Tulsa (4-2) at Texas-El Paso (2-4)

Published online on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

FACTS & STATS: Site: Sun Bowl Stadium (52,000) -- El Paso, Texas. Television:ESPN. Home Record: Tulsa 1-1, UTEP 1-2. Away Record: Tulsa 3-1, UTEP 1-2. Neutral Record: Tulsa 0-0, UTEP 0-0. Conference Record: Tulsa 2-0, UTEP 1-1. Series Record: Tulsa leads, 10-7.

GAME NOTES: The Texas-El Paso Miners and Tulsa Golden Hurricane hook up at the Sun Bowl this Wednesday night, as they clash in a key Conference USA West Division affair.

The Miners entered the season with aspirations of winning the West Division title, but in order to do so they will need to knock off the two-time defending champions of the division, Tulsa. UTEP hasn't exactly lived up to expectations just yet, although the team did show its potential by knocking off nationally-ranked Houston, 58-41, its league opener on October 3rd. Unfortunately, the Miners were unable to build off that win and were defeated by a struggling Memphis club, 35-20, the next weekend. Consistency has been an issue thus far for UTEP, which sits at just 2-4, including only 1-2 at home.

As for Tulsa, it was last in action exactly a week ago, when it gave highly- ranked Boise State all it could handle before falling 28-21. It was a tough loss, but the Hurricane did give the nation a glimpse of its talent before seeing its two-game win streak snapped. Now at 4-2 overall, the Hurricane heads back to C-USA play, where is off to a fast start at 2-0.

The Hurricane and Miners are squaring off for the 18th time, with Tulsa holding a 10-7 edge in the series. The home team has won each of the past five encounters in the series, including a 77-35 rout by Tulsa last season.

Tulsa's offense hasn't been nearly as explosive as prior years and that was evident last game, when the team was limited to just 295 total yards in a loss to Boise State. It was certainly a low total for the Hurricane, which is gaining 394.3 ypg in 2009 after averaging well over 500 total ypg in each of the two prior seasons. Quarterback G.J. Kinne didn't have a huge night against Boise State, but he did make some big throws and finished with 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 14-of-27 pass attempts. It was a decent effort by Kinne and he has been solid on the season, completing 61.9 percent of his throws with 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also adds another dimension with his legs, ranking second the club with 182 rushing yards. Kinne has plenty of weapons to work with and Damaris Johnson is one of them, leading the team with 24 catches and 428 receiving yards. Slick Shelley is another big play threat, averaging 20.9 yards per catch, while Trae Johnson has hauled in a team-high six touchdowns. All three players caught a touchdown pass last game, with Damaris Johnson leading the team with four receptions and Shelley heading the charge with 99 receiving yards.

Defensively, Tulsa has performed well this season and is holding opponents to 18.2 ppg and 312.7 total ypg. The unit has been tough against the run, allowing just 111.3 ypg and no scores on the ground, and has also done well to record 13 turnovers and 16 sacks. Last game, however, the Hurricane had trouble slowing down Boise State's ground game and allowed 193 rushing yards on 44 carries. The unit didn't allow a rushing touchdown, but did surrender three through the air. Still, the defense gave the team a chance to win by forcing a pair of turnovers and keeping Boise State off the scoreboard in the final quarter of the 28-21 setback. DeAundre Brown turned in a big time performance in the loss, as he recorded 18 tackles and a fumble recovery. He now tops the roster with 54 stops for the season.