As the UTEP football team will open the home portion of its 2023 schedule Saturday night against Incarnate Word, the Miners will do so under the gaze of a team it aspires to emulate, the 10-win team of 1988 that goes down as one of UTEP's best ever.
The current Miners are looking to establish a tradition of their own, hoping to pack out the Sun Bowl for a second consecutive opener against a Cardinals team that is a powerhouse in the second-level Football Championship Subdivision.
In addition to celebrating the 35th anniversary of one of UTEP's greatest teams, the night is dubbed Miners Magic/80s night and UTEP will play in 1988 throwback jerseys.