J.J. McDermott/QUARTERBACK

Although the Mustangs came off a crucial loss to Texas A&M, McDermott is coming off one of his best performances. If McDermott plays as confidently as he did in front of the enormous crowd at Kyle Field on Sunday, there’s no doubt that he will put up even bigger numbers in the home opener against the UTEP Miners. McDermott’s biggest role will be to draw the speedy UTEP defense away from the run so that Zach Line can take advantage of their weak rush defense.

Lamaison/ QUARTERBACK

Most colleges open their seasons against bad teams, in which critics call tune-up games or cupcake games. Due to this, junior Nick Lamaison’s 365 yard, three touchdown performance against Stony Brook was a grain of salt. What makes it even worse, Lamaison threw two interceptions and the Miners had to take the game to overtime to snag the victory. The UTEP secondary has done their share of beating themselves up for their play against A&M so it is guaranteed that they will be glued to the UTEP receivers.

Terrance Wilkerson/ WIDE RECEIVER

Terrance Wilkerson returned to the playing field for the Mustangs against the Aggies in last week’s game after sitting out the entire 2010 season. Terrance was excited to get back on the field and he showed it with his play. Wilkerson caught 6 passes for 85 yards, including a 28 yard pass from backup J.J. McDermott in the third quarter. Wilkerson showed no rust even though he missed all of last season, his routes were crisp and he showed off his great hands throughout the game.

Donavon Kemp/ WIDE RECEIVER

Donovan Kemp has caught every pass all four years he has played. During his game against Stony Brook, Kemp had 4 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown came on UTEP’s first play during overtime. Kemp showed that he has the speed to get up the field and the athleticism to make the big catch. The UTEP secondary will to have to zone in on Kemp to make sure that he does not make any big plays down the sidelines on Saturday.

Margus Hunt/ DEFENSIVE END

Honorably mentioned to All-Conference USA and junior defensive-end Margus Hunt left his print at SMU. Hunt set a new NCAA record with seven blocked kicks during the 2009-2010 season he also doubled the old SMU record of four blocks. While starting in 13 out of the 14 games last season, Hunt recorded three sacks, 45 tackles, and 6.5 tackles for loss’s.. His infamous field goal blocks were present at important games against teams such as Texas Tech, Tulsa and Army at the Armed Forces Bowl.

Bernard Obi/ DEFENSIVE END

Senior defensive end Bernard Obi has been a constant team player for the UTEP Miners. In the 2009-2010 season, Obi registered his career-high 6 tackles against Houston. He also accumulated 28 tackles and 2 sacks, including 2 quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. Obi registered his season-high of four stops against Houston and Memphis. He also registered his first half-tackle for loss and 12-yard interception against BYU in the New Mexico Bowl.