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Matchups with regional foes NM State and Texas Tech, plus the renewal of a rivalry with former Western Athletic Conference opponent Nevada highlight the 2019 UTEP Football Schedule, released on Thursday.

“We’re moving to year two and wanting to get the culture established in our second season,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said.  “I’m looking forward to seeing that take shape as we take the field.”

The Miners will kick off the campaign by hosting FCS squad Houston Baptist on August 31 in the Sun Bowl.  UTEP will play a game in the month of August for the first time since 2014.

It’s the first of six home games for UTEP in 2019.  The Miners will also host Nevada (September 21), UTSA (October 5), LA Tech (October 26), Charlotte (November 9) and Rice (November 30).

“We have three teams from the state of Texas coming to play in our stadium, which is always exciting,” Dimel said.  “Also, we have three teams in our division coming here plus a Mountain West Conference opponent in Nevada, which I’m sure will thrill our fans.”

UTEP will play its first road game of the season in week two (September 7) at Texas Tech.  The Miners will alternate playing home and away in the first nine contests of the campaign.

The matchup with the Red Raiders is the first between the Southwest rivals in Lubbock since 2015.  UTEP and Texas Tech will square off for the 24th time overall.

The Miners have two bye weeks scheduled – one on September 14, and another on October 12.

Following the first open week, UTEP will battle Nevada in the Sun Bowl (September 21) for the first time since 2001.  The Miners and the Wolf Pack met three times as WAC members from 2000-02.

Nevada is coming off an 8-5 season and a 16-13 triumph over Arkansas State in the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.  The Miners will face five teams that appeared in bowls during the 2018 season, including C-USA adversaries FIU (Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl), LA Tech (SoFi Hawai’I Bowl), North Texas (New Mexico Bowl) and UAB (Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl).

Four of those teams (Nevada, FIU, LA Tech, UAB) won their postseason contest.

UTEP will open C-USA action at Southern Miss on September 28.  The Miners will turn around and host UTSA on October 5 prior to their second bye week, which falls five games into the season.

Beginning on October 19, the Miners will tackle a demanding stretch that will see them face four 2018 bowl opponents in five games.  UTEP will play at FIU on October 19, at North Texas on November 2, and at UAB on Nov. 16, sandwiched around home dates with LA Tech (October 26) and Charlotte (November 9).

UAB, the defending Conference USA champion, was 11-3 a year ago.  UTEP will be taking on Charlotte, which joined C-USA and the FBS ranks in 2015, for the first time in its football history.

The Miners will play their final road game at NM State on November 23.  The I-10 rivals will meet for the 97th time overall, and in the month of November for the first time since the 1960’s.  It’s the latest Battle of I-10 since a November 26, 1960 matchup in Las Cruces.

The regular season finale is at home against Rice on November 30.  The Conference USA Championship Game is slated for December 7.

All dates are subject to change in order to accommodate national television.  A schedule of televised games will be released at a later date.  UTEP season ticket information will be released later this spring.

2019 UTEP Football Schedule

Aug. 31           Houston Baptist

Sept. 7            at Texas Tech

Sept. 21          Nevada

Sept. 28          at Southern Miss*

Oct. 5              UTSA*

Oct. 19            at FIU*

Oct. 26            LA Tech*

Nov. 2             at North Texas*

Nov. 9             Charlotte*

Nov. 16           at UAB*

Nov. 23           at NM State

Nov. 30           Rice*

Home games in Bold  |  *Conference USA game

Twenty-two past and present UTEP student-athletes will graduate from the university on Saturday, December 15.

The list includes 12 representatives from the football program, six from track & field, three from soccer and one from volleyball.

Highlighting the list of graduates are three-time first team All-American Jonah Koech and seven-time Conference USA champion Lilian Koech from track and field.

Of the 12 graduating football student athletes, 10 have made starts for the Miners (OL Jerrod Brooks, DT Sani Buckingham, RB/LB Treyvon Hughes, DB Alex JeanCharles, WR Terry Juniel, TE David Lucero, DB Nik Needham, WR Warren Redix, OL Tanner Stallings, TE Josh Weeks).

Juniel is ranked in the top-10 in school history in kickoff return yards (1,253) and Needham is UTEP’s career leader in pass breakups with 33.

Nine of the graduates have earned a spot on the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll during their careers for posting a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

 ***

Kylie Baumgartner (Volleyball)

Pleasant Hill, Calif.

Ranks third all-time for block assists (300) and fifth in total blocks (341) in program history … the only Miner to lead the team in block assists and total blocks for three consecutive seasons … participated in 105 matches and had 352 sets played throughout her career … two-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Biology major.

 

Ada Benjamin (Track & Field)

Lagos, Nigeria

Helped the women’s track and field team claim four Conference USA titles, including its first conference outdoor title … registered a personal best of 52.76 seconds in the 400m at the 2017 Conference USA Outdoor Championships, earning a spot at the NCAA West Preliminaries … one-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Entrepreneurship major.

 

Jerrod Brooks (Football)

Dallas, Texas

Offensive lineman who played in 37 games and started in 18 for the Orange and Blue … a four-time letter winner for the Miners … helped Aaron Jones gain a single-season program-record 1,773 yards in 2016 while becoming UTEP’s all-time leading rusher … double major in Communication and Criminal Justice.

 

Sani Buckingham (Football)

Tafuna, American Samoa

A two-time letterwinner … has seen playing time at tight end and in the defensive line while appearing in 17 games in the Orange and Blue … one-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Economics major.

 

Kennadie Chaudhary (Soccer)

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Played in 73 games and started 53 for the Miners … tallied 11 goals, seven assists and 29 points … scored three game-winning goals … helped the Miners to a 1-0 win over Rice at the 2016 C-USA Championships … four-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Forensic Science major.

 

Stephen Forester (Football)

Dallas, Texas

A three-year letter winner for the Miners … saw action in 18 games for UTEP … three-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Finance major.

 

Asa Guevara (Track & Field)

Chaguanas, Trinidad & Tobago

Took gold in the 400m at the 2018 Conference USA Outdoor Championships with a personal best time of 45.26 seconds … was ranked 26th nationally with a personal best of 20.51 seconds in the 200m, posted at the 2018 Desert Heat Classic … advanced to the NCAA West Preliminaries twice … Multidisciplinary Studies major.

 

Treyvon Hughes (Football)

Waxahachie, Texas

Played in 33 games and made eight starts for the Orange and Blue … rushed for 320 yards on 98 attempts … made six starts at linebacker and registered 40 tackles and two quarterback hurries during the 2017 season … Criminal Justice major.

 

Adrian Hynson (Football)

Corpus Christi, Texas

Played in 37 games on special teams and defense for UTEP … a three-year letter winner for the Miners … registered 28 tackles and a sack … Organizational & Corporate Communication major.

 

Alex JeanCharles (Football)

Winter Haven, Fla.

Played in 10 games and made one start for the Orange and Blue … a two-year letter winner for the Miners … Multidisciplinary Studies major.

 

Terry Juniel (Football)

Surprise, Ariz.

Tallied 2,209 all-purpose yards in his UTEP career …  ranked eighth in school history in kickoff return yards … finished the 2018 season ranked third in C-USA in punt return average … Multidisciplinary Studies major.

 

Jonah Koech (Track & Field)

Eldoret, Kenya

Made six NCAA Championship appearances … finished the 2018 outdoor season with a personal best of 1:46.23 seconds in the 800m, finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships … garnered first team All-American honors three times … helped the men’s cross country team claim two Conference USA titles … Management major.

 

Lilian Koech (Track & Field)

Eldoret, Kenya

Helped the UTEP women’s cross country team capture the first conference title in program history … also aided the women’s track and field squad to four Conference USA titles … earned seven Conference USA gold medals and advanced to the NCAA Championships once … Biological Sciences major.

 

David Lucero (Football)

Holtville, Calif.

Registered 20 catches for 322 yards in 2018, becoming only the sixth UTEP tight end to tally 300 yards in a campaign … played in 20 games for the Miners and made 12 starts … closed out his career with 37 receptions for 451 yards and three touchdowns … Multidisciplinary Studies major.

 

Rasmus Maukonen (Track & Field)

Palokka, Finland

Closed out the 2015 season with an NCAA Championship appearance in the javelin and finished 20th overall … launched the seventh-longest throw in program history of 73.64m in the javelin at the 2016 UTEP Springtime meet … three-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Mechanical Engineering major.

 

Nik Needham (Football)

Buena Park, Calif.

Started in 41 games for the Miners … registered a school record 33 pass breakups … concluded career with 213 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions … Organizational & Corporate Communication major.

 

Tyler Ragin (Track & Field)

Macon, Ga.

Helped the UTEP women’s track and field team claim four Conference USA titles, including its first conference outdoor crown … posted a personal best of 5.94m in the long jump at the Sun Angel Classic … three-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Organizational & Corporate Communication major.

 

Warren Redix (Football)

El Paso, Texas

Played in 46 games for UTEP and made 18 starts at wide receiver … registered 85 catches for 856 yards and five touchdowns … saw the field as a running back, receiver and returner … Multimedia Journalism major.

 

Sheridan Smith (Soccer)

Yuma, Ariz.

Appeared in 28 games for the Miners … logged 170 minutes in the Orange and Blue … two-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Multidisciplinary Studies major.

 

Tanner Stallings (Football)

Sterling, Kan.

Played in 17 games and made nine starts for the Orange and Blue … efforts in the offensive line helped the Miners average 185.5 rushing yards per game and 20 rushing touchdowns in 2016, while aiding Aaron Jones to a single-season program-record 1,773 rushing yards … Multidisciplinary Studies major.

 

Carmen Webster (Soccer)

Spring, Texas

Played in nine games for the Miners … assisted on the game-winning goal against Houston Baptist during her first year at UTEP … two-time member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll … Biology major.

 

Josh Weeks (Football)

Show Low, Ariz.

Played in 19 games and made two starts for the Miners … registered 14 catches for 221 yards and one touchdown in his career … Multidisciplinary Studies major.

DALLAS – UTEP linebacker A.J. Hotchkins was named to the 2018 All-Conference USA second team, the league announced on Tuesday.

The transfer started in all 12 games and is tied for first in the league in total tackles with 126. Hotchkins closed out his senior campaign ranking 17th nationally, averaging 10.5 tackles per game.

The linebacker registered double-digit tackle performances in seven games and posted a career-best 15 stops against UAB.

Hotchkins also led the team with seven sacks (49 yards) and added four quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, two pass break-ups and 10.5 tackles for loss (53 yards).

Nine Miners also received C-USA honorable mention for their accomplishments during the 2018 season. On offense, Winston Dimel, Bobby DeHaro and David Lucero were recognized.

On defense, Chris Richardson, Jamar Smith and Nik Needham garnered a spot on the honorable mention list. Punter Mitchell Crawford was the lone Miner on special teams.

Southern Miss got off to a fast start with 16 first quarter points, more than enough for a stout Golden Eagle defense to protect in a 39-7 victory over UTEP on Saturday afternoon in the Sun Bowl.

“Obviously the start wasn’t what we wanted it to be,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said.  “We went in with the direct focus of eliminating turnovers, because I really felt like our defense matched up well against these guys and could hold their own if we didn’t put them in bad situations early in the ballgame.  But we had too many costly turnovers, three more interceptions in the game and then the fumble there to start the second half.  We’ve got to eliminate those things, we’ve got to be more disciplined with our decision making.”

For the third straight game, the Miners turned it over on their opening possession as Brandon Jones’ interception led to a 41-yard return for a touchdown by Rachuan Mitchell.

That was the first of four turnovers by UTEP, leading to 23 points for the Golden Eagles.

Southern Miss converted two Miner turnovers into nine first-half points in building a 19-0 lead at the break.

The Miners couldn’t get going offensively in the first half, tallying 77 yards and five first downs.  Jones made his first career start and was operating behind the Miners’ 10th different offensive line combination in 12 games, as Gamaliel Barboza made his first career start at left guard.

Southern Miss converted a couple more Miner miscues into 14 points in the second half.

UTEP was only able to mount two sustained drives offensively. The first, in the second quarter, produced 54 yards on 12 plays and ended with a 39-yard missed field goal by Jason Filley.  The second came at the end of the game, as the Miners moved 58 yards on three plays in 20 seconds and avoided the shutout with a 41-yard TD pass from Jones to Erik Brown.

The UTEP defense was solid for the most part, yielding 378 yards, with 162 coming on two touchdown drives.

A Southern Miss defensive unit that entered the game rated ninth nationally in yards allowed was nearly impenetrable, as the Miners finished with 187 yards and 12 first downs.

Jones completed 11-of-23 passes for 114 yards and rushed 14 times for 29 yards.

“Brandon had some really good games, he did not have a good game today,” Dimel said.  “That was disappointing but he showed some good things.  Down the stretch here, we had seven offensive linemen healthy for this ballgame.  We’re playing guys who haven’t played all year up front.  And that makes us more one dimensional in what we do and we can’t establish the run game.”

Southern Miss gained 252 of its yards on the ground, as Trivenskey Mosley ran for 107 yards on 14 carries.

Jamar Smith led the Miners with 11 tackles, and Kahani Smith chipped in with 10. A.J. Hotchkins was credited with nine stops and, with 126 on the season, tied FIU’s Sage Lewis for the Conference USA lead.

The Miners will get some reinforcements back on offense in 2019 and will have to replace some playmakers on defense.  They’ll look to build on the progress made in year one under Dimel, when they were competitive in nearly every C-USA game before running out of gas (and bodies) down the stretch.

“I think they’ve really learned how to compete and to stay in ballgames and battle, and be that type of a football team that battles and has pride in what they do,” Dimel said.  “So I’ve been very happy with the progress and the buy-in that they’ve had.  I brought the guys up on the field at the end of the game and wanted to talk to them about that and what the seniors have done for this program, and how proud I am that they’ve been able to contribute and of where they’ve taken us.  Obviously, it’s a development process for us.  We had our ups and downs this year.  We showed some stretches where we played really good football.  Even when we were beat up and battered, we played some really good football.  We have taken some steps, but in the end injuries just got to be insurmountable for our football team.”

The Miners concluded the 2018 season with a 1-11 record (1-7 C-USA), while the Golden Eagles became bowl eligible at 6-5 overall and 5-3 in league play.

Galleries by Andres ‘Ace’ Acosta – Chief Photographer – El Paso Herald Post

Senior Gallery

Game Gallery

The University of Texas at El Paso will honor the contributions of teachers, administrators and support staff at public and private schools throughout Region 19 during the UTEP football game against Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles.

UTEP, with the help of TFCU, El Paso Area Teachers Federal Credit Union, organized this annual event to recognize the efforts of all school personnel who teach, engage, nurture and mentor students in their care.

Their encouragement helps thousands of area students to believe in themselves and their dreams. The ripple effect positively impacts the families, friends and neighbors in our community.

Each teacher, administrator and support staff member received an invitation to the game along with the opportunity to register for up to four general admission tickets.

School employees in attendance will receive a commemorative UTEP/TFCU teacher appreciation t-shirt as they enter the stadium on game day.

For more information contact UTEP’s Office of University Relations at 915-747-8244.

What: UTEP’s Teacher Appreciation Football Game

When: 1 p.m. Saturday, November 24

Where: Sun Bowl Stadium

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – UTEP quarterback Brandon Jones threw for a career-high 340 yards and two touchdowns. But four first quarter turnovers did UTEP in, as WKU scored the game’s first 40 points, including 27 during the first quarter as the Miners fell 40-16 on a brisk Saturday night at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

After an abysmal first half (down 40-0), the Miners put up a fight in the second half.

“We didn’t start as well as we needed to start and had a lot of turnovers,” first-year UTEP head coach Dana Dimel said. “Five turnovers in the first half all by interception were critical mistakes and led to some great field position and great momentum from [WKU] allowed them to take some chances and they executed. We obviously didn’t play well in the first half.”

WKU gained 422 yards of total offense, while Steven Duncan passed for 214 yards and two scores. Quin Jernighan caught seven passes for 82 yards and a score, while the Hilltoppers ran for 208 yards on 50 carries and two touchdowns.

“During the second half, I was really proud of the effort we put out and coming back and keeping our fight,” Dimel said. “We tried to get to a two-score game at the end if we could’ve got in [the end zone]. So, I was proud of that part. Now we’re moving forward with this last game for our seniors who have been incredible this year.”

With the score 40-8, Jones found senior David Lucero down the left sideline and he took it 88 yards to pay dirt. It was a career-long play for both and the longest scoring play since Aaron Jones’s 91-yard touchdown run at Texas Tech in 2015.

Jones made the score 40-16 when he hooked up with Lucero again, this time on the two-point conversion.

Jones’s 340 yards was the most for a UTEP signal caller in 2018. He surpassed Ryan Metz’s 313 yards against North Texas on Oct. 6. Jones went for career highs in completions (14) and pass attempts (25), and at one point went 6-of-7 after a slow start.

Jones’s 340 yards were the most since Jameill Showers’s 365-yards passing at Colorado State in 2013.

Lucero registered his first career 100-yard game, tallying 118 yards on a pair of receptions.

The Miners opened the second half with a 75-yard, seven-play scoring drive. During the drive on a third-and-16, Brandon Jones rushed for 15 yards to the UTEP 34. Dimel elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 and was successful. The offense was in a bunched formation when Jones dropped back, throwing off the WKU defense and completed a short pass to Josh Weeks. The tight end took it for a season-long 38 yards to the WKU 28-yard line. Three plays later, Jones hooked up with Terry Juniel. Jones followed with a completed two-point attempt to Warren Redix, making the score 40-8.

WKU then went three-and-out on its first offensive possession in the third quarter.

Tre’shon Wolf followed with a career-long 48-yard reception from Jones into WKU territory. But the Hilltoppers’ defense stopped the Miners on a fourth-and-two play.

But WKU was too much after UTEP fell 40 points back. The Miners got the ball to the WKU six-yard line, but couldn’t find the end zone after four plays with under two minutes remaining. WKU got the ball back and ran the clock out.

Wolf gained a career-high 63 yards on a trio of catches.

The UTEP defense stepped up in the second half. After allowing 277 yards, the WKU offense was held to just 145 in the second half. The UTEP offense found life during the second half, accounting for 336 of its 392 total yards.

A.J. Hotchkins kept doing what he does best, which was tackling. He was credited with 12 tackles, his seventh double-digit performance of 2018, while the senior linebacker tallied a career best of two sacks.

Justin Rogers tallied a career-high nine stops, while Sione Tupou tied his career best with nine tackles. Kalon Beverly intercepted his second pass of the season during the fourth quarter. It was also Beverly’s fourth of his career.

UTEP will conclude the 2018 campaign on Nov. 24 as it will host Southern Miss on ‘Senior Day’ in the Sun Bowl Stadium with a 1 p.m. kickoff.

Brent Stockstill threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns, and Conference USA East Division leader Middle Tennessee won for the sixth time in seven games with a 48-32 victory at UTEP on Saturday afternoon.

Ty Lee recorded 10 catches for a career-high 158 yards for Middle Tennessee (7-3, 6-1 C-USA), which jumped out to a 14-0 lead and scored 27 of the game’s first 34 points.

The tone was set early as Middle Tennessee drove 75 yards on nine plays for a touchdown on its opening possession, then capitalized on a UTEP fumble to score again less than three minutes later.

“That was a pretty frenetic game for sure, a lot of stuff going on,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said. “I obviously wasn’t happy with the way we started the ballgame. On the first drive we got them into a third and long, they converted (it) and got a nice drive going. They got the first score in. But then offensively, we had a turnover right after that and put them in good field position. So I wasn’t happy at all with our early execution. It allowed them to get some momentum on the road. You’ve got to come out and start faster and start a little more precise than we did tonight. And from then, we were just playing behind.”

The game got away from the Miners after they pulled within a touchdown (14-7) on a seven-yard rushing score by Quardraiz Wadley early in the second quarter. Middle Tennessee tacked on a couple more touchdowns in the quarter, and UTEP couldn’t get closer than 16 points in the second half.

The Miners did get the ball back down a couple of scores with 3:25 to go, but Kai Locksley was sacked twice on the series and UTEP was unable to pick up a first down.

“We made some runs in the game,” Dimel said. “We got some deficits there that were larger than what we’ve been in for quite a while, but again our team rebounded in those types of situations and showed a lot of fight and a lot of character. I really liked what they did as far as making plays and battling. Our defense was out there quite a bit, but they battled and they battled and did some really positive things even though to the naked eye it may not appear that way. And then our offense found some rhythm in the second half and responded, had some success.”

A late flurry gave the Miners (1-9, 1-5 C-USA) a season high for points. They have scored 30+ points in consecutive C-USA games for the first time since the 2014 season. UTEP scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Wadley had a big day for UTEP, rushing 15 times for 99 yards and two touchdowns while going over 1,000 yards (1,019) for his career.

Stockstill was precision-sharp for Middle Tennessee, completing 31-of-40 passes with no interceptions.

“He played as good of a game as any quarterback I’ve been around for quite a while,” Dimel said. “That kid really, really played a ballgame today. He put some passes in some spots and he had to go to his third, fourth and fifth progressions at times and he does it so quickly and gets out there. You can just tell that he grew up in the game, he’s talented and he’s got some moxie and some savvy to what he does.”

The Blue Raiders gained 491 yards to the Miners’ 333.

Locksley and Brandon Jones both saw action for the Miners at quarterback, combining to complete 18-of-39 passes for 218 yards. The tight ends had a huge afternoon for UTEP, as Josh Weeks (4-71) and David Lucero (4-62) were the top two receivers.

UTEP had a pair of double-figure tacklers in A.J. Hotchkins (14) and Nik Needham (10), while Reed Blankenship led Middle Tennessee with nine tackles and two pass breakups.

The special teams standout for the Miners was Terry Juniel with 95 kickoff return yards and 21 punt return yards. He now ranks ninth in school history with 1,103 kickoff return yards.

“Overall our execution can be better than what it was today, but our effort was tremendous,” Dimel said.

The Miners will play their final road game of 2018 next Saturday (Nov. 17) at WKU. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on beIN Sports.

Photo gallery courtesy Andres ‘Ace’ Acosta, Chief Photographer, El Paso Herald-Post

UTEP football’s Quardraiz Wadley was named to the honorable-mention list for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week, the organization announced Tuesday

The junior helped the Miners to a 34-26 win at Rice on Nov. 3. Wadley rushed for 91 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, in the victory.

Wadley put the Miners on the board first with a 12-yard run. Later in the second quarter he added another 12-yard rushing touchdown to extend UTEP’s lead to 20-0. His longest rush of the game came late in the fourth quarter, when he dashed for 25 yards.

Through nine games, the junior has compiled a total of 475 yards rushing yards. His season high came against NM State (Sept. 22), when he registered 111 yards on the ground. He has also contributed to the Orange and Blue offense by picking up 90 receiving yards.
SMU quarterback Ben Hicks was named The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week, while Josh Adkins (QB, NM State), Eno Benjamin (RB, ASU), David Blough (QB, Purdue), Corey Dauphine (RB, Tulane), J.K. Dobbins (RB, Ohio State), Caleb Evans (QB, ULM), Willie Jones III (QB, Texas State), Lee Morris (WR, Oklahoma) and Aca’Cedric Ware (RB, USC) earned-honorable mention recognition alongside Wadley.

UTEP meets Middle Tennessee on “Fan Appreciation Day” Saturday. Early kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in the Sun Bowl. Special fan rewards will be given away throughout the game, and fans are invited to come on the field postgame. The first 2,500 fans will receive free hats. Purchase of a football ticket gains free admittance to the UTEP women’s basketball season opener versus Alcorn State that evening (7 p.m.) in the Haskins Center. For tickets, please call 747-5234.

UTEP burst out to a 27-0 lead in a dominating first-half performance, then held off resurgent Rice in the second half for a 34-26 win, its first victory since 2016.

The Miners (1-8, 1-4 C-USA) stamped out their 20-game losing streak, notched their first win under coach Dana Dimel and handed Rice (1-9, 0-6 C-USA) its ninth consecutive defeat.

It was UTEP’s first triumph at Rice Stadium since 2005, its initial year in Conference USA.

“Obviously the first half was the style of football that I love to see our team play,” Dimel said. “That was good football in all three aspects of what we did. In the second half, give credit to Rice. They came back and did some really positive things and hung in there. That team’s got a lot of fight. But our guys found a way to win. There wasn’t any panic in what we were doing and we just stayed within the game plan. The defense made a couple of great stands there in the fourth quarter. Overall I was very, very happy with the way our football team played and very excited to get the victory.”

The Miners scored the game’s first 27 points for only the third time against a C-USA opponent. UTEP led 34-0 at UTSA in 2014 and 28-0 at North Texas in 2014.

UTEP piled up 310 yards of offense in the first half. Kai Locksley threw for 193 yards in the first 30 minutes, and joined Quardraiz Wadley in rushing for two touchdowns.

It didn’t take long for the Miners to get on the board. Wadley’s 12-yard scoring run with 12:32 left in the first quarter made it 7-0. It was UTEP’s quickest TD versus a C-USA opponent since 2011, also at Rice.

Wadley and Locksley alternated TD runs in the first half, with Wadley scoring twice on 12-yard runs and Locksley picking up a pair of one-yard scores.

Rice only managed four first downs in the first half, with one coming on a 35-yard pass from Wiley Green to Austin Walter late in the half that set up a 43-yard field goal. The Owls had 96 yards in the first half.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, with Treyvon Hughes picking up a 19-yard rushing score.

But Rice came alive in the final period, as Green connected with Austin Trammell for a pair of long scores and the Owls converted back-to-back two-point conversions, suddenly making it a one-possession game (34-26) with a little over eight minutes to go.

The Owls would get a few more cracks at it, but a UTEP defense that has been solid all season long stepped up time and time again. First, the Miners forced a three and out. Then Justin Rogers picked off Green’s desperation pass on 4th and 20 at midfield. The game ended on a 25-yard completion from Green to Jordan Myers at the Rice 36-yard line when the clock ran out.

UTEP was balanced as can be offensively with 210 yards passing and 200 rushing. Locksley completed 13-of-21 passes for 193 yards. Wadley and Hughes rushed for 91 and 76 yards, respectively.

The Miners had a slim edge in total yards (410-383) as the Owls put up 287 yards in the second half. Green threw for 313 yards for Rice, which had a pair of 100-yard receivers in Trammell (112 yards) and Walter (104 yards).

UTEP meets Middle Tennessee on Fan Appreciation Day Saturday, Nov. 10. Early kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in the Sun Bowl. Special fan rewards will be given away throughout the game, and fans are invited to come on the field postgame.

The first 2,500 fans will receive free hats. Purchase of a football ticket gains free admittance to the UTEP women’s basketball season opener versus Alcorn State that evening in the Haskins Center.

For tickets, please call 747-5234.

UTEP held Conference USA West Division leader UAB to a season-low 19 points, but a depleted Miner offense was held scoreless on Saturday night in the Sun Bowl.

The Miners (0-8, 0-4 C-USA) limited the Blazers to 357 yards.  The 19 points were the fewest scored by UAB (7-1, 5-0 C-USA) versus a Conference USA opponent in its remarkable two-year run since reinstating its football program.

The UTEP offense, however, was only able to generate 120 yards, including 19 rushing, against a stout Blazer defense that has now surrendered seven points or fewer in four of five league games.

“Really, really pleased with the effort that our defense gave us throughout the whole ballgame,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said.  “I thought early they [UAB] established some run game with what they were doing, but we made some good adjustments.  That was the game plan that we really wanted to stick to.  Going in, I told our guys that we needed to execute a game plan to win this ballgame.  The first part of it was we can give up a little bit in the run game, but don’t let them beat us over the top.  Make them grind it out.  And after that first scoring drive, I think we really locked down into that.

“We just needed to get some drives going offensively, a score, and a drive going offensively and the game’s right back in our hands.  That’s the part that we failed on.  We didn’t execute offensively and get anything established against their defense.”

The Miners started three freshmen on offense including true freshman left tackle Elijah Klein, who was playing in his first collegiate game.

Still, UTEP was in it in the fourth quarter for the fourth time in as many C-USA games.  The Blazers held a 12-0 lead heading to the final frame and were held to two touchdowns on the night.

The Blazers put 10 points on the board in the first quarter off a 15-yard scoring run by Spencer Brown and a 36-yard field goal by Nick Vogel.  The Miners lost starting quarterback Kai Locksley in the second period when he re-injured his ankle, leaving Brandon Jones at the controls of the offense for the second straight week.

“Going into the game with his ankle the way it was, I didn’t want to set him back, so I wasn’t going to run him near as much in this game,” Dimel said.  “Because of his injury, I was trying to get him established in the passing game and he got hurt on a passing play.”

The Miner defense made a tremendous goal line stand in the third quarter as Brown was stuffed for a one-yard loss on fourth down at the one.  However, the Blazers scored a safety on the next play when Quardraiz Wadley fumbled, Jones recovered and was tackled in the end zone.

A 36-yard field goal by Jason Filley in the third quarter was taken off the board by an illegal formation penalty on UTEP.  His corresponding 41-yard attempt was wide right.

The Blazers put the game away with a 12-play, 63-yard TD drive late in the fourth quarter.  UAB backup quarterback Tyler Johnson III made it 19-0 with a four-yard rushing score.

Brown rushed 21 times for 103 yards for UAB, which ran for 265 yards as a team.

Locksley (7-for-11, 52 yards) and Jones (5-for-9, 49 yards) combined to complete 12-of-20 passes for 101 yards for the Miners.

UAB piled up 12 tackles for losses, including 2.5 each by Fitz Mofor and Chris Woolbright, contributing mightily to UTEP’s low rushing total.

A.J. Hotchkins racked up a career-high 15 tackles for losses for the Miners, and Jamar Smith added 10 stops.

“All in all I thought our defense fought,” Dimel said.  “They were out there too long.  They were put in some tough situations and responded great.  And that’s encouraging, because if you keep playing defense like that you’re going to keep yourself in ball games like we did tonight.  We’ve just got to fill the pieces of our offense there, we lost five more guys between last week’s game and this week’s game injury-wise.  Six of our top offensive linemen did not play tonight, and that showed.”

The Miners will play at Rice (1-8, 0-5 C-USA) next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. MT. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Photo gallery by Andres ‘Ace’ Acosta, Chief Photographer, El Paso Herald-Post

Mark McDonald, a UTEP Football Letterman from 1970-71, has donated his two tickets on the 50-yard line for Saturday’s game against UAB in support of the “Seats For Soldiers” program.

McDonald lives 300 miles from El Paso in Midland, Texas.  The long-time Miner supporter is traveling to Colorado on family business, but sent his tickets to the UTEP Athletic Department via overnight service from Hereford, Texas.  They’ll be arriving Thursday and will be given to a military family.

“I don’t see how I can possibly begin to thank our servicemen and women for everything that they do for us,” McDonald said.  “Maybe, just maybe, this is a little token of appreciation.  I’d like to thank them for everything that they do for us civilians.  They could do my job, but I couldn’t do their job.”

While he lives far away from El Paso, McDonald noted that it’s also important for local fans who can’t make it to Saturday’s game to donate their tickets.

“Fort Bliss is right there and they’ve been good neighbors to the university for years and years,” he said.  “I know that local Miner fans can’t come every week either.  It’s impossible.  But to make the tickets available to servicemen and women is a way of bringing the university community and the military community closer.  And I think that’s important, not only for UTEP but for the city of El Paso.”

Saturday’s game is “Military Night” and will feature static displays around the stadium and an enlistment ceremony at halftime.  The game will also feature a postgame fireworks show courtesy of Speaking Rock Entertainment Center.

Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m.

To participate in the Seats for Soldiers program, please visit the UTEP Athletics website.

RUSTON, LA. – UTEP took LA Tech down to the wire on Saturday afternoon in Ruston but Brandon Jones, on for the injured Ryan Metz, overthrew David Lucero in the end zone on fourth and 20 in the final seconds and the Bulldogs escaped with a 31-24 victory.

The Miners (0-7, 0-3 C-USA), playing a game where they were tied or leading in the fourth quarter for the first time since the 2016 season finale, knotted it at 24 on a 36-yard field goal by Jason Filley with 11:23 to go.

On fourth and one at the UTEP 43 with under seven minutes remaining, LA Tech quarterback J’Mar Smith broke free for a 43-yard rushing score that proved to be the difference in the game.

The Miners started their final drive at their own 49 with 1:47 to go following a 16-yard punt return by Terry Juniel.  They got to the Bulldog eight, but a 15-yard facemask penalty was a back breaker.

“Again, I liked the way the guys competed and fought, they really took it down to first and goal at the [eight] yard line and just didn’t complete the drive right there,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said.  “LA Tech’s players stepped up, #45 [DE Jaylon Ferguson] is a heck of a player and he really brought some energy on that last drive and made some plays.”

The Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead with 8:00 remaining in the first quarter on a 19-yard interception return for a TD by L’Jarius Sneed. The Miners tied it up on a 25-yard TD pass from Metz to Keynan Foster with 5:55 to go in the period. Foster, who finished with four catches for 84 yards, picked up three receptions for 73 yards on the drive.

LA Tech marched down the field to regain the lead, moving 75 yards on three plays in 1:21 and pulling in front, 14-7, on a 19-yard TD pass from Smith to Adrian Hardy.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to 17-7 on a 19-yard field goal by Bailey Hale at the end of the half.

UTEP put together an impressive drive to start the second half but lost Metz in the process. After he single-handedly accounted for 59 yards on the drive (22 passing, 37 rushing), he exited with a possible concussion and in came Jones for his first action of the season. The Bakersfield College transfer scooted in for the six-yard touchdown run to pull the Miners within three at 17-14.

LA Tech pushed the lead back to 10 (24-14) on a five-yard touchdown run by Kam McKnight with 7:16 remaining in the third. But the Miners would counter once again with a 12-play, 78-yard drive, capped by a one-yard TD run by Jones to make it a three-point game (24-21) once again.

UTEP tied it at 24 on a 36-yard field goal by Jason Filley with 11:23 left in the fourth quarter.

“All in all, the first turnover was a big part of the ballgame where they scored that touchdown. That gave them a little bit of momentum,” Dimel said.  “But again we rallied back and made it a good ballgame.  And the [field goal] they got before the half to put them up 17-7 was a big play in the game as well.  And then we came back in the second half and just kept fighting.”

Metz completed 11-of-17 passes for 164 yards and Jones completed 7-of-15 passes for 98 yards as the Miners registered a season-high 19 completions.

Smith completed 17-of-29 passes for 156 yards for LA Tech.  Teddy Veal had 103 yards receiving and Jaqwis Dancy rushed for 93 yards.

A.J. Hotchkins posted 11 tackles for the Miners, who had a season-high four sacks including two by Denzel Chukwukelu.  Ferguson was responsible for 3.5 of the Bulldogs’ four sacks.

“I was really pleased with the way our defense played throughout the whole game,” Dimel said.  “They held them to pretty limited yardage and got into some tough situations where we weren’t establishing good field position early in the game, and our defense responded really, really well to that.  So the overall play of the defense was really good against a good offensive football team.  And then I liked the way the offense responded when we got down to our third quarterback.  Brandon stepped up and did some really positive things.”

“Right now our team is overcoming a lot of adversity and going out and fighting with a lot of heart and a lot of effort,” Dimel said.  “It’s a fun team to watch play, and that’s what we appreciate the most.  The people of El Paso should be proud with the way the football team is competing.”

The Miners will return to the Sun Bowl to battle UAB on “Military Night” next Saturday (Oct. 27) at 5:30 p.m. The game will feature a postgame fireworks show. Call 747-5234 for tickets.

Discounted tickets are available for all military members. Special group pricing and experiences are available by calling 747-6150.

UTEP went toe-to-toe with defending Conference USA West Division champion North Texas on Saturday in the Sun Bowl, but the Mean Green escaped with a 27-24 victory.

Down 27-24, the Miners (0-6, 0-2 C-USA) got the ball back with 2:45 to go. Following a roughing the passer call on the Mean Green, UTEP had a first down at its own 31-yard line and a chance to win. But the drive stalled after that, as David Lucero couldn’t corral Metz’s long pass on fourth and 17.

The Mean Green (5-1, 1-1 C-USA) ran out the clock and averted a major upset.

“We’ve just got to make more plays and eliminate turnovers,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said. “That’s the big thing for us right now, is the turnovers, and we’ve got to win the turnover game. And honestly we didn’t do that. So we’ve got to continue to work to do that and we’ll be a lot better off. We had two picks and they had none. So we’ve got to play a more clean football game. We had a bunch of kids making good plays and doing a lot of nice stuff. I was proud of the way the guys fought tonight and proud of their effort.

“I’m really happy with what they did out there. We were in the game with 17 of the guys in our two deep [at the beginning of the season] that didn’t play tonight. So the guys that we’ve got out there are fighting their tails off right now.”

The game was tied at 10 after the teams traded blows in the first half. North Texas appeared to take control in the third quarter, as a 29-yard field goal by Cole Hedlund and an 11-yard TD pass from Mason Fine to Rico Bussey instituted a 20-10 lead. But the Miners just kept on coming.

Metz’s one-yard TD run ended a 12-play, 90-yard drive, and the Miners were within three (20-17) with 10:43 to go.

A 75-yard drive by the Mean Green, capped by a 20-yard rushing score by Nic Smith, pushed the UNT lead back to 10 (27-17) with 5:46 left. But UTEP wasn’t done.

It took the Miners only 41 seconds to get right back into it, as Metz found Keynan Foster for a 67-yard touchdown reception.

The defense forced a three-and-out, giving the offense one final opportunity.

North Texas punted four times, but only once in the second half when it scored on its first three drives. The Miners did not punt in the second half, and a 53-yard missed field goal that was blocked by the Mean Green late in the third quarter loomed large.

Still, the Miners inch closer and closer to a victory with their third straight game that they had a chance to win in the fourth quarter.

“It was close, it was right there,” Dimel said. “It goes down to a lot of plays when you have a close game like that. But we were right there again. David made a great effort and almost pulled it in. It was a really, really tough catch. He had it for a second and it would’ve been a heck of a play if he had made it.”

Ryan Metz threw for 313 yards – the most by a UTEP quarterback since 2013 – and Warren Redix also had a career day with seven receptions for 131 yards.

“I think Metzie did a really good job of finding open receivers and doing some things,” Dimel said. “We were trying to match our personnel to what guys do best, and Metz can throw the football.

“We didn’t even think Warren was going to play, and he really had a great week and sucked it up. He was a game time decision and did a really nice job. All the receivers stepped up and made some plays today. I was excited about that.”

A.J. Hotchkins was the star on defense with 14 tackles.

Fine finished 23-of-34 passing for 294 yards for North Texas. Bussey snared eight catches for 117 yards.

“We’re really close,” Dimel said. “It’s right there for us, every game. The last four games, we just continue to get better. We’ve overcome a ton of adversity with what we’re doing. We have a lot of guys out and injured and being able to compete against the conference [division] champions last year, and having the game go down to the last plays of the game is a great tribute to what the guys are doing, how they’re staying with the 1-0 mentality and battling their tails off.”

The Miners will enter their bye week and return to action on Oct. 20 at LA Tech. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. MT and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Gallery by Andres ‘Ace’ Acosta – Chief Photographer, El Paso Herald-Post

The University of Texas at El Paso will have a lot to sing about during Homecoming week, which started last Friday and concludes Saturday, October 6.

This year’s Homecoming celebration will incorporate the student-selected theme – “Musicals” – paying homage to melodious sensations of the stage and screen from past and present.

“Homecoming is definitely our favorite time of year,”said Maribel Villalva, UTEP assistant vice president for alumni relations. “We can’t wait for our alumni – as well as the El Paso community – to come to the UTEP campus and help us celebrate this great University.”

Homecoming activities and events throughout the week are organized to welcome alumni and friends back to campus, engage students and celebrate Miner pride.

UTEP students, alumni, faculty and staff are invited to come out and show what it means to be a Miner at noon Thursday, October 4 at Centennial Plaza.  The Homecoming Pep Rally will feature performances from the UTEP marching band, cheerleaders and Golddiggers dance team, fun giveaways and special guests.

The first 500 attendees will receive an ice-cold beverage and frozen dessert. After the pep rally, the entertainment continues with inflatables and a fun competition between Team Orange and Team Blue. Watch UTEP faculty and staff challenge students.

The 2018 recipients of the Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nugget Award will be recognizedat the Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Friday, October 5, hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations at the Don Haskins Center. For ticket information, call 915-747-6361 or visit the alumni website.

On Saturday, October 6, the Office of Alumni Relations together with the Miner Athletic Club will host what they are calling “the biggest tailgate in town” from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 at Kidd Field. For ticket information, visit the alumni tailgate page.

The Homecoming celebration will be capped off that night with the football game between the Miners and the University of North Texas Mean Green at 5:30 p.m. in Sun Bowl Stadium.

Inner campus tailgates may start at 2 p.m. while tailgating in outer lots may begin at 8 a.m. For more information on tailgating rules and regulations, visit tailgate rules webpage.

“We will have so many great events throughout the week, culminating in the Homecoming football game at the Sun Bowl,” Villalva said. “Homecoming is also UTEP’s opportunity to thank its alumni for their support and to showcase a talented group of individuals who are being honored as the 2018 Distinguished Alumni and Gold Nuggets. This group of alumni represent the excellence that UTEP bestows. We look forward to connecting the past and the present and to including our current students in this yearly celebration.”

Author:  Christina Rodriguez – UTEP Communications

SAN ANTONIO – UTSA built a big halftime lead, then held off a fierce UTEP second-half rally and topped the Miners, 30-21, in the Conference USA opener for both teams on Saturday night at the Alamodome.

The Roadrunners (2-3, 1-0 C-USA) led 24-7 at halftime, but allowed the Miners (0-5, 0-1 C-USA) to get within three points in the fourth quarter before holding them off at the end.

Jared Sackett kicked three field goals for UTSA, including a 51-yarder at the end of the first half and a 47-yarder with 35 seconds to go that put it away.  He accounted for all six of the Roadrunners’ points in the second half, when they were outscored 14-6.

The Miners scored two touchdowns in the second half, but couldn’t come all the way back from a 24-7 deficit.

The game got off to a promising start as the Miners recovered a fumbled punt return by the Roadrunners near midfield, took advantage and took their first lead of 2018. Kai Locksley’s three-yard rushing TD made it 7-0.

UTEP forced another UTSA punt on the next drive and had momentum. But Terry Juniel muffed the punt return and the Roadrunners’ Andrew Martel recovered the fumble at the Miner seven yard-line. One play later, UTSA tied the game on a touchdown run by Cordale Grundy.

The Roadrunners took advantage of excellent field position once again, as they began their first drive of the second quarter in Miner territory. They moved 48 yards on seven plays and Grundy connected with Carter McCarthy for a nine-yard score, making it 14-7.

Shortly after, Clayton Johnson picked off Locksley deep in UTEP territory and returned it to the Miner 20. The Roadrunners capitalized with a 15-yard TD pass from Grundy to Tykee Ogle-Kellogg for a 21-7 lead.

The Roadrunners tacked on a 51-yard field goal by Sackett at the end of the half.

The Roadrunners scored 14 points off UTEP turnovers in the first half. Of UTSA’s eight first-half drives, three started in UTEP territory and two others began near midfield.

“That six-minute span right there was disappointing for our football team, the turnover on the punt and then the interception, those two right there back-to-back,” UTEP coach Dana Dimel said.  “I liked the way we came out of the locker room and played well.  I felt like we had the game where we wanted it.  Those unforced errors, we talk about that all the time. Those two were gigantic, we gave the ball to them inside the 20 twice.”

The Miners got back into it with a couple of impressive second-half touchdown drives. Locksley’s six-yard TD pass to David Lucero completed a seven-play, 71-yard drive and made it 24-14 with 5:26 remaining in the third quarter.  Quardraiz Wadley’s three-yard punch into the end zone concluded a 10-play, 69-yard drive and inched UTEP closer at 24-21 with 13:08 left in the game.

Sackett’s 39-yard field goal with 9:49 to go gave the Roadrunners a little breathing room at 27-21. The Miners had a couple of opportunities to take the lead but the UTSA defense stiffened, forcing a punt and an errant fourth-down pass by Ryan Metz, who was in for the injured Locksley.

Grundy completed 20-of-35 passes for 187 yards for UTSA.

The Miners had an edge in total yards (297-278) for the second straight game behind Locksley, who completed 10-of-16 passes for 117 yards and rushed for 106 more.

UTEP has allowed less than 300 yards in back-to-back games versus FBS opponents for the first time since 2010.

“What I talked to the team about in the locker room is how good a job the defense did in the second half,” Dimel said.  “They got two short fields there in the first half, then in the second half they gave up three points besides the field goal there at the end.

“If we control the ball better and eliminate those turnovers, it’s a different ball game. But that’s part of it … a recurring theme is taking care of the football better.”

UTEP hosts unbeaten and defending Conference USA West Division champion North Texas next Saturday (Oct. 6) at 5:30 p.m. MT. It marks the Miners’ 87th Homecoming game.

Next week’s game will feature a 30th anniversary reunion of the 1988 Miners, the winningest team in school history. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the chance to receive one of a limited number of commemorative 1988 replica jerseys. Gates will open at 4 p.m. For tickets, call (915) 747-5234 or visit Ticketmaster.