2003 UTEP

2–⁠11 (1–⁠7 Western Athletic Conference), coached by Gary Nord.

Schedule and results

UTEP in 2003, game by game: lost at Arizona 7–42; lost vs. Cal Poly 13–34; lost vs. San Diego State 0–34; lost at Louisville 14–42; won vs. Sam Houston 59–14; won at SMU 21–19; lost vs. Louisiana Tech 35–38; lost at Hawai’i 15–31; lost vs. Tulsa 28–56; lost vs. San José State 41–69; lost at No. 24 Boise State 21–51; lost at Rice 14–45; lost vs. Fresno State 20–23+45−35Lost 7–42 at Arizona-35ArizonaLost 13–34 vs. Cal Poly-21Cal PolyLost 0–34 vs. San Diego State-34San Diego StateLost 14–42 at Louisville-28LouisvilleWon 59–14 vs. Sam Houston+45Sam HoustonWon 21–19 at SMU+2SMULost 35–38 vs. Louisiana Tech-3Louisiana TechLost 15–31 at Hawai’i-16Hawai’iLost 28–56 vs. Tulsa-28TulsaLost 41–69 vs. San José State-28San José StateLost 21–51 at No. 24 Boise State-30No. 24 Boise StateLost 14–45 at Rice-31RiceLost 20–23 vs. Fresno State-3Fresno State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Fresno State 23–⁠20; unranked in the final AP poll; 9th in the Western Athletic Conference.

In program history: The 89th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 94 on file).

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2003.

Record
2–⁠11
Conference
1–⁠7 9th in Western Athletic Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
288–⁠498
Coach
Gary Nord
Elo
1194 −120 this season
SP+ rating
-31.0 No. 116 of 117; offense No. 104, defense No. 116
SRS
−23.3 No. 116 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 114
Offensive coordinator
Patrick Higgins
Defensive coordinator
Troy Reffett

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense-0.3own 30— allowed
Defense0.0own 31— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2003 class

Broderick Watson CB★★No. 1050
Emeri Spence WR★★No. 1050
Sirron Simmons TE★★No. 1050
Tim Ford TE★★No. 1050
Herb City S★★No. 1050

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2003 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Receivers32.00.767
Offensive line12.00.767
Defensive line22.00.767
Linebackers12.00.767
Defensive backs32.00.767
Athletes and specialists22.00.767
Whole class122.00.767

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2004

The 2004 draft
Rd 4Trey Darilek OTPhiladelphia Eagles

2003 Western Athletic Conference standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Boise State8–⁠013–⁠116
Fresno State6–⁠29–⁠5
Tulsa6–⁠28–⁠5
Hawai’i5–⁠39–⁠5
Rice5–⁠35–⁠7
Nevada4–⁠46–⁠6
Louisiana Tech3–⁠55–⁠7
San José State2–⁠63–⁠8
UTEP1–⁠72–⁠11
SMU0–⁠80–⁠12

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.