UTEP Miners starting QB for Week 9: Who is Scotty Walden's QB1 for game against Louisiana Tech?
The UTEP Miners are hungry for wins after starting their season dropping the first six games under first-year coach Scotty Walden. They got their first win of the season last week, registering a comeback 30-21 victory against the FIU Panthers to improve to 1-6 overall and 1-3 in CUSA.
With an unfavorable matchup scheduled on Tuesday against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, sophomore quarterback Skyler Locklear will look to generate momentum following their win last week.
Will Skyler Locklear continue to start for Scotty Walden's Miners?
Yes, barring any setbacks, Skyler Locklear should start as the quarterback against Sonnie Cumbie's Bulldogs. However, there's a good chance that backup quarterback Cade McConnell could share snaps with him, having passed for 540 yards and four scores this season.
Scotty Walden and Skyler Locklear transferred from Austin Peay to take the reins here. The win may have come after a while, but the coach is excited for the upcoming clash:
"It's all mental," Walden said. "When you are going through struggles and not seeing the results, it gets harder and harder to stay true to that process. You start to think about what can go wrong instead of what can go right. Now that you have that mental block out of the way, look what happens when you play complimentary football.
"When we play complimentary football we're a hard team to beat. We have to preach execution and getting out of our own way and I think we did that for the majority of the game."
Skyler Locklear's performance this season
Skyler Locklear has started all six games thus far, going 1-6. He has completed 91-of-144 pass attempts for 953 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, he has rushed for 122 yards on 50 carries including two touchdowns.
His best performance this season for Scotty Walden's team came in Week 2 against Southern Utah in a 27-24 overtime loss. However, he wasn't to blame, as he passed efficiently, converting 22-of-29 passes for a season-high 295 yards and one touchdown. He also added one rushing score.
Key weapons
Running back Jevon Jackson leads all rushers with 387 yards on 91 carries, including one touchdown. However, he will be up against the Bulldogs, the best rush defense in the conference.
Kenny Odom leads receivers with 510 yards and four scores on 22 receptions. No other receiver has had multiple receiving touchdowns this season for the Miners.