UTEP's week went much worse. The Miners' first Mountain West game ended 61-7 at New Mexico, down 21-0 at the half and 37-0 after a blocked punt for a safety. Over the last 3 games UTEP has scored 7, 17 and 7. Its only win came against Texas Southern, an FCS team. Now the Miners have to fix that without 2 receivers.
Montana State7-20
Texas Southern51-10
Nevada isn't on a roll either. The 49-14 win over Western Kentucky in the opener looks like the outlier now, after a 7-20 home loss to FCS Montana State, a one-score loss at Middle Tennessee and the overtime loss to Air Force. The good news is that the last 2 losses were by a combined 10 points. The Wolf Pack has kept games close and then lost them, which isn't the same as getting blown out every week, and that's what UTEP has been doing.
UTEP's receivers are a real concern. C. Simon and M. Ferguson are both listed out with undisclosed injuries and no timetable to return. An offense that has scored 14 points in its last 2 games is now short on targets. If Moore can't stretch the field, Nevada's linebackers can stay near the line of scrimmage and play the run, and Smith and LaBarbera have been piling up tackles there.
The forecast in El Paso is 79 degrees and mostly sunny with almost no wind, so weather won't be an excuse for either team. UTEP gets a home crowd and a chance to show the New Mexico game was a one-off. Nevada gets a road game against a team that has been outscored 146-31 in its 4 losses. That gives the Wolf Pack a real shot at breaking its own losing streak. Whichever team loses heads into the middle of October still looking for its first conference win.