Arkansas 48, UTEP 13: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_18281" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Maria Concha Photo by Maria Concha[/caption] UTEP opened its season with a 48-13 loss on the road at the hands of No. 18 Arkansas. What did we learn about the Miners from this game? We break down the key takeaways.Turnovers are bad for any team; they’re murder for UTEP. The Miners were more-or-less hanging around this game at halftime, down 28-10 and receiving the second-half touchdown. But seven plays into the second half, the game was essentially over — Mack Leftwich threw an interception; Arkansas immediately scored a touchdown; UTEP went three-and-out, then fumbled the punt snap; Arkansas immediately scored a touchdown. By then, it’s 42-10 and the game is over. With the way that UTEP’s offense is designed — predicated on running the ball and stacking together long drives — turnovers are especially killer. UTEP needs to maintain possession arguably more than any other team in the nation; giving the ball away is a sure way to put yourself in a hole. The Miners’ secondary is going to be a liability. Woof. Arkansas is not particularly known for its passing attack, but Razorbacks QB Brandon Allen carved up the UTEP secondary like an electric carving knife through a Thanksgiving turkey. We knew that the corners were a work in progress — redshirt freshman Nick Needham got the start opposite senior transfer Trent Trammell — but the safeties LaQuintus Dowell and Dashone Smith were almost non-existent. What’s worse: whenever the secondary did get to the ball, they seemed to be immune to tackling. Arkansas is far from the most potent aerial attack that UTEP will see this year, and that makes the Miners’ secondary the paramount concern heading forward. Don’t worry about the offense. It’s going to be easy to knee-jerk and panic about the Miners’ rushing attack, which managed just 58 yards and 1.7 yards per carry (though that average is a bit skewed by two fumbled punts, but still). But that would be unwise. For one: Arkansas has a terrific rushing defense, and it was always going to be tough sledding for the Miners in this one. And secondly: remember that the offensive line is still a work in progress. They’re only going to improve and gel as the season moves along, and as long as running back Aaron Jones stays healthy, the Miners’ rushing attack should remain potent, Saturday’s lackluster result notwithstanding.