If UTEP is going to get its season back on track, if the Miners are going to become a Conference USA contender and fulfill coach Sean Kugler's vision of building a top midmajor, at some point they have to win a game like the one Saturday in Sun Bowl Stadium against Southern Miss.
The Miners are going to have to line up against one of the elite teams in their league as an 11-point underdog, play against a team that by all measures looks better than them, a team that regularly plays in C-USA title games, and show they belong.