Never heard of Jordan Palmer? How about Howard Jackson? Or Robert Rodriguez?
Relative unknowns across college football, Texas-El Paso's playmakers have a chance to forge a name for themselves tonight at Sun Devil Stadium and help make Mike Price's name look good again in a much-anticipated season opener.
Palmer, the younger brother of 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer, beat out senior Omar Duarte and junior Orlando Cruz for the starting quarterback job. Tonight marks his seventh career start.
The slight Jackson, UTEP's career all-purpose yardage leader, is one of the nation's most underrated tailbacks, partly because of his 5-foot-9, 160-pound frame. He rushed for 1,146 yards last season, totaling six 100-yard games.
Rodriguez, a converted running back, ranks tied- for-fifth among active Division I players with 322 career tackles. He has posted double-digit tackles in 18 games.
They're a cast of obscure players that Price -- making his UTEP coaching debut after getting ousted from Alabama without coaching a game -- wants to transform into household names.
"Even though this is going to be a difficult game, we're having a great time," said Price, whose team landed in the Valley on Wednesday as 25-point underdogs. "We're going to win some games and we're going to win some games in this stadium, [and some] here in the Sun Bowl. We're going to turn it around."
Only a sophomore, Palmer will be forced to buy some time tonight behind an inexperienced offensive line that features three new starters. Senior center Bo Morris and junior left tackle Josh House, both of whom are making their first career starts, have played in a combined four games.
Last year, Palmer started five of UTEP's last six games and finished the season 98-for-198 with 1,168 yards passing. He threw seven touchdowns and 13 interceptions, averaging one interception every 13 pass attempts as a starter.
Despite Palmer's freshman-like numbers, ASU head coach Dirk Koetter sees plenty of potential.
"I think Jordan is going to end up being a good QB," Koetter said. "He's a big kid who hasn't totally grown into his body yet. I don't think he's the most mobile guy, but I know he can throw the ball.
"We looked at him in high school and really liked the way he threw the football. Obviously, the Pac-10 teams passed on him, but I know it's in him. I think he's just one of those guys that the more he plays, the better he's going to get."
UTEP must establish the run tonight to take pressure off Palmer. That starts with Jackson, who hopes to continue his assault on the school's record books.
Jackson ranks fifth with 2,279 yards rushing, fifth with nine 100-yard games and 10th with 15 rushing touchdowns. His 1,619 kickoff return yards are the third-most in UTEP history.
"He could be playing on a lot of [Pac-10] teams," Koetter said. "He's a little guy, but he's got the ability to make people miss. One of the big keys to a tailback is hanging in there and being durable, and he has done that for a good part of his career."
Rodriguez, an El Paso native, is the sparkplug on a susceptible defense that gave up an average of 38.3 points and 448.3 yards last season.
In a 4-3 front, he should get help from linebackers Godwin Akinduro and Thomas Howard. Then there's UTEP's improved defensive line, highlighted by junior left tackle Chris Mineo, who is healthy after missing spring workouts with a broken arm.
"I'm real pleased with the progress that we're making," Price said. "We're still not where we want to be, but it's a long season."
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
