opinion

The official time keeper will be up in the Jones AT&T Stadium press box next Saturday, but UTEP head coach Sean Kugler would love to be the one pushing the buttons.

The weather was cold but 47,809 warmed up Sun Bowl Stadium Saturday afternoon. Eventually, the game caught up to the crowd. El Paso has been catching up itself over the last few years.

There are plays that change seasons and even programs, but rarely has one play challenged the mindset of an entire fan base. Until Saturday night in the Sun Bowl.

Triple-A baseball team? Check. Downtown ballpark? Check. Changing hearts and minds in El Paso? Check. A Major League Soccer franchise? Weeellll...

...And then Tim Floyd cracked a smile and made jokes at Bob Stull's expense. Yes, this story starts in the middle. That's because the first part you've heard, seen and read already. The part about UTEP's domination of their I-10 rivals from UTSA in an 81-62 win and the four-game win streak. The part about Tim Floyd celebrating his 400th career victory.

Brash and bold, mostly hot but sometimes cold, Tim Floyd has always been the coaching equivalent of a stand-your-ground law.

Here we go again.  After beating the Washington Redskins 24-23 in dramatic fashion yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys are in the same position that they've been in the last two years. All they have to do is win the final game of season and they're in the playoffs...

Not Again! Those words were coming out of my mouth yesterday as the Dallas Cowboys collapsed in dramatic fashion as they blew a 23 point halftime lead to the Green Bay Packers in Jerryworld. It's hard to believe, but I'm actually getting used to the Cowboys blowing big leads and losing in epic fashion...

Rivalries are a wonderful thing, but it takes two of something to make one; whether you're talking Leonard-Duran, Apple-Google or Army-Navy. UTEP-New Mexico State? Well...it's an old football rivalry. So old someone might be placing a call to 9-1-1 soon; which says one thing if the call goes to the police, but something completely different when it's to the paramedics.

So, now we know. A little more, anyway. As expected, Sean Kugler's UTEP Miners are hard-nosed, ready and able to battle in the trenches. On offense.