close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • UTEP snaps nine-game losing streak with 30-21 win over FIU in Sun Bowl
    news

    UTEP snaps nine-game losing streak with 30-21 win over FIU in Sun Bowl

    Vaseline Posted on

    When Scotty Walden was hired to rebuild UTEP football 10 months ago, the promise was a high-flying offense that would light up the scoreboards.

    He earned his first victory, a 30-21 loss to Florida International Wednesday night in front of 11,373, behind a dominant four-interception defense, and the entire Miner program will take great advantage of that.

    An 84-yard interception return by Dorian Hopkins in the first quarter turned the course of the game, and throughout the rest of the night a Miners defense that had shown flashes of potential before becoming worn down in its first six games only grew stronger.

    All of that put UTEP on the nation’s second-longest losing streak after nine games, and the formula looked like one the Miners could duplicate.

    The attack used short fields for three quarters. After an ugly interception gave the Panthers a fourth-quarter lead, UTEP and backup quarterback Skyler Locklear went 76 yards in 10 plays to pull ahead again with 11:29 to play.

    The defense was overmatched on third down (FIU was 3 of 13 on that one), and two of FIU’s touchdowns came on a short field after the fourth-quarter interception and a blocked punt in the first quarter.

    More: ‘Let’s give this cat a chance’: Ezell Jolly’s time comes for UTEP football team

    After UTEP regained the lead in a game that led for most of the second half, the defense made three more stops, including the third and fourth interceptions of the night, to close out the game.

    Walden has been preaching for two months that the miners should stay the course and that everything will get better. On this Wednesday evening, the party line became a party.

    UTEP leads 17-14 at halftime

    Seemingly on the verge of a two-score deficit in the first quarter, an 84-yard interception return by Dorian Hopkins changed the color of the game and allowed the Miners to take a 17-14 halftime lead.

    At that point, with 32 seconds to play in the first quarter, FIU was up 7-3 and had the ball at the UTEP 12, but Hopkins jumped a route, picked off the ball and had a big return before hitting the opponent stiffly armed. quarterback out of the way and kept fumbling to the 10.

    UTEP’s path to covering those final yards became easier when Locklear’s helmet was removed from a face mask. One play later, he took a keeper three yards for UTEP’s first lead since Week 3.

    The Miners fell back 14-10, but in the final 2:06 of the first half, UTEP pinned the Panthers with a punt, who then had trouble with back-to-back shotgun snaps, and soon the Miners forced a punt in the wind that gave them the ball back at the FIU 42.

    Four plays later, Locklear found Jevon Jackson for a 22-yard touchdown pass for a rare lead.

    It was deserved as the Miners gained first half yards 200-174 and Locklear was 11 of 15 passing for 134 yards.

    Next

    UTEP has another six-day turnaround as it plays its final midweek game of the year at Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night. The 6 p.m. mountain time kickoff, the final evening game of the season, will take place on CSB Sports Network. FIU has the same six-day turnaround and hosts Sam Houston at Pitbull Stadium at 5:30 PM Mountain Time on ESPNU.

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

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like