UTEP overcame an early deficit, then a string of mistakes by forcing Sam Houston into mistakes; Miners go to 2-5.
UTEP's first victory since the first week of September was never going to be easy, and despite the score, its 35-17 win against Sam Houston certainly wasn't easy.
The Miners fell into an early hole Wednesday night, Oct. 15, turned the ball over twice, had a kick blocked and turned the ball over on downs in their own end of the field. They responded by forcing a turnover, blocking a kick and getting two turnovers on downs on Sam Houston's end.
Every time UTEP had a chance to fold, the Miners found a way to make the play they needed, the play they hadn't made this year. The offense was at its best against FBS competition this year, the defense was timely when needed, and the special teams, after a game of struggles, made a big play.
A 2-5 record, with a win against a Sam Houston team that is now 0-7, doesn't save the season, but it's a step in the correct direction after a four-game losing streak. When UTEP went ahead 14-7 in the second quarter, it marked their first lead in almost 258 minutes of game time and didn't trail again.
How it happened
In a battle of shorthanded teams that lost key players over the course of the night, the turning point came early in the fourth quarter.
After UTEP, leading 21-17, overcame having a field-goal attempt blocked by responding with a midfield stop, the Miners muffed a punt on their own 7 and Sam Houston was that close to taking the lead.
Instead, three plays gained two yards, Elijah Baldwin blocked a field goal. Then, quarterback Skyler Locklear, playing all but two snaps on this night, led a 91-yard drive that ended in a touchdown on a great individual run after catch from Kenny Odom. That made the score 28-17 with 7:07 to play.
Then UTEP got a four-and-out stop and a play later, tailback Ashton Emory, playing with a cast on his arm, darted 34 yards for a touchdown. Locklear finished 21-of-26 for 236 yards passing with 48 rushing yards.
Emory, in his first time in a month as the No. 1 tailback, had 15 carries for 95 yards and for the first time since early September, UTEP found a running game.
The Miners showed killer instinct; they finished, they found a way.
UTEP leads 14-10 after crazy first half
The Miners fell behind quickly but rallied to take a 14-10 halftime lead, the first time UTEP led since its Sept. 6 win against Tennessee-Martin.
While a sequence past the midpoint of the second quarter ultimately didn't swing any points, it was indicative of a wild first half.
With 5:43 remaining and the Miners ahead 14-10, they had a fourth-and-1 on their own 31. They rolled the dice and Shay Smith was stopped on a 1-yard run to hand Sam Houston prime field position.
On the next play, Cody Lowe forced a fumble that Ekow Taylor plucked out of midair and returned 62 yards to the Bearkats 7.
Given that field position, Skyler Locklear tried a throw off his back foot across the field and it was intercepted for the second turnover in two plays and the third change of possession in three plays.
Locklear did finish the half 10-of-12 for 121 yards and rushed for a 2-yard touchdown that gave UTEP the lead.
The Miners fell behind 7-0 after one possession for each team, but the defense turned the game with a fourth-and-2 stop at midfield. UTEP ran a flea flicker that went for 43 yards (Locklear to Eric Willis III), sparking a sequence where the Miners scored on back-to-back possessions for their first lead in almost 258 minutes of football.
UP next
The Miners take 13 days off, their bye week, before taking on Kennesaw State for a Tuesday night game, in Georgia. The Oct. 28 kickoff will be at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNU.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP Miners vs Sam Houston football: Miners overcome mistakes, get win
Category: General Sports
