The battles to be the backup by nature aren't marquee. They can be crucially important, but they typically aren't headline grabbing.
Three circumstances change that equation at tailback this spring on the UTEP football team.
First of all, the franchise back, Aaron Jones is out as he rehabs a foot injury, one suffered early last fall that reinforced all season how important depth at a position UTEP revolves around can be.
That ties into the second point: UTEP rides its tailbacks extensively, and even if Jones is healthy and whole and banging the ball 25 times per game — all indications are he will be — there is still a big role for the No.