14. A first-team All-Mountain West performer, Rich had two interceptions in a 40-7 win over New Mexico on Nov. 20.
UTEP: RB Donald Buckram ranks sixth in school history with 21 rushing TDs and nine 100-yard rushing games. He’s been UTEP’s leading rusher in six games this season, but the Miners have a balanced attack with RBs Joe Banyard and Leilyon Myers helping to carry the load.
Facts & Figures
Jake Heaps will be the first freshman QB to start a bowl game in BYU history. His 10 TD passes are three short of Ty Detmer’s BYU freshman record. … BYU and UTEP are former WAC rivals, playing 36 times from 1946 to 1998. One of the biggest wins in UTEP history was a 23-16 stunner of No. 7 BYU in El Paso in 1985, when the Miners beat the defending national champions for their only win during a 1-10 season. … Mendenhall is the first BYU coach to reach a bowl game in each of his first six seasons. The Cougars are 3-2 under Mendenhall, including a 44-20 victory over Oregon State in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl. … UTEP is making its first bowl trip since the 2005 GMAC Bowl. The Miners are 0-2 in bowls under coach Mike Price.
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