Of the list of questions the UTEP football team has to answer in its first foray under Scotty Walden, here’s one that will go far toward defining the fate of the 2024 season.
How different is the top-shelf talent at FCS conference champion Austin Peay compared to the talent in Conference USA?
How does the second tier of college football, the Football Championship Subdivision, compare to a group-of-five team in the second half of the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision?
That’s pertinent because Walden just brought most of his staff along with 11 players from Peay, and many of those 11 will start and play major roles for this year’s Miners team.
UTEP tailback Jevon Jackson (4) and Marquez Taylor cheer on teammates during a drill at the Sun Bowl
More: UTEP gets CUSA football schedule; to play New Mexico State on Thanksgiving weekend
Of those Peay transfers, tailback Jevon Jackson may stand out as the biggest test of how much better Conference USA is than the All-United Athletic Conference. Jackson was a flat-out star at Peay, rushing for 1,373 yards and earning third-team All-American and first-team All-UAC honors.
On a UTEP team looking to replace its top three running backs — the top two, Parkland alum Deion Hankins and Torrance Burgess Jr. transferred to Texas State together — Jackson was targeted to be the first man up and from the opening day of spring he has been.
So rushing behind a line that will include two Peay transfers, what is that going to mean at UTEP?
“It’s no different,” Jackson said. “We’re trying to bring the culture over from my last place to here. Once we install and everybody buys in we can have the same success here.”
Drilling down on that further, what is the difference between the top of the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) and the lower third of the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision).
“The speed…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bell-cow-tailback-jevon-jackson-110352973.html
Author : The El Paso Times
Publish date : 2024-08-09 11:03:52
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