There Will Be Zero Touchdowns

I’ve been looking at this one all summer. My prevailing thought has been pretty simple: UTEP is not scoring in this game.

Plain and simple.

And apparently, the oddsmakers aren't exactly disagreeing with me. When they set UTEP's team total at just 3 1/2 points, they essentially told us exactly what they think this offense is going to look like against Oklahoma. I’m betting they’re right.

This is always going to be a mismatch when a program like UTEP goes up against Oklahoma, but this particular matchup has the potential to be much worse than the usual Power Four versus Group of Five mismatch.

Start with UTEP's offensive line.

It has zero starts at this level. That's right — zero.

The Miners are expected to start a true freshman at left tackle, putting him in an absolutely brutal spot as he tries to protect a new quarterback against Oklahoma's pass rush. Next to him is a transfer from North Texas who was a backup, while other pieces of the line come from Jackson State, Livingstone College and Independence Community College.

That is a frightening situation when you're trying to move the football against the Sooners. And UTEP isn't simply facing an average Oklahoma defense.

They're going up against a defense that features one of the best pass rushers in the country and a secondary that has the talent to rank among the nation's top five.

Now add in a new quarterback for the Miners. Good luck.

The biggest problem for UTEP could come when it falls behind. If Oklahoma jumps out early, the Miners won't have the luxury of simply running the football and trying to shorten the game. They'll have to throw, which puts even more pressure on that completely inexperienced offensive line. That's where this can get ugly.

On the other side, Oklahoma gets John Mateer back under center, and you can bet the Heisman hopeful will be looking to make up for lost time.

Mateer is exactly the type of dual-threat quarterback who can create problems for a defense like UTEP's. He can beat you with his arm, extend plays with his legs and put constant pressure on a defense that could be spending most of the night trying simply to survive.

I expect the Sooners to do what good teams should do in this situation: build a huge lead, control the game and eventually take their foot off the gas.

I can easily see something like Oklahoma 35-0 at halftime, followed by a much quieter second half.

That's why I'm not chasing an enormous Oklahoma point total.

The play is Oklahoma - 23 for the first half

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