Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith News

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Tuesday raided a Downtown store.

UTEP senior offensive lineman Mike Aguayo, junior running back Donald Buckram and senior defensive back Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith were named as first team All-Conference USA selections on Tuesday, based on a vote by league head coaches.

How do you wrap your arms around joy and frustration -- all at the same time? UTEP finished a football season Saturday afternoon.

Conference USA is a far-flung league, as illustrated by the 1,500 miles Marshall traveled from Huntington, W. Va., to El Paso this weekend.

UTEP is 3-8 heading into its final game of the season. When the Miners' players, especially the seniors, take a glimpse at the football team's schedule, they can't fathom how they got to this point.

On Saturday the 14th, a UTEP football team that had resurrected itself more times than a horror-movie villain finally took a fatal bullet.

When the UTEP defense isn't playing elite passing offenses, it has shown improvement this year.

For all the mistakes and stumbles and struggles, the UTEP football team could be the envy of the entire Conference USA by the end of this evening.

This week of preparation presents an interesting contrast between Tulsa and UTEP.

The impatience of a fan is nothing compared to the impatience of an 18-year-old football player.

UTEP players got together to watch Tulsa take No. 5 Boise State to the wire in a 28-21 loss and obviously left impressed with their next opponent.

One area with which UTEP doesn't need help is its running game, and besides, their guest at Wednesday's practice is out of eligibility.

The schedule says the UTEP football team plays Memphis today, but ask the Miners and they just play dumb.

Both UTEP and Memphis were missing key starters Saturday night, though the Miners were slightly healthier than they were against Houston.

The good news on the injury front for UTEP is that defensive backs Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith and Braxton Amy are healthy enough to travel to Memphis.

UTEP running back Vernon Frazier could have anterior cruciate ligament surgery later this week, and he almost certainly is out for the season.

UTEP's trophy case will be a little more full this week, and the biggest award is the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.

UTEP coach Mike Price is making the unusual move of not talking about injuries this week, and it's easy to see why: Thirteen players missed practice Tuesday, including three of the four tight ends and four defensive backs.

Texas-El Paso gets good mileage out of senior Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith, which makes sense.

For two straight years, the New Mexico State Aggies have beaten the UTEP Miners.