The Miners returned to the practice field March 1 to begin spring practices. Last fall, the Miners finished 7-5, and 4-4 in conference play, getting their first bowl berth since 2014. The Miners came up short but have shown improvement from this past season.
The Miners have been hard at work these past couple of weeks and have been getting good work in on both sides of the ball.
The offense is looking to improve upon last year and take another step forward in their development as a unit. The offense was able to put up a lot of points, but sometimes the unit was inconsistent at sustaining drives.
In an after-practice interview with offensive coordinator David Warner, he explained the team’s progress and the areas the offense can improve on this spring and upcoming season.
“We have a lot of experience coming back, we have not changed a whole lot from a scheme standpoint, so I think there has been very good carry over,” Coach Warner said. “At the same time, we have the same fine tune, I think from practice number one through number 13 I have seen steady improvement offensively, by no means anything we’re there, but I have seen a lot of progress.”
Junior quarterback Gavin Hardison also gave his thoughts on spring practice and how the offense is coming along in practice.
“I think it looks really good so far, we have lot of experience at a lot of positions, getting guys reps, knowing our responsibilities and jobs, offensively we look really good,” Hardison said in a post-practice interview.
Hardison started all 13 games last season and threw for 3,000 yards.2009 was the last time a UTEP quarterback threw for that number of yards.
Defensively, the Miners took a step forward last season, having a top 40 defense in the redzone. They were also able to generate turnovers and get after the quarterback, with the heat coming from senior defensive tackle Kelton Moss.
Last season Moss was able to record 23 tackles and collect one pass break up.
Defensive coordinator, Bradley Peveto talked about the defense and its improvement in this after practice interview.
“We got a lot of guys back, we got some young guys that learned the system, our effort has been wonderful. We have been generating turnovers, I feel great where we are with our defense, “Coach Peveto said in an April 4 interview after practice.
Leading the charge for the linebacker’s unit is returning redshirt senior linebacker Breon Hayward. Hayward had a significant impact for the team, being the first Miner to have over 100 tackles in three years and helping the team in certain moments. Some of these clutch moments include grabbing a fumble and going 55 yards for a touchdown against the University of Southern Mississippi.
Coach Dimel after practice had positive things to say about his performance and how he improved.
“Breon has had a really good spring, he has gotten a lot better, as you would expect being a second-year starter in the system, that part of it him and {Tyrese} have gotten so much better which is hard to fathom which makes sense because it is their second year of starting” Coach Dimel said in an April 6 interview after practice.
The Miners can be seen back in action for their spring football scrimmage at 6 p.m. April 8 at the Sun Bowl Stadium.
Daniel Alec Lopez is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected].
