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The Utah State Aggies can identify in many ways with their 2014 New Mexico Bowl opponent, the UTEP Miners.

Utah State coach Matt Wells knows all about rebuilding a program and looks to use Saturday's bowl encounter as a way to turn things around. His Aggies were on the wrong side of a 50-19 blowout at the hands of Boise State their last time out.

The Miners have new life under coach Sean Kugler, as a 7-5 campaign gives the team a chance to win its first bowl game since 1967.

The teams tout opposite strengths, so a war of wills is in the cards for observers who want to see two programs put everything on the line in order to continue an upward climb.

Strength vs. Strength

Eugene Tanner/Associated Press

Forget the ugly loss to Boise State for a moment.

The Aggies are a superb defensive team. They tore through the West division of the Mountain West Conference thanks to a defense that ranks 21st nationally with an average of just 20.8 points allowed per game.

Much of the credit goes to linebackers Zach Vigil and Nick Vigil, brothers who combined for 261 tackles, 35.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. Waters continues to do much in the motivation department in an attempt to get the brothers and the rest of the team ready for the Miners, as captured by Stats LLC, via ESPN.com:

I can promise you, we're very, very hungry. The comment that I always make to the team is you're only as good as your last game. Your body of work, your resume, is the last video that you put out there. For Utah State and everybody in this program, (the last game) wasn't very good. It wasn't up to our standards. We have a great desire to go and end this thing right.

To ensure the last game of the season is a good one, the Aggies defense will need to overcome a Miners rushing attack that ranks 34th nationally with an average of 212.7 yards per game.

The Aggies wear down opposing defenses with a number of names, chief among them sophomore back Aaron Jones. That said, quarterback Jameill Showers is not far behind on the list:

NAME CAR YDS AVG LONG TD Aaron Jones 217 1233 5.7 73 (TD) 11 Nathan Jeffery 109 513 4.7 34 5 Jameill Showers 83 288 3.5 21 4 ESPN

A potent and diverse offense means the Miners stand a good chance of breaking a five-bowl losing streak. All the attack needs to do is move past one of the nation's top defenses, easily the best unit the Miners have encountered all season.

Foundation for the Future

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The implications of Saturday's contest for the UTEP program are obvious.

An eight-win campaign and a historic, rare bowl victory are quite the motivating factors. These things are not lost on Kugler.

"It's been a long time since UTEP has won a bowl game, so the theme going into the year was 'make history,'" Kugler said, per Stats LLC. "We have an opportunity to do that if we win our last game."

Do not underestimate the importance of a Utah State victory, though. This program posted a two-win season as recently as 2007 and is on the upswing since Wells took over and the team joined the MWC in 2013.

The next rung on the ladder? Better recruiting pipelines and consistent contention against Boise State and top teams from other conferences.

"I think it's important to understand that your net may be broader and it may be a little wider that you can cast because of your national visibility," Wells said, per Rick Wright of the Albuquerque Journal. "(But) the bottom line is that our recruiting philosophy isn't going to change."

A loss Saturday is not the end of the world for either program, but a win would signal a continued upswing most around the nation would envy.

When: Saturday, December 20, 2:20 p.m. ET

Where: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Television: ESPN

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

Over/Under: 46

Spread: Utah State (-10.5)

Team Injury Reports

Utah State Aggies Injury Report Player Pos. Date Details Status Injury Kyler Fackrell LB 09/01/2014 will miss the remainder of the season Out knee Darell Garretson QB 11/21/2014 is out indefinitely Out wrist Craig Harrison QB 10/26/2014 is out indefinitely Out leg Alex Huerta LB 11/21/2014 is expected to miss the remainder of the season Out shoulder Shaan Johnson WR 09/09/2014 will miss the remainder of the season Out knee Chuckie Keeton QB 10/03/2014 is expected to miss the remainder of the season Out knee Brandon Swindall WR 09/09/2014 will miss the remainder of the season Out Achilles Hayden Weichers WR 11/05/2014 is suspended indefinitely Suspended disciplinary The Sports Network, via USA Today

Texas-El Paso Miners Injury Report Player Pos. Date Details Status Injury Kyle Brown OL 08/15/2014 will miss the entire season Out leg Jeremiah Laufasa RB 09/23/2014 will miss the remainder of the season Out knee The Sports Network, via USA Today

Injury reports per The Sports Network, via USA Today.

Prediction

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Look for Utah State to get back to its defensive ways Saturday.

The run-first approach by UTEP is a product of both strength and necessity, as Showers has completed just 55.7 percent of his passes on the season. Forced into a one-dimensional approach, the Miners will experience issues moving the ball up and down the field against a great unit.

Given current trajectories, UTEP will be in Utah State's shoes in a few seasons. Right now, though, the Aggies are deeper at most spots and can neutralize the Miners' biggest strength.

The result is a comfortable triumph in front of a national audience.

Prediction: Aggies 27, Miners 17



Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.