Sun Bowl sellout? Here's what you need to know about UTEP Miners opener
The UTEP football team enters a rare season of expectations Saturday, perhaps in front of an even more rare Sun Bowl Stadium sellout, when the Miners take on North Texas at 7 p.m.
This will be the biggest crowd ever in the new-look Sun Bowl, which lost about 6,000 seats in a 2019 renovation (it now has a capacity of 45,971), and the biggest since 2014, when 47,809 saw Arizona State beat Duke in the postseason.
Here is what to know as the Miners begin their quest for their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2004-05. Stadium policies are unchanged from a year ago.
UTEP Miners football game-day timeline
8 a.m.: Outer campus lots open for parking and tailgating. Eisenberg Family Ticket Office opens if any tickets remain
Noon: Inner campus lots open for parking and tailgating
4 p.m.: Sun Bowl Box Offices open if tickets remain
5 p.m.: Premium seat entrances open
5:30 p.m.: All stadium gates open
6:30 p.m.: Stadium pregame show begins with the UTEP marching band
7 p.m.: Kickoff
What to bring to Sun Bowl stadium
UTEP has a clear-bag policy in effect, so bags must be clear plastic or vinyl and not exceed 12 inches by 6 inches. A 1-gallon clear plastic freezer bag counts. A small purse, approximately the size of a hand or smaller, also is allowed.
Blankets, seat cushions and one plastic water bottle also may be brought in. Signs, banners and flags that UTEP deems to be in good taste are allowed.
Sun Bowl parking and lines
The Sun Bowl has drawn 46,000 people many times before and handled it well enough, but there will be lines for concessions. Parking, for those who don't have passes, will require a walk. Free parking is offered on the south side of campus in lots SC1, SC2, SC3, SC4, RI4 and the Schuster Garage. These can be accessed from Schuster Drive.
Sellout?
Despite some word that the game has been sold out, as of Thursday afternoon about 3,000 tickets remained. UTEP's last sellout was in 2008 against Texas when it announced 53,415 fans (more than 1,000 over the then-listed capacity); the last Sun Bowl sellout was New Year's Eve 2010, when 54,021 saw Notre Dame play Miami.
How does UTEP football win?
Three keys to the game:
Don't cave under pressure. The last time UTEP had a big game in the Sun Bowl, last November against 8-0 UTSA, the Miners came out tight, fell behind on the second snap and never overcame it. "We have to be aggressive and have fun," coach Dana Dimel said. "Go out and have fun."
Protect quarterback Gavin Hardison. North Texas coach Seth Littrell noted that if UTEP's gunslinger Hardison is comfortable in the pocket, he's as good as any quarterback in Conference USA. It follows, then, that the Miners want to keep him comfortable and give him time to pick out his new targets in a revamped receiving corps.
Be disruptive on the line. At 29 years old, North Texas senior quarterback Austin Aune (he played six years of professional baseball after high school) is significantly older than, say, any Brigham Young quarterback who ever set foot in the Sun Bowl. The strength of UTEP's defense is its defensive line and its depth there, so they will need to pressure the veteran Aune to ease the pressure on a new set of cornerbacks who will be making their first UTEP appearances.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP football 2022 vs North Texas at Sun Bowl. Here's what to know
