UTEP's Dennis Barnes looks to make mark as two-way player

There was plenty UTEP liked about Dennis Barnes when he arrived last season as part of the big 2020 junior college class the Miners staked so much of a potential turnaround on.

Last year, that took the form of his production at cornerback, where he worked his way into a starting role and by the end of the year was second on the team in pass breakups.

After coming over from Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College, Barnes defied the conventional wisdom of junior college transfers "you give a year to get a year," where a transition season is expected before major contributions come later.

What does hold is that more is expected of Barnes in his second year with UTEP, one that begins Saturday at New…