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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
Baechle, Gavin
UTEP Athletics
21
Florida Atlantic FAU 3-5 , 2-2
24
Winner UTEP TEP 4-4 , 2-2
Florida Atlantic FAU
3-5 , 2-2
21
Final
24
UTEP TEP
4-4 , 2-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
FAU Florida Atlantic 0 7 7 7 21
TEP UTEP 0 6 8 10 24

Game Recap: Football |

Walk-off Victory! Baechle’s FG Clips Owls, 24-21, Saturday Afternoon


Game Book | Post Game Notes

EL PASO, Texas — Gavin Baechle connected on a 27-yard field that lifted UTEP to a 24-21 walk-off victory over Florida Atlantic on a windy Saturday afternoon in the Sun Bowl. 
 
Deion Hankins's career-high 138 yards rushing propelled the Miners (4-4, 2-2 Conference USA) to their third straight win in the Sun Bowl and 10th victory in the last 13 games in the "915." The Owls (3-5, 2-2 C-USA), after taking an eight-point lead (14-6), were outscored 18-7 over the final 24 minutes of the ball game. 
 
"Obviously, lots of stuff going on in that game. But the bottom line is our guys found a way to get a win. What we talked about is they're not flinching. No matter what the adversity is, they didn't flinch today. They stuck together and they hung in there and had a good second half of football which is big for us to have good second halves like we did," UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel said. "I'm really proud of the effort to get a win when we were down at the half. The wind played a big part in the game. It reminded me of all those K-State games where you're fighting in the northern part of the country."
 
For Baechle, the wind didn't bother the senior kicker. His last successful attempt was the 51st of his career, setting a program record. Baechle's make was his 15th consecutive field goal – the most by a UTEP kicker since the 2008 season. Baechle's trio of field goals also tied his career best. 
 
It had also been a while since UTEP fans had witnessed a walk-off winner, as the last time came on Sept. 25, 2010, when Dakota Warren nailed an 18-yard game-winning field goal against Memphis as time expired. 
 
After FAU tied the game at 21, UTEP received the ball and started the game-winning drive from its own 25. The Miners converted on a pair of third downs that kept the drive moving. The first came on a third-and-6 when Gavin Hardison found Tyrin Smith for a 16-yard reception to the UTEP 45. The second came on a third-and-1 in which Hankins plunged forward for a two-yard gain and a UTEP first down. 
 
UTEP's offense gained 412 yards of total offense, including 234 yards on the ground. UTEP averaged 5.7 yards on 41 attempts. The Miners have tallied 400+ yards in the first four C-USA games for the first time since the 2009 season (six straight). UTEP's offense was also 5-of-5 in the red zone (two touchdowns, three field goals). 
 
Hardison finished the day 16-of-26 with 178 yards and his 33rd career TD pass. He gained 22 yards and scored his first career rushing touchdown. Smith concluded the game with 70 yards on seven receptions. Smith has caught a pass in 20 consecutive games, while he's registered at least two catches in the last 14 contests. Ronald Awatt finished with 99 all-purpose yards (59 rush, 40 rec.).
 
The UTEP defense yielded FAU to 329 yards. The Owls were averaging 435.7 yards of total offense per game and 29.7 points per contest entering Saturday. The Miners sacked FAU QB N'Kosi Perry three times, led by Jadrian Taylor's 2.0 sacks. Taylor also tallied a career-high eight tackles, while tying his career best with 3.5 tackles for loss. Bryton Thompson and Cal Wallerstedt shared a sack. 
 
Wallerstedt, who was injured a few weeks ago at LA Tech, responded with a career-high and team-high 11 tackles. Ty'reke James tallied his first career fumble recovery and a forced fumble, while he recorded a career-high seven stops. 
 
After a back-and-forth scoreless first quarter, the Miners got on the board first early in the second. Taylor recorded his sixth sack of the season that forced the Owls to punt. UTEP then drove the ball 51 yards on 11 plays that resulted in a Baechle 29-yard field goal. 
 
The Owls took a 7-3 lead when Larry McCammon made a quick move to the right found a gap between the guards untouched and burst out of a crowd of UTEP defenders for a 32-yard score at the 2:33 mark of the second quarter. 
 
The Miners got within a point (7-6) right before the half when Baechle connected on a 32-yard field goal – the second of the game. 
 
FAU looked to extend the lead, but Owls' kicker Morgan Suarez missed on a 52-yard FG attempt into the wind at the 8:21 mark of the third quarter. 
 
However, FAU safety Teja Young intercepted a Hardison pass and took it 72 yards for a score and a 14-6 edge. 
 
But UTEP rallied and tied the contest 14-14 when Hardison tallied his first career rushing touchdown on a five-yard attempt that was set up by Hankins's career-long 72-yard dash. Hardison then found Trent Thompson in the end zone for the two-point conversion to tie the contest.
 
After forcing FAU to punt, UTEP took over at its own 37 late in the third quarter. Hardison marched the Miners 63 yards on eight plays that resulted in a four-yard touchdown reception to Reynaldo Flores and a 21-14 lead at the 12:11 mark of the fourth. For Flores, it was the first receiving score of his career.
 
The Owls, on their ensuing possession, tallied only five yards on six plays and were forced to punt that gave UTEP the ball back with over nine minutes left in the contest. But FAU returned the favor after limiting the UTEP offense to only seven yards on five plays to get the ball back at the 7:09 mark of the fourth. FAU moved the ball 89 yards on seven plays on the ensuing drive that resulted in an Austin Evans eight-yard TD catch with just over four minutes to play. 
 
Following the touchdown, Praise Amaewhule blocked the extra point attempt in which the ball was recovered by Latrez Shelton. He took it to pay dirt for a possible two-point conversion. However, Amaewhule, who lost his helmet on the block, was penalized for actively being involved in the play without his helmet on. FAU was able to re-kick the extra point in which Suarez tied the game at 21 with 4:36 remaining in the ball game. 
 
The Miners drove the ball 65 yards on 13 plays that resulted in one of the biggest field goals made in program history. 
 
"We just finished the drive by running," Dimel said. "[Florida Atlantic] knew we were going to run it. That's what we did in the Boise St. game, and we did it in this game when we really needed to. And then, of course, Gavin kicking the field goal and making all his field goals again today, which is really critical, and set the school record for field goals, which is really, really pretty cool."
 
UP NEXT
The Miners return to the Sun Bowl for a contest against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. MT in the "90thHomecoming Game" in Sun Bowl Stadium. For tickets, visit www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets or call (915) 747-UTEP.​
 
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