 UTEP kicked off the season with a 50-14 thrashing of I-AA foe UC Santa Barbara.After a narrow 33–32 loss to Arizona State, the Miners tied Arizona at 9-9.Dobbs' Miners then won their next four, defeating BYU 47–17, scoring a school-record 75 points in a 75–12 rout of New Mexico (during which UTEP quarterback Brooks Dawson threw for six touchdown passes on his first six pass attempts of the game), a 46–24 win over New Mexico State and a 17–0 shutout of Colorado State.