UTEP head coach Dana Dimel knows his Miners can’t afford another slow start to the campaign. The 2022 team started 1-3, including a home loss to North Texas in Week 0 and a road defeat at New Mexico in Week 3. If the Miners win one of those contests, they’re bowling for the second consecutive season. Instead, UTEP finished below .500 for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. 

The momentum heading into 2022 was dampened – literally – before the opening kick as a rain delay thinned the first sellout crowd in the Sun Bowl for a conference game since 2005. Dimel slipped on some steps leading down to the field and broke his back before kickoff. And that wasn’t as painful as watching North Texas run away in the second half of an eventual 31-13 victory over UTEP in El Paso. 

“I thought we played tight in Week 0 last year,” Dimel said. “We didn’t shake off that loss for a few weeks.” 

The Miners get a chance at redemption on Saturday against FBS newcomer Jax State. Conference USA is taking advantage of a sparse Week 0 menu by highlighting a few of its teams with FIU at La Tech also on Saturday. Dimel’s feelings on Week 0 are mixed. There is an undeniable excitement within camp when a conference game begins the campaign, but that puts a lot of pressure on the first football game of the year. Remember, colleges don’t get preseason games. 

“My main dislike is that it hurts come Week 2 or 3 when your opponents have extra tape on you because you’ve played more games,” he explained. “We know how significant a first game can be, and we know that we didn’t handle it well last year.” 

Dimel, who came up under Bill Snyder at Kansas State, joked that he’d prefer a Week 1 game against an 0-12 team. The Wildcats used to “put one down the fairway” to start the season, treating Week 1 like a preseason game, to an extent. But that luxury doesn’t exist for the Miners. The sting from 2022 should pay dividends in 2023. 

“We have a lot of senior players who stuck around, so there are a lot of experienced players on our roster that went through this last year and know what to expect from a Week 0 conference game,” Dimel said. “That leadership gives me optimism that we can start the way we finished.” 

Jax State went 9-2 last year and was a perennial contender at the FCS level. Head coach Rich Rodriguez isn’t a stranger to success at the FBS level. Dimel isn’t sure what to expect from the FBS newcomers or how much translates from FCS to FBS in terms of playing style and skill. But that’s not his main concern. He’s more worried about his own team. 

“When we make people play our style of football, we play at a high level,” Dimel said, pointing to wins over Boise State and FIU last year, as well as the first half against UTSA. “For us, it is one of 12. Let’s go play our best game and see what happens.”

A win in Week 0 gives the Miners a chance to start the season 2-0 with a home game against FCS opponent Incarnate Word scheduled for Week 1. The rest of the non-conference schedule is more daunting with trips to Northwestern and Arizona on tap, as well as a home game against UNLV. UTEP plays nine games by Oct. 25 in a schedule that includes three Wednesday night contests.