This is a tricky time to navigate for the UTEP football team.
With a Nevada team toward the bottom of the Mountain West coming to the Sun Bowl as an 8 1/2-point favorite, the Miners are in desperate need of something good to happen. Or so it would seem.
The 1-4 Miners are coming off a 61-7 drubbing at the hands of New Mexico in their first-ever Mountain West game.
But coach Scotty Walden doesn't like the word desperate. Right now, his biggest task is holding the operation together through the most turbulent of waters and his message is to be urgent, but not desperate.
What is UTEP's mindset during this losing streak?
"It came up last week and the word that was brought up was 'desperation,'" Walden said when addressing the team's mindset. "You can't play this game desperately, because what that does
is create anxiety. There were multiple clips of missed assignments, or sometimes they weren't just missed assignments because the kids don't know what to do.
"It's missed assignments because they are trying to do too much. It's like, 'I have to make this play because we're down 7-0, 14-0. Let me do something above and beyond.'
"No, just do your job, do your 1-11. I know that sounds like a coach cliché, but literally that's football. This is the ultimate team game and everybody has to do their job. When you try to go outside those bounds and you try to do someone else's job, you're going to get exposed."
As was the case at this time last week, Walden likes how his team has started its preparation for 1-3 Nevada and what looks like the most winnable game before the season-ender at Northern Illinois.
"From what I saw (at Tuesday, Oct. 6, practice), it's the perfect level of urgency," said Walden, who has purchased 3,000 tickets for UTEP fans to attend the nationally televised game. "We're going to attack this with a sense of hunger to redeem ourselves from what the heck happened Saturday. If you're not hungry to do that, you're not a competitor.
"Screw the record, screw anything else, just the sheer nature of what happened, if you're not hungry to do that, I question the competitive gene in your body. The kids responded to that. I love their urgency right now, but it can't be panic. Let's get better. Let's just focus on this day, win this play, win this rep, win this weight room session, win this film session.
"You've got to have urgency in this game, but you can't have panic or desperation."
UTEP quarterback situation up in the air
The other biggest issue for UTEP is figuring out who will be under center. Quarterback EJ Colson is in concussion protocol after getting knocked out before halftime of the New Mexico loss. He was at practice as a spectator, staying with the quarterbacks and not with the other injured players working with the training staff.
That's a good sign, but Walden said a determination on Colson's availability could run right up to game time. He does seem likely to come back at some point in the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, Raymond Moore is working with the first team. He played most of the second half against New Mexico.
Moore said his mindset isn't any different this week than in previous ones where he was locked in as the backup.
"I prepare every day like I'm going to be the starter," Moore said. "I prepare, focus on film, taking reps as if I'm going to be the starter and when my number's called, do my best."
Moore's strength in limited play this season has been rushing and running the zone-read option game. He had UTEP's only score against New Mexico on an 86-yard run, but Walden emphasized that Moore's greatest growth in his season at UTEP has been passing the ball.
That didn't show against New Mexico when he was 1-for-5 passing with two interceptions, but Walden is confident in Moore's all-around game.
"What's very underrated about him is that he's an accurate passer," Walden said. "This spring he had a 44% completion rate, he was coming into a new system and his head was spinning. That went to 65% in the summer, then 66% in fall camp. I've been impressed with his growth as a passer."
Nevada scouting report: Wolfpack stout on defensive line
Nevada has no such questions about its quarterback, as sophomore Carter Jones has secured the job. He started seven games last year as a true freshman.
"He's a young man we recruited when I first got here," Walden said of the Lancaster High (Texas) graduate. "I think he's a stud. He's dangerous when he drops back, and his scrambling ability is just as good as his passing ability. They've got some really good receivers and two running backs who can tote that thing."
However, Walden believes the Wolfpack's strength is on defense.
"You can see where the money is spent in this league and it's on the defensive line and edge rushers," Walden said. "It's very, very evident (with Nevada)."
That starts with senior edge rusher Dylan LaBarbera, who got All-American mentions last year when he was fifth in the nation in tackles for loss. He is second on the Wolfpack in tackles this year, an extreme rarity for an edge rusher, and has six quarterback hurries.
"He plays as hard as anybody I've seen on tape and they play physically on defense," Walden said. "They run downhill. So we have our work cut out for us."
UTEP will try to get that work done against Nevada on national television (5 p.m. MT on FS1) in the Sun Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: With season slipping, can UTEP regain its footing against Nevada?
