UTEP Football: Kugler doesn’t blame fans for already checking out on the 2017 season

Sean Kugler didn’t offer many answers after UTEP’s latest blowout loss, but did answer a question concerning dropping fan support, and trust in where the program is headed under his direction.

“Number one I don’t blame them.” Kugler replied when asked about dwindling fan support and trust. “I could see why they’re frustrated, and I’m frustrated too.”

“I just hope they stick by us and trust that we’re going to figure this out.” Kugler continued. “But we haven’t held up our end of the bargain, I acknowledge that.”

In just a three year span after a really fun 2014 bowl appearance, UTEP has dropped to the literal bottom of the FBS barrel with no upward progress in sight, even just three weeks into a still young season.

Kugler’s recruiting has been heavily scrutinized, and now the Miners wanted identity of physically running the ball between the tackles, and having respectable defensive production are in complete shambles.

UTEP is a tough place to consistency win in the college football landscape, everyone knows that. But now it seems there’s really no excuse for the program and their fans to be uninspired, flat out noncompetitive, and outplayed three weeks in a row in year five of what was a major rebuild, and having no answers...

Oklahoma and Arizona were who we thought they were, the Rice game was a mess, but UTEP gets continually exposed as a glorified FCS team when they match up against P5 teams. As Kugler says it, it falls on him.

Kugler didn’t have many answers on the Miners Friday night struggles, but has been in this situation before in terms of slow starts, and recognizes its starts with him in restoring any type of trust that could be left among a frustrated fan base.

“We got to get better in a lot areas. First thing I can do is figure out what I can do to help.” Kugler said. “You got to look at yourself. Our performance although below-par this year that falls on me. We got problems to fix.”

At this point in the season, it’s still early, but the major concern should be UTEP’s inability for the second straight week to run the ball. Kugler quickly mentioned El Paso’s Josh Fields will see more carries next week, but jamming the square peg in the round hole has been the major doom and gloom of the Kugler era offensively.

A trend under Kugler’s UTEP teams’ is usual improved play once November rolls around, but in 2017, UTEP could be 0-7 once the calendar flips to the month filled with Turkey and meaningful football.

“We’ll certainly talk about it with the coaches, a lot of times you got to soul search and think what you can do.” Kugler said about having to turn things around quick and under pressure. “What we’re doing ain’t working. No fault to the kids, I think the kids are working hard, but really it falls on the coaches to get these guys in positions to be successful.”