Ernesto 'Neto' Galindo · UTEP Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
That's Hatch-hot! I'm Ernesto 'Neto' Galindo, and I'm your UTEP insider here at The Cover Window. The short version: I'm a sun Bowl ironworker's kid who grades effort like ore quality. I follow this team from the stands, every week, and I love it out loud. Fair warning about my habit: rates effort by chile heat. On the podcast, my segment is called Chile Heat. The show card describes it like this: rates effort by chile heat. My rules are simple. I keep it clean and kind, I celebrate players as people, I respect every opponent, and I never invent a stat, a quote or a fact. If I can't source it, you won't hear it from me. This week the Miners have an open date, so instead of a game preview you get the full tour: the school, the coach, the players, the league and what's next.
The School in 60 Seconds
Home is Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX, built in 1963 with a listed capacity of 51,500. The fight song is "El Paso Fight", per Wikipedia. The band is the Sound of the Southwest, per Wikipedia. The last five seasons went 7-6, 5-7, 3-9, 3-9 and 2-10, from 2021 through 2025. The most frequent opponents from 2016 through 2025 tell you who matters around here: Louisiana Tech (1-9 in 10 meetings), New Mexico State (4-5 in 9 meetings), UTSA (1-6 in 7 meetings), North Texas (1-6 in 7 meetings). That's a list of games, not an official rivalry list. The 2026 recruiting class ranked No. 92 nationally in CFBD's team rankings. And if you visit, ask somebody about Paydirt Pete; it's the tradition I'd show you first.
The Coach and the Scheme
Scotty Walden leads the Miners; CollegeFootballData dates the hire to Dec. 4, 2023. Through 7 games, UTEP scores 15.1 points a game and allows 37.3. By our math from CFBD figures, the offense runs on about 62% of its plays, gaining 134.4 rushing yards and 151.9 passing yards a game. That's a team that wants to lean on people. On third down, UTEP converts 24.7% of the time and opponents convert 48.3%. The defense has 8 sacks and 32 tackles for loss, and the turnover ledger reads 10 giveaways against 8 takeaways. Penalties cost 53.7 yards a game. The high-water mark so far was 51 points against Texas Southern on Sept. 12, 2026, and 0 of the 7 games were decided by eight points or fewer. Over the season, opponents have outscored UTEP by a combined 155 points. Every one of those numbers is a little homework for the open week.
Players to Know
QB EJ Colson Jr. (passing leader): 55/83, 628 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT.
QB Raymond Moore III (rushing leader): 67 carries, 414 yards, 2 TD.
RB Kam Thomas (receiving leader): 16 catches, 270 yards, 1 TD.
On defense, LB Isaiah Bogerty leads with 42 tackles; DE Sterling Miles has 3.5 sacks; S Kode Lowe has 1 interception.
Injury news: we found no official availability report during an open week, so we're not listing any. Official reports return before the next game.
The Conference Picture
UTEP is 1-6 overall, 1-3 at home and 0-3 away. In Mountain West play the Miners are 0-3, which sorts them No. 9 of 10 by record. North Dakota State sits on top at 3-1 in league games. Right around us: Northern Illinois (0-2) and Hawai'i (0-4). The top of the table: North Dakota State (3-1), Air Force (3-1), Wyoming (3-1). That order is a sort by record, not the official tiebreaker order. Every league game from here is a chance to move up, and the open week is when the plan for that climb gets built. An open date in late October is a chance to heal up and study the stretch run.
This Week: Open Date
No game for UTEP this week. The last time out, on Oct. 17, 2026, the Miners lost to San José State at home, 24-11. Next up: Saturday, Oct. 31, at North Dakota State, in Fargodome, Fargo, N.D., with a 1:30 p.m. MT kickoff. North Dakota State comes in at 6-1. After that, CFBD lists vs. Hawai'i (Nov. 7), vs. Wyoming (Nov. 14), at Air Force (Nov. 20), at Northern Illinois (Nov. 28). Until then: rest, film and a little extra time in the ice tub.
My Open-Week Take
Here's how I see it, friends. An open date isn't a day off; it's a deep breath. The coaches get to fix the little things, the players get their legs back, and we fans get a Saturday to call our families, clean the grill and argue happily about the depth chart. When the Miners come back, I'll be right there in the stands, same seat, same voice, and I'll bring you every sourced detail. Thanks for spending part of your open week with me. That's Hatch-hot!