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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
UTEP Miners FB
Ruben R. Ramirez
28
Bethune-Cookman BCU 0-1 , 0-0
38
Winner UTEP UTE 2-0 , 0-0
Bethune-Cookman BCU
0-1 , 0-0
28
Final
38
UTEP UTE
2-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
BCU Bethune-Cookman 0 0 14 14 28
UTE UTEP 10 0 7 21 38

Game Recap: Football |

Miners Improve to 2-0 After 38-28 Victory over Bethune-Cookman Saturday Night


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EL PASO – Ronald Awatt and Willie Eldridge combined for 244 of UTEP's 289 rushing yards, and Gavin Hardison threw a career-high three touchdowns to lead the Miners over Bethune-Cookman, 38-28, on Saturday night in the Sun Bowl.
 
UTEP is 2-0 for the first time since the 2005 season, while Bethune-Cookman (0-1) fell in its first game played since the 2019 season. BC finished 7-4 that season.
 
"Obviously, we're really excited to be 2-0. I'm really pleased about that," fourth-year UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel said. "Offensively, again we did a lot of good things. We finally got the ground game rolling once we kind of got a feel and fit of what they were doing. This (Bethune-Cookman) is a team that has had a long time to prepare for us. I thought they did a nice job of scheming and playing so we had to adjust to that. I thought that we did that well offensively in the second half."
 
Awatt led the rushing attack with a career-best 126 yards on 19 carries (6.6 avg.), including his second touchdown of season, while Eldridge ran wild, totaling a career-high 118 yards on 14 carries (8.4 avg.). The pair are the first UTEP running backs since 2003 to go over 100 yards in the same contest. 
 
Hardison threw for 183 yards on 14-of-23 passing and hit Trent Thompson (two yards), Jacob Cowing (six yards) and Justin Garrett (eight yards) for scores. 
 
UTEP gained 472 yards of total offense. Tyrin Smith set career highs in receptions (four) and yards (76), including a 52-yard catch. Garrett led the Miners with five catches for 45 yards.
 
The Miners got on the board first on a Gavin Baechle 22-yard field goal at the 8:13 mark of the first quarter. Bethune-Cookman fumbled on a punt return attempt that gave UTEP possession at the BC 10-yard line.
 
UTEP took a 10-0 lead when it converted on a fourth-and-2 play. Hardison faked the handoff, rolled to his right and found Thompson in the end zone on a two-yard pass. It was Thompson's first career touchdown. 
 
The Wildcats came out of the second half and took advantage of a UTEP turnover. Caleb Sutherland sacked Hardison, who fumbled the ball. The Wildcats converted the turnover into a Shannon Patrick four-yard touchdown toss to Marcus Riley to make the count 10-7 at the 13:33 mark of the third quarter. 
 
UTEP responded on the ensuing possession. The Miners went 82 yards on 13 plays that was capped by a Calvin Brownholtz one-yard plunge into the end zone. Eldridge accounted for 44 yards on the drive. 
 
Bethune-Cookman answered UTEP's score with another Patrick touchdown, this time to Kemari Averett on a seven-yard pass to the back of the end zone to get the Wildcats within three points (17-14) at the 3:31 mark of the third quarter. Patrick completed a 58-yard pass to Riley on the drive that helped set up the score.  
 
The Miners took a 24-14 lead when Jacob Cowing scored on a six-yard pass from Hardison early in the fourth quarter. UTEP went 83 yards on 10 plays highlighted by Smith's career-long 52-yard reception to the BC 20-yard line. 
 
Following a Dennis Barnes interception, UTEP capitalized that with Hardison's third touchdown pass of the game. He found Garrett on an eight-yard pass, who got his feet in for the score, putting UTEP up 31-14 at the 10:44 mark of the fourth. 
 
 Awatt capped the scoring with a three-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. 
 
Dy'vonne Inyang led the way defensively for the second consecutive week, tying his career best with six stops, while Barnes added five tackles to go along with his first career takeaway. Keenan Stewart posted four tackles and his first sack of the year, while Breon Hayward also registered his first sack of the year. 
 
The UTEP defense held the Wildcats to 12 first downs, and 333 yards of total offense. 
 
"I thought the defense played extremely well throughout most of the game," Dimel said. "Toward the end we were kind of getting some of the younger guys in, and we kind of let down a bit and gave up a few big plays there in the second half. It kind of tainted the defensive performance a little bit from what we had done. When the game was on the line the defense played extremely well, and did a lot of positive things."
 
UP NEXT
UTEP will play at Boise State (0-1) on Friday, Sept. 10. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. MT at Albertsons Stadium. The Miners and Broncos last played on Sept. 18, 2004, while UTEP's last game at Boise State came on Nov. 15, 2003.
 
 
For complete coverage of UTEP Football, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPFB (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
 
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