Looks like UTEP is getting starting QB Kai Locksley back from injury for our game. He is a tall, lanky deceptively fast dual-threat QB with a strong arm. Reminds me a lot of the Joe Webb, but without the extra gear that Joe had. He has two 100+ yard run games on the season, with a high of 194 yards passing. Here are his JUCO highlights:
Offensively, they pretty much run a standard read option out of 3 and 4 wide sets. Expect lots of read option looks, QB leads, draws and zone runs. They use the whole field in their passing game, and mix in a lot of play action and RPO passes to keep defenses off balance. Here are highlights from their last game where he was healthy against UTSA:
Defensively, they run a lot of the same sets we do. A mix of 3 and 4 down linemen looks, a mix of different zone looks with some press man to man and soft man coverages thrown in. Early in the season they were not a good defensive ball club. Look at the highlights and you will see lots of receivers running free, some big holes that opposing RBs could waltz through. That has changed as the season has gone along. The past few games they have been locked in and have become a team thats hard to score against. We are favored by 16, but we are NOT 16 points better than the UTEP team that showed up against North Texas and La Tech and will need to bring our A game.
Other highlights against La. Tech and North Texas: