Poor attendance should put Price’s job in jeopardy

For eight years, UTEP has been accustomed to one brand of football: Mike Price football. What started off as a match made in heaven for UTEP, having back-to-back eight-win seasons and bowl appearances, is now a distant memory.

The early success left many wishing for more. Price took over a 2-11 team in 2004 and made it a winner. The possibilities were endless once Price established his program at UTEP, but it has only fallen short since.

In 2011, the Miners finished with a 5-7 record for the third time in Price's tenure and the sixth consecutive year with a sub .500 mark. Price did lead the Miners to a third bowl appearance in 2010, but were routed by BYU in the New Mexico Bowl. The squad fell a win short this season of making a second-consecutive bowl appearance, which would have made Price the only coach in school history to lead the Miners to four bowl games.

Considering the changes Price had to deal with in the 2011 season, this might have been one of his best coaching performances during his time in El Paso.

The 5-7 record this season may have been a positive for Price, especially in a year that many thought would be an even greater struggle. Price had to deal with a new quarterback in junior transfer Nick Lamaison, who did a decent job in his first year as a starter throwing for 1,718 yards and 12 touchdowns, but missed three games due to injuries.

Price used three different starters at quarterback with redshirt freshman Jay Hall and sophomore Carson Meger starting games, both leading the Miners to wins. The defense also suffered injuries to key players like senior safety Travaun Nixon, who missed five games due to a leg injury.

Through eight seasons, Price has compiled a 45-52 record and ranks third in wins behind Mike Brumbelow's 46 wins and leader Mack Saxon's 66. The question now is if Price will be here long enough to surpass either Brumbelow or Saxon.

Throughout the years, attendance has gradually dropped and it's a clear reflection on the team's performance. From 2004 to 2006, in which Price gathered 21 of his 45 victories, the average attendance at the Sun Bowl was over 41,000. Fourteen of the 18 games played in El Paso during that time surpassed the 40,000 mark.

The Sun Bowl's capacity is roughly 51,500. From 2007 to 2011, attendance has only reached 40,000 four times in 30 home games. 2006 was the first losing season for Price with the Miners, which has affected crowd support.

The following season in 2007, the average attendance dropped to just below 37,000. Since then, the average has never returned to the 40,000 mark. 2011 was the worst year for attendance during the Price era, averaging just above 26,000 per game and surpassing the 30,000 mark just once all season.

Perhaps his stay at UTEP is overdue. For a school and a town that will always have its identity attached to the late Don Haskins' basketball legacy, it's still Texas where "football is king." I'm not quite sure El Paso is ready to endure another sub-par season of Mike Price football.

Daniel Ornelas may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.