When a team scrimmages itself, there’s going to be a bright side and there is going to be a down side in equal measure, and the way of spring football is to highlight the good. Spring is a time of hope.
There wasn’t much question of where that was to be found after UTEP’s Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 18, at the Sun Bowl.
UTEP defense shines at spring game
“I definitely think the defense won the day,” coach Scotty Walden said.
On a scoreboard that kept spinning the defense needed to make a play on the last play of the spring game to secure it, and they got that when Jaime Guerrero intercepted a ball on a tipped pass in front of 513 fans.
That gave the defense an 97-87 victory in what had to be the highest-scoring spring game ever, as alum and media competitions at halftime counted toward the score.
What was fitting is that the game was settled on a defensive takeaway, one of four in the game. That started with true freshman Decorian Thompson jumping a route and picking off an EJ Colson pass.
“That’s something we struggled with last year so that’s been a huge point of emphasis for the defense this spring,” defensive coordinator Kyle Beyer said.
“Takebacks, you have to talk about them daily, drill them daily, instill habits in those players to have a ball mindset. We’ve been working hard on that through 13 practices, so it’s awesome to see kids come out on a bigger stage in front of some fans and get takebacks in multiple ways.”
As for the defense in general, “I was pleased with how they attacked the day,” Beyer said. “The way they came out on the opening drive, you want to see a defense come out early and attack. We definitely did that today. I was pleased with the level of physicality, the level of violence.
“Going through spring we’re worried about fundamentals, how we play the game. Today we showed great tackling ability, great physicality, great block destruction. Those are the fundamentals we’re trying to instill in the spring.”
The tackling was superb and included a big tackle for loss from linebacker Shay Smith, who is transitioning from quarterback and making it look seamless.
Linebacker Jayden Smith felt it was a strong day for the defense all-around.
“We played really well,” he said. “Execution-wise we did well. We’ll have to look at the tape, it’s never as good as you think or as bad as you think, but all-around it felt like a good day. The energy was high, we’re going to learn from it. It was a great day.”
UTEP football needs work on offensive line
The zero-sum nature of spring is that the defensive excellence was matched by some offensive struggles. There was an impressive 15-play touchdown drive in the third quarter when fans in the stands were literally calling plays and that’s the part of the game UTEP pointed toward as showing their potential.
“We had ups and downs today,” tackle Tyler Roberts said. “That second-to-last drive, we had a 15-play drive, we really showed out. We kept working and kept fighting until we got the touchdown at the end.”
That came on a Colson pass to Jeremiah Nash in the back corner of the end zone.
Much of the rest of the scrimmage was a struggle for the offense and shows the Miners need growth on a completely rebuilt offensive line that will have five new starters. UTEP appears substantially upgraded at quarterback, running back and receiver, but the offensive line everything will hinge on is a work in progress.
“They are hard on themselves, they don’t feel like they had their best day, but all those guys work so hard, starting with our center Jayden Trapp,” Colson said. “He’s the leader of the group, he’s been pushing them. They’re coming together very well, we just have to keep progressing.”
True freshman has big spring game for UTEP football
A big bright spot was the play of freshman tight end Benny Okwura, who caught four passes. Like Thompson, the cornerback who intercepted a pass, Okwura’ high school class (he went to Katy Jordan in the Houston area) is still a month from graduation.
“Honestly I thought I did OK,” Okwura said. “There are a lot of things I can work on, physicality-wise and knowing where I have to be. But this was a big step forward.
“Compared to high school it’s probably 10 times faster. You have to know where to get lined up, know the plays, but I feel like coach Walden and (tight ends coach Payton) Pardee have been helping me out, they’ve made the process a lot easier.”
He showed that Saturday as one of the standouts in a game where the defense mostly won the day.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP Miners shine on defense, struggle on offense in Spring Showcase
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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