UTEP quarterbacks combined to complete 28 of 45 passes for 385 yards and five touchdowns in the Miners' first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday at the Sun Bowl.
"All five quarterbacks did well," said UTEP coach Mike Price. "Everybody had a chance to play. The opportunity is now here for everybody."
Jacob Gonzales reeled in eight catches for 123 yards with a pair of scores in the 90-minute scrimmage. Dirk Dillard, Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr. and Joe West also registered touchdown receptions.
Reagan Schneider kicked five extra points. He also attempted five field goals on the day. Schneider was 1-2 from 37 yards and 1-3 from 42 yards.
The defense registered seven sacks. The Miner stop troops held the offense, which was without starting tailback Howard Jackson, to 46 yards on 28 carries (1.6 ypc).
"We tackled pretty crisp," Price said.
Orlando Cruz and Andres Mestre each threw for two touchdowns. Mestre, a redshirt freshman from Miami, Fla., had the long pass of the afternoon, a 49-yard completion to Dirk Dillard.
Jordan Palmer completed his first six pass attempts and finished 8-10 for 87 yards. He found Higgins for an 18-yard touchdown early in the scrimmage. Palmer was 5-5 for 74 yards on the scoring drive.
Price is happy with his team's progress a week into spring drills. "We made a couple of discipline mistakes today, which is to be expected after only four days of practice," he said. "The ball was on the ground a few too many times. We have to correct that, which is why we had the offense run after practice.
"I think we're ahead of the curve," he said. "The key is, 'What are we going to do in the next scrimmage.'"
Scrimmage Offensive Statistics
Scoring Plays
Reagan Schneider 37-yard field goal
Andres Mestre 43-yard pass to Jacob Gonzales (Reagan Schneider kick)
Jordan Palmer 18-yard pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr. (Schneider kick)
Orlando Cruz 35-yard pass to Joe West (Schneider kick)
Orlando Cruz 46-yard pass to Jacob Gonzales (Reagan Schneider kick)
Andres Mestre 49-yard pass to Dirk Dillard (Reagan Schneider kick)
Reagan Schneider 42-yard field goal
Passing
Orlando Cruz 9-13-115-2 TD, Andres Mestre 6-8-116-2 TD, Jordan Palmer 8-10-87-TD, Omar Duarte 4-9-65, Jared Burton 1-5-2.
Receiving
Jacob Gonzales 8-123-2 TD, Dirk Dillard 2-56-TD, Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr. 2-42-TD, Jonas Crafts 3-39, Chris Marrow 3-39, Joe West 2-39-TD, Jamar Hunt 5-23, Chris Francies 2-19, T.J. Fakehinde 1-5.
Rushing
Kevin Maurice 5-30, Jimmy Smith 4-29, Josh Chamois 4-2, Matt Ellis 8-(-2), Michael White 6-(-5), Dirk Dillard 1-(-8).
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