MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Murphy Center scoreboard read 7:50 remaining in the first half, Middle Tennessee trailing UTEP on its home floor 26-14. It was a tough start for a team that had just two days earlier captured its first Conference USA win under new head coach Nick McDevitt in an upset over UTSA.
With his team lacking energy in the Jan. 19 contest, McDevitt signaled for a timeout and got animated in front of his players and coaches on the sidelines, begging them to show the same fire they had the previous game.