UTEP Game Postponed

Green Crazy · October 28, 2020

It's a secret ploy by us to play as few away games as possible. This will keep the costs down and money lost to a minimum.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Green Crazy

xyresic · October 28, 2020

6 hours ago, UNT Texas Hooligan said:

UTEP's President is posting her statement all over Twitter trying to put all of the blame on UNT, not even acknowledging UNT's offer to host the game and pay for UTEP's travel expenses to Denton. Quite a shady spin job from her regarding who is actually the one "backing out"

Wow, you weren’t kidding, looking at Twitter their fans & students are applauding us and she is arguing with them. Not a good look on her part when El Paso had more new cases yesterday than the entire state of Arizona.

RBP79 · October 28, 2020

COME ON MAN!!! If you didn't see this coming..

UNT Texas Hooligan · October 28, 2020

2 hours ago, xyresic said:

Wow, you weren’t kidding, looking at Twitter their fans & students are applauding us and she is arguing with them. Not a good look on her part when El Paso had more new cases yesterday than the entire state of Arizona.

Yeah, I initially thought it was a troll account because I couldn't believe a school President would blatantly throw another school under the bus like that without presenting all of the facts but then I saw the official UTEP account quote her and it was real. Some of their fans also think it's BS and think we should have to forfeit and some wonder why they don't come to Denton to play the game.

SilverEagle · October 28, 2020

10 hours ago, meangreenJW said:

https://covidactnow.org/us/texas-tx/county/el_paso_county?s=1205295

After looking at these numbers, I agree with this decision. The team would be on a plane twice, three bus rides and in a hotel. Along the way they'd deal with numerous screeners, airport personnel, bus drivers, maids, cooks, etc. You'd have 3-4 meals prepared by the hotel. None of those people are required to test nor in protocol. The team isn't able to magically transport to stadium an hour before the game. Local test positivity rate has reached 22% which is incredibly high. Maybe the most concerning thing is the 100% usage of hospital beds. What happens if you have a player suffer a broken neck, spiral fracture, or other really serious injury?

And if University administration sent the team and they come back with covid and spread it on campus and in the community they would likely be roasted.

This was a no win. What is most shocking to me is UTEP wanting to still have the game given the numbers they're dealing with and defying the county judge's order to do it. I think it's telling that both Presidents released quotes. Kind of unusual for athletics stories. My guess is this was done at the Presidential level.

Lastly, I saw Khatib Lyles' mom said on social media she was relieved the game was postponed. Khatib is from El Paso. That probably is an indicator of how the team felt about the going to what nationally is being called the COVID epicenter.

Totally agree with this. My initial reaction to the announcement was "well, it's about damn time!'.

Good God!, what does it take for some people to see this as a solid decision? A plague of locus descending on El Paso? An outbreak of the black plague? A green fog/cloud (like in the Ten commandments) rolling down the mountain toward EP to kill all of their first born?

Gezz Louise......

Matt from A700 · October 28, 2020

12 hours ago, BillySee58 said:

Are we trying to make up the Houston game?

NorthTexasSportsNetwork · October 28, 2020

39 minutes ago, Matt from A700 said:

Are we trying to make up the Houston game?

I would hope we do. UH is making up a game against Memphis though, but I would hope we get to play them.

MeanGreenTexan · October 28, 2020

Just now, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

I would hope we do. UH is making up a game against Memphis though, but I would hope we get to play them.

Have you seen Houston's offense? Have you seen NT's defense?

Are you sure you want this game to be played this season?

NorthTexasSportsNetwork · October 28, 2020

Just now, MeanGreenTexan said:

Have you seen Houston's offense? Have you seen NT's defense?

Are you sure you want this game to be played this season?

I have and I have. At least we get experience

MeanGreenTexan · October 28, 2020

6 minutes ago, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

I have and I have. At least we get experience

If they find a way to reschedule it, OK. I wont be sad if they don't though.

UNTLifer · October 28, 2020

Meet at a midpoint, play the game and go home.

This is the right decision and UTEP's President should be put on notice. What an embarrassment.

southsideguy · October 28, 2020

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Edited October 28, 2020 by southsideguy

southsideguy · October 28, 2020

Sorry, this really bites. The whole thing really bites!

Edited October 28, 2020 by southsideguy

Withers940 · October 28, 2020

20 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Meet at a midpoint, play the game and go home.

This is the right decision and UTEP's President should be put on notice. What an embarrassment.

Brought this up on another Thread. Why wouldn't we meet in a neutral location if UTEP's president doesn't want us to host.

Smaller town, smaller chance of infection

Edited October 28, 2020 by Withers940

greenminer · October 28, 2020

Strangest sports year ever. I don't ever want to see this again.

greenminer · October 28, 2020

From Matt Brune...

https://247sports.com/college/north-texas/Article/What-led-to-North-Texas-Mean-Green-football-vs-UTEP-Miners-postponement-153764598/

NorthTexasSportsNetwork · October 28, 2020

21 minutes ago, greenminer said:

From Matt Brune...

https://247sports.com/college/north-texas/Article/What-led-to-North-Texas-Mean-Green-football-vs-UTEP-Miners-postponement-153764598/

Yeah I probably overreacted yesterday, but I’m still not understanding why UTEP is refusing to play?!

If they really want to play, they would get out of that hot spot and come here. I mean they’ll basically have everything paid for

wardly · October 28, 2020

What part of pandemic do some of us not understand? Why would we send our football team and staff into a city with a curfew because of the virus? In addition the mayor of Juarez has asked the president of Mexico to stop Americans from crossing the boarder from El Paso because of the increased risk of spreading the virus .If UTEP really wanted to play the game they could have come to Denton and we could agree to let them host us the next two years.

greenminer · October 28, 2020

Agree @NorthTexasSportsNetwork. If the story that we offered to pay travel expenses is true, this is not a good look on their part.

The only thing I can think of is, UTEP does not want to yield home field advantage? But that seems like a weak leg to stand on.

greenminer · October 28, 2020

7 minutes ago, wardly said:

What part of pandemic do some of us not understand? Why would we send our football team and staff into a city with a curfew because of the virus? In addition the mayor of Juarez has asked the president of Mexico to stop Americans from crossing the boarder from El Paso because of the increased risk of spreading the virus .If UTEP really wanted to play the game they could have come to Denton and we could agree to let them host us the next two years.

I have sometimes speculated where people get their conceptions about pandemics from. Hollywood? Family history? Do they believe people need to be screaming in public, death in front of them before they'll take action? Does some kind of sinister evil need to knock on their door before they'll get it?

The deaths will not only come from this virus. Its death rate is low. The first step is hospitals filling up. Then what happens is, all these other life-saving medical needs (surguries, other illnesses) get shoved aside because we don't have the resources. Deaths will start piling up from other non-COVID reasons.

The situation in El Paso is at a threshhold...and it will get a LOT worse if action is not taken now.

I've said it before: you have to be proactive with pandemics. You cannot be reactive - waiting until bodies are laying in the streets - to say okay now is the time to shut this down.

Edited October 28, 2020 by greenminer

UNT Texas Hooligan · October 28, 2020

46 minutes ago, greenminer said:

From Matt Brune...

https://247sports.com/college/north-texas/Article/What-led-to-North-Texas-Mean-Green-football-vs-UTEP-Miners-postponement-153764598/

Such a slimy look from UTEP. Don't get what you want, immediately point blame on the opposing party and refuse to work out any middle of the road agreements. Weak. Such a new low that school has taken after Natalicio.

Censored by Laurie · October 28, 2020

15 hours ago, peanuts104 said:

This is virtue signalling BS. If both teams are tested and nobody has it there is no reason they shouldn't play. F this.

Edit:

Really? Are you that afraid of some stupid invisible bug that if players are testing negative that you won't let them play? Dumbass sheep.

psh...it's not invisible, dummy.

MeanGreenTexan · October 28, 2020

14 minutes ago, wardly said:

What part of pandemic do some of us not understand? Why would we send our football team and staff into a city with a curfew because of the virus? In addition the mayor of Juarez has asked the president of Mexico to stop Americans from crossing the boarder from El Paso because of the increased risk of spreading the virus .If UTEP really wanted to play the game they could have come to Denton and we could agree to let them host us the next two years.

This is very short-term thinking.
Why would we choose to host them this year, giving us 7 home games, with all of the Covid precautions in place that limit attendance (on top of poor play ALSO limiting attendance)?
That leaves us with a 5-game home schedule next year (when we may possibly/hopefully be out of all these precautions, and probably playing better) to make up this game at UTEP!

wardly · October 28, 2020

1 hour ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

This is very short-term thinking.
Why would we choose to host them this year, giving us 7 home games, with all of the Covid precautions in place that limit attendance (on top of poor play ALSO limiting attendance)?
That leaves us with a 5-game home schedule next year (when we may possibly/hopefully be out of all these precautions, and probably playing better) to make up this game at UTEP!

Well, it was just a thought, as it seems like losing a scheduled home game this year seems more important to UTEP than playing the game. And yes, it was short term thinking, because we don't know it we are going to be in the same situation regarding the virus again next fall.

RBP79 · October 28, 2020

2 hours ago, wardly said:

What part of pandemic do some of us not understand? Why would we send our football team and staff into a city with a curfew because of the virus? In addition the mayor of Juarez has asked the president of Mexico to stop Americans from crossing the boarder from El Paso because of the increased risk of spreading the virus .If UTEP really wanted to play the game they could have come to Denton and we could agree to let them host us the next two years.

Having worked with the Border Patrol in the Rio Grande and Del Rio Sectors and having visited several times the El Paso Sector my question would be how many hospitalized in El Paso are Mexican Nationals? The valley at one point was in the same situation...guess what......

Would you rather be hospitalized in Mexico or the US?

UTEP needs to find a site where it can play football and basketball safely cause these upticks are going to continue all along the border till a vaccine becomes available.