by Ray Sanchez 12.07.14
But how did they do it?
Who better to ask than my crystal ball? The vast majority of pundits expected the Miners to have another disastrous season while my crystal ball predicted they would win at least six games.
So I put the question to the crystal ball.
“THE REASON I predicted the Miners would do well is just common sense,” it said. “Sean Kugler has the foundation to be an outstanding coach. He played lineman under one of UTEPs’ most successful coaches, Bob Stull. Then he furthered his coaching knowledge as an assistant with one of the greatest college programs, Boise State, and one of the best professional programs, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He has put that knowledge to good use. His blocking schemes on offense, his setups on defense and his handling of the personnel on hand were simply brilliant this season. Yes, he had good running backs but even the best of them can’t run through a brick wall.
“AS FOR DEFENSE, it was the weapon that finally got the Miners to a bowl. With Middle Tennessee near the goal and ready to win or tie the game with seconds to go, blitzing safety Jameel Erving tipped a pass by Middle Tennessee quarterback Austin Grammar and made a diving catch of it for a game clinching interception. It will go down as one of the greatest UTEP football plays ever considering its importance. But it was no fluke. The Miners practice blocking passes during the week.
“Overall, I have to say this season is one of the finest coaching performances I’ve seen at UTEP during 60 years of sports predicting.”
I thanked the orb for being so upbeat and put it back in its drawer with a pat on the back.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name a “Brave” who played for Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta? Answer at end.
ONE OF THE toughest things to do in golf is shoot your age or under, especially when you’re in your seventies. It gets easier once you pass 80. One of my golfing buddies did it, though. Matt Sloan, 79, shot 36-41—77 at Dos Lagos Golf Course. Even more amazing is that the 36 came on the tougher nine holes, the front nine. Nice going, Matt.
I’VE WRITTEN that one of the nice things about writing a book is that you get to hear from oldtimers. The following email is from Terry Ponsford, a baseball and football star at Austin High School in the 1950s now living in California: “I would love to get an autographed copy of your new book. I enjoy your columns via the internet. You would be happy to hear my California wife say, ‘Terry still has a lot of El Paso in him.’ … The first time I took her to El Paso she asked as she pointed down to the desert as we were about to land at the El Paso Airport, ‘What’s that?’ As a true El Pasoan, I answered, ‘That’s our picnic grounds.’’’