The August roller coaster Sione Tupou rode could have thrown a mentally weaker player.
Coming off a freshman season where he became a full-time starter at linebacker for the UTEP football team, Tupou was specifically cited by UTEP coach Dana Dimel as a potential defensive playmaker to replace all the Miners had lost.
By mid-August, he was a disappointing backup and that’s where he was for the Houston Baptist opener.
In his time at UTEP, however, Tupou has developed a reputation as a fighter, a battler and the type who rises to adversity instead of shrinking from it.