The UTEP football team starts the second half of a season that figures to be profoundly different from the first half.
When the 5-1 Miners kickoff against 2-3 Louisiana Tech on Saturday at the Sun Bowl, UTEP does so as a seven-point underdog, just the second time this season they have not been favored. They were routed by Boise State the first time they were an underdog this season.
Home underdogs
UTEP likely will be underdogs in four of their final six games and Dana Dimel acknowledged the program's next step at his Monday press conference to advance the Louisiana Tech game.