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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
UTEP v Boise State
UTEP Athletics
10
Boise St. BSU 2-2 , 1-0
27
Winner UTEP TEP 2-3 , 0-1
Boise St. BSU
2-2 , 1-0
10
Final
27
UTEP TEP
2-3 , 0-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
BSU Boise St. 3 0 7 0 10
TEP UTEP 0 10 10 7 27

Game Recap: Football |

Miners Buck Broncos, 27-10, Under the Friday Night Lights in the Sun Bowl


Game Book | Postgame Notes

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP came out with a game plan and executed it perfectly, defeating Boise State, 27-10 on Friday night in the Sun Bowl. The Miners posted their first ever win over the Broncos.
 
The Miners (2-3) tamed the Broncos (2-2) to 177 yards of total offense – the least allowed in a game since the 2014 season (at UTSA). The UTEP offense grinded out 322 yards of total offense, including 199 on the ground. UTEP ran the ball 54 times to only 11 pass attempts.
 
UTEP, a 16-point underdog, won its first game in seven tries against Boise State since the series started in 2000.
 
"We played more the type of football that we would need to play," fifth-year UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel said. "We ran the ball really well and controlled the clock and our defense just played outstanding against a really good offensive team with some really nice looking, running backs and nice-looking receivers and really good quarterback has proven and done some really good things."
 
Deion Hankins rushed for a game-high 86 yards, his most since the 2020 season, while Jeremiah Ballard – in his first career start – hauled in career-high 64 yards on four receptions, including his first career touchdown on a 42-yard reception from Gavin Hardison. Reynaldo Flores capped the night with a three-yard touchdown – also the first TD of his career – to put UTEP up 27-10 last in the fourth quarter. Flores gained a career-high 41 yards on the ground.
 
Hardison was efficient on the night, completing 10-of-11 passes for 123 yards and a TD. He was the first Miner since 1999 to have only one incompletion (minimum 10 pass attempts) in a single game.
 
The Miners controlled the tempo of the game all night, muzzling the Broncos and winning the time of possession 40:35 to 19:25. Boise State rushed for 84 yards, while only passing for 93 yards and averaging 2.7 yards per attempt. 
 
"I just felt like we went back to our roots a little bit, which we had talked about earlier in the week and just kind of put a little bit more on our offensive line and our running backs and do what we need to do to move the sticks," Dimel added. "But a lot of it was because our defense was playing so well, too, and was just such a group effort by everybody."
 
Cal Wallerstedt led the defense, tying his career best with nine tackles. Tyrice Knight tallied seven stops, while Ilijah Johnson tied his career high with three pass breakups. The Miners totaled seven breakups as Dennis Barnes added two of his own.
 
The defense didn't record a sack but did register a season-high 12 QB hurries. It was the most hurries since the 2009 season. Praise Amaewhule and Keenan Stewart tallied three apiece, while Kelton Moss – after missing last week's game – posted a pair of hurries to go along with four tackles.
 
After the Broncos tied the game 10-10 early in the second half, Gavin Baechle gave the Miners the go-ahead lead at 13-10. But the game was broken wide open when Marcus Bellon returned a punt 47 yards to the house late in the third quarter to give the Miners a commanding 20-10 lead. It was UTEP's first punt return for a score since 2015 at NM State.
 
"I'm really proud of the effort that they had," Dimel said. "Our special teams did some good things, obviously with Marcus returning the touchdown on the punt return."
 
Boise State got on the board first when Jonah Dalmas connected on a 24-yard field at the 6:57 mark after. The Broncos forced the Miners to punt on their first drive, getting the ball at the UTEP 40. The UTEP defense held its own as BSU went only 33 yards on 11 plays. 
 
UTEP answered with a field goal of its own when Conference USA leader in made field goals Baechle hit a 35-yarder early in the second quarter. The Miners drove the ball 57 yards on 14 plays.
 
UTEP took a 10-3 advantage on an eight-play, 72-yard drive that resulted in a Hardison to Ballard 42-yard touchdown at the 2:10 mark of the second quarter. It was Ballard's first career score, while Hardison tossed his 27th career touchdown, moving to no. 9 on the program's all-time passing TD's list.
 
Coming out of the locker room down 10-3, the Broncos took the first drive of the second half 75 yards on eight plays that resulted in a Hank Bachmeier to Stefan Cobbs 15-yard scoring pass.
 
UTEP regained the lead 13-10 on Baechle's second field goal, a 25-yard make at the 3:01 mark of the third quarter. The Miners drove the ball 65 yards on 13 plays. The Orange and Blue ran the ball 11 times, led by Deion Hankins's five carries for 24 yards. 
 
The Miners followed with one their biggest plays thus far in 2022 as Bellon took a punt return 47 yards to pay dirt late in the third quarter.
 
Bachmeier finished 13-of-34 for 93 yards and a score. George Holani gained 75 yards on 16 carries.
 
UP NEXT
UTEP will return to Conference USA action for the first of two road contests when it travels to Charlotte on Oct. 1. The Miners and 49ers are set to kick off at 4 p.m. MT/6 ET at Jerry Richardson Stadium. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and can be heard on 600 ESPN El Paso with "The Voice of the Miners Jon Teicher" calling the action with former UTEP WR Cole Freytag providing analysis. UTEP heads back to Charlotte for the first time since 2020. The 49ers defeated the Miners 38-28 on Oct. 10. UTEP follows with a contest at LA Tech on Oct. 8 (5 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | 600 ESPN El Paso).
 
 
Help support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club.
Visit givingto.utep.edu/mac today!
 
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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