The UTEP football team is on the eve of having a starting quarterback after its Saturday mock game that closed its fall camp, and while coach Scotty Walden isn't revealing whether Cade McConnell or Skyler Locklear will take the first snap Saturday against Nebraska, he's close.

The scrimmage was closed and no one was tipping anything — "I don't want to make a comment on the quarterback battle" was how tailback Jevon Jackson put it — but Walden sounded like a coach on the edge of a decision.

"I'll announce it next week, I'm not really sure what day," Walden said after the two-and-a-half hour mock game where UTEP ran through everything it will do next week against Nebraska. "I've got to look at film first.

"I brought those two in yesterday and had a great conversation with both of them. They were just like they always are, they handled it like professionals. Those guys are pros in every facet of the word, I love working with all of them. They understood where each other stands.

"Today was a big evaluation in terms of operation on game day, how smooth was it? Are we operating cleanly, was the offensive moving efficiently, a rhythm and a feel? I'll evaluate the tape, go back to a culmination of their work going back to spring, taking everything into consideration and we'll make a decision next week and we'll move forward."

That could come as soon as Monday's press conference to kick off Nebraska week, and meanwhile receiver Jaden Smith — again a star of Saturday's proceedings - gave the company line: "Cade and Skyler, it's neck and neck between those two," he said. "I wish I could have both of them throwing to me on Saturday."

Final UTEP preparations for Nebraska

As for the scrimmage, Walden and the players all felt the team took another step forward in preparation for the season. The scrimmage started at 1:35 p.m. Mountain time, the exact time they'll kickoff Saturday (2:35 p.m. Central time on national television on FOX) and the Miners ran through every scenario they might encounter next week.

The first and second teams suited up in blue game uniforms, while the third and fourth teams were on the other sideline in white representing Nebraska.

"College football, you don't get a preseason game, so this is our preseason game," Walden said. "I thought the guys handled it great. ...

"I was taking a million notes of things we have to clean up. Little things coaching wise: Who's handling spotting our punter? I don't want to be out there next Saturday in front of 100,000 people and be unprepared and be lost. We covered just about every scenario in the game of football in this mock game."

Safety Kory Chapman concurred.

"It went well," he said. "We went over every situation, so when it comes next week it will be second nature. We went over it ample times. Today was putting the icing on the cake, now we're ready to put pen to paper and go to Lincoln, Nebraska and play the best we can."

Said Jackson: "It's understanding what we're doing. Going fast, tempo is our secret weapon. It's going out and executing what we need to execute."

Jaden Smith strong at receiver

As was the case in the first two scrimmages, Smith, a transfer from Eastern Kentucky, was a standout.

"It was a good scrimmage, a nice way to cap off camp," Smith said. "This was my last one, I wanted to go out with a bang and I feel I did that. I feel like I was in shape, the offense was sharp, everybody was going smoothly.

"I don't know how many targets or touchdowns I had, but I did end up in the end zone quite a lot. It's a nice feeling to score, I'm always thankful to get a touchdown, but it's not just me. It's the quarterbacks, the offense, the team."

Third-team QB

Walden also said he's set to make a decision on third-team quarterback, which has been rotating between two freshmen, JP Pickles and Franklin alum Shay Smith. More often than not UTEP will use three quarterbacks in a season so that matters.

"I love Shay Smith and JP Pickles," Walden said. "It is rare to have four quarterbacks as talented as the ones we have. We have a deep quarterback room. My second year coaching we ended up playing a sixth-team quarterback, so I've been through the worst of the worst so I'm paranoid about having depth in that room.

"Shay and JP as freshman are really impressive, they are going to be good for years to come. They have a chance to be great. Ability, attitude and leadership they may be two of the most impressive freshmen I've ever had."

Other standouts

As for who caught Walden's eye in the scrimmage, he rattled off familiar names.

Linebacker "Jalen Rayam was one of the most physical guys out there, thudding up the ball carrier," Walden said. Defensive end "Devin Goree stood out in a big way, having a really good pass rush and playing physically.

"On offense I thought both (receivers) Kam Thomas and Trey Goodman took long ones to the house and they looked in shape. Every time we touched the ball on the perimeter and we touched the ball in the skill spots, we looked explosive and fast. After 20 practices, for them to be that fresh and that fast speaks volumes about how they are taking care of their bodies."

He also cited the play of cornerback AJ Odums, offensive lineman Otis Pitts and the tailback Jackson.

UTEP closed came the way Walden wanted it to. Next up is Nebraska to officially kick off this new era.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP coach to pick QB starter after seeing film of mock Nebraska game