UTEP Athletics

Miners to Battle Aggies in 100th Meeting, first as CUSA Rivals Wednesday Night

10/16/2023 8:49:00 PM

UTEP NOTES | NM STATE | CUSA NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP will host NM State in a rivalry that dates back decades as the 100^th Battle of I-10 is Wednesday night. The Miners and the Aggies will clash as league foes for the first time in 62 seasons in Sun Bowl Stadium with kickoff set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2 and 600 ESPN El Paso.

Wednesday night's contest is presented by Speaking Rock. Tickets for the Miners-Aggies Battle of I-10 are available by calling 915.747.UTEP, emailing at tickets@utep.edu, or by visiting www.utepminers.com/tickets.

The Miners and Aggies are squaring off as conference rivals for the first time since Oct. 28, 1961 when both were members of the Border Conference. The Miners went 16-7-1 against the Aggies (1935-1961) during that stretch.

On Wednesday, the longtime rivals will meet as new CUSA foes while both squads are coming off conference victories.

The Miners (2-5, 1-2 Conference USA) used eight sacks (most in a single game since 2001) and a prolific passing game to down FIU 27-14 last Wednesday. Reigning CUSA Defensive Player of the Week Maurice Westmoreland tallied career highs in sacks (2.5), tackles for loss (3.5) and tackles (six), while Praise Amaewhule was crowned sack king after breaking the school record during the third quarter. He finished with 2.0 sacks and now has a school-standard 21.5 in his career. Transfer defensive end Kanious Vaughn's career-best 2.0 sacks added to the attack on "Vice Night". Kelly Akharaiyi put up career numbers after recording career bests in receiving yards (223), receptions (eight) and touchdown catches (two). He also hauled in a career-long 80-yard scoring pass from Cade McConnell, who made his first start as a Miner under center against the Panthers. McConnell threw for 262 yards on 11-of-17 passing and had no turnovers. McConnell, who entered the campaign fourth on the depth chart, tossed a second score, a 23-yard TD pass to Akharaiyi as part of a dominant 21-point first quarter. Deion Hankins started the fireworks with a one-yard touchdown, his 20^th career rushing score. Buzz Flabiano added a pair of field goals, including a career-long 37-yard make during the second quarter. Joshua Sloan, who was named the CUSA Special Teams Player of the Year Monday, boomed a career-long 65-yard punt.

The Aggies (4-3, 2-1 CUSA) are coming off a 27-13 win against Sam Houston in Las Cruces on Oct. 11, as CUSA Offensive Player of the Week Diego Pavia accounted for 401 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Pavia threw for 286 yards (20-36) and two scores, while adding 115 yards and a TD on the ground. Trent Hudson led the way with 122 yards on three receptions and two touchdowns. The Aggies totaled 458 yards on offense, while giving up 367. Safety Myles Rowser led with 10 tackles. NM State has won two in a row – both in Aggie Memorial Stadium – defeating FIU 34-17 on Oct. 4. The Aggies have also won three of the last four games, defeating New Mexico 27-17 on Sept. 16, but then falling at Hawai'i 20-17 on Sept. 23. NM State's lone CUSA loss came at undefeated Liberty 33-17 on Sept. 9. Pavia has been one of the top signal callers not only in CUSA but nationally as he's leading an offense averaging 30.0 points per game.

"Talking about New Mexico State where they had a good start to their season. They have a lot of skill on offense. They got good receivers, good running backs, a good quarterback," UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel said. "(They've) had some success this year with those guys. They're very aggressive defensively with what they do. A lot of pressures in that in the defensive scheme that they have. So, a lot of preparation for us goes into this game, and it's always a fun game to play. So, whenever you have your rivalry game, it's great. I think it's great that it's on national TV. I think that's good exposure for both programs, and we're looking forward to the opportunity."

UTEP (2-5, 1-2) vs. NM State (4-3, 2-1)
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 18
Time: 7:00 p.m. MT
Location: El Paso, Texas
Venue: Sun Bowl Stadium (45,971)
X Updates: @UTEPFB

TV: ESPN2
PxP: John Schriffen
Analyst: Cole Cubelic
Sideline: Taylor Davis

Radio: 600 ESPN El Paso
PxP: Jon Teicher
Analyst: Cole Freytag
Sideline: Mando Medina

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The 100^th Battle of I-10 will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with John Schriffen (play-by-play) and Cole Cubelic (analysis) calling the action. The action is on 600 ESPN El Paso with "The Voice of the Miners" Jon Teicher calling play-by-play in his 43^rd season. 'Teich', who just called his 500th UTEP football game, is joined by former UTEP WR Cole Freytag (2012, 2014-16) in the booth providing analysis in his second season, and Mando Medina reporting from the sidelines. The action can also be heard on the UTEP Miners app.

SERIES VS. NM STATE
UTEP leads the all-time rivalry 59-38-2. The Miners lead the Aggies 39-17-1 all time in the 915. Last season, after taking a double-digit lead into halftime, UTEP won 20-13 in Sun Bowl Stadium on Sept. 10, 2022, to extend the win streak to two games. The Orange and Blue also beat NM State 30-3 in 2021. The Aggies had previously won three in a row, defeating the Miners 44-35 (2019 in LC), 27-20 (2018 in EP) and 41-14 (2017 in LC). Prior to that stint, UTEP won eight consecutive games from 2009 to 2016. The 2015 matchup was one of the more exciting of the 100-year rivalry as the Miners rallied to a 50-47 OT victory in Aggie Memorial Stadium. It was the first overtime game in the history of the rivalry. UTEP trailed 30-16 and 44-30 with a little over four minutes remaining in regulation. QB Ryan Metz orchestrated a three-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a 48-yard TD pass to fellow El Pasoan WR Cole Freytag. He then led UTEP on an eight-play, 98-yard march, taking it into the end zone himself with an eight-yard scamper. Aggie K Sy Slater hit a 44-yard FG to open the extra period, but Metz capped the game with a six-yard touchdown pass TE Cedrick Lang. The eight-game winning streak by the Miners is the longest of the series. The two programs first met on Oct. 24, 1914, in Las Cruces with the Aggies coming out on top 19-0. NMSU won the 1915 meeting 30-0, while the Miners' first victory was a 7-6 outcome in 1916. The Aggies' longest win streak of the series is five games from 1920 to 1924 before tying 6-6 in 1925. The Miners won 92-7 in 1948 (most points by UTEP in the series), while the Aggies' top score was 64 during a shutout in 1922.

THE LAST MEETING
After taking a double-digit lead into halftime, UTEP squeaked by with a 20-13 victory in Sun Bowl Stadium on Sept. 10, 2022, to extend the win streak to two games. The Miners jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead, highlighted by RB Ronald Awatt's 22-yard rushing score and a WR Tyrin Smith's nine-yard touchdown reception from QB Gavin Hardison. The Aggies picked up the slack in the second half as NM State QB Diego Pavia scored on 14 and 11-yard touchdown runs. K Gavin Baechle added his second field goal with a 46-yard make in the third quarter. Awatt owned the gridiron with a game-high 115 yards on the ground and a score. Pavia ran for a team-high 69 yards, while RB Star Thomas gained 50 yards on only two carries. LB Cal Wallerstedt led the defense with nine tackles while S Kobe Hylton and DE Praise Amaewhule each added eight tackles. Each team gained 17 first downs, while UTEP gained 298 yards of total offense and NM State tallied 261. The Miners committed a pair of turnovers, while the Aggies gave the ball away a trio of occasions. LB James Neal and Wallerstedt each recovered a fumble, while LB Tyrice Knight intercepted a pass.

GOING BACK TO THE BORDER CONFERENCE
UTEP was 16-7-1 versus NM State when both were members of the Border Conference from 1935-1961. The Miners and Aggies first matchup as conference foes was on Nov. 28, 1935 (Aggies won 7-0 in Las Cruces). The last contest as Border Conference rivals was on Oct. 28, 1961 (NM State won 42-6 in El Paso). At one point, UTEP had won 14 of 16 meetings from 1939 to 1957. The two teams tied 20-20 in 1952, while the Aggies beat the Miners 14-7 in 1946.

HOSTING BACK-TO-BACK IN THE SUN BOWL
UTEP will host the Battle of I-10 for the second consecutive season, making it the first time since the 1999-2000 seasons. The Miners won both contests, 54-23 in 1999 and 41-31 in 2000.

ABOUT NM STATE
The Aggies have won two in a row after defeating FIU 34-17 on Oct. 4 and Sam Houston 27-13 on Oct. 11. QB Diego Pavia has been one of the most consistent field generals not only in Conference USA but on a national scale. Pavia has a QB rating of 166.9, ranking second in CUSA and 18^th in FBS. He's thrown for 1,615 yards on 102-of-164 passing (62.2 percent) with 14 touchdowns. The dual-threat 6-foot, 200-pound QB has added a team-high 431 yards on the ground with a pair of rushing scores. RB Star Thomas leads the team with four rushing TDs and RB Monte Watkins ranks second on the squad with 306 yards on 25 carries (12.2 avg.). WR Jonathan Brady leads the team in receptions (18) and yards receiving (338). WR Trent Hudson paces the team with five receiving scores. LB Keyshaun Elliott leads the defense with 49 tackles and 6.0 tackles for loss. S Torren Union and CB Andre Sheldon each recorded an interception.

CONNECTIONS
Three current Miners were once Aggies as OL Ivan Escobar, TE Kheagian Heckaman and CB Brandon Shivers wore the crimson and black. UTEP offensive coordinator Scotty Ohara served as offensive assistant/QB assistant with NM State head coach Jerry Kill (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach) at Rutgers during the 2017 season. A trio of El Pasoans are on NM State's roster – WR Mile McWhorter (Franklin HS), S Angel Muñoz (Riverside HS) and RB Isaiah Rudison (El Dorado HS).

WEDNESDAY WARRIORS
UTEP is 3-0 in Wednesday regular-season contests following a 27-14 victory at FIU on Oct. 11. Prior, the Miners beat Tulsa 28-24 on Oct. 21, 2009, in the Sun Bowl. The Miners also played on Nov. 11, 1931, during a 14-12 win over Texas Tech in El Paso.

FIRST QUARTER FIREWORKS
UTEP's 21 points in the first quarter at FIU on Oct. 11 were the most since scoring 28 at Tulsa on Oct. 18, 2008. The three touchdowns matched the Miners' trio of scores against NM State on Sept. 15, 2012, however an extra point was missed during that stretch.

MR. 500
Longtime "Voice of the Miners" Jon Teicher  hit a milestone moment that few broadcasters dare to dream of when he called his 500th UTEP football game at FIU on Oct. 11. The legendary play-by-play man is in his 43rd season behind the mic for the Orange and Blue. A 2001 inductee into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame, he was also honored in New York City in December of 2017 as the recipient of the Chris Schenkel Award by the National Football Foundation, for a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football by the National Football Foundation.

FIRST WIN IN "SUNSHINE STATE"
UTEP checked off its first ever victory in the state of Florida on Oct. 11. The Miners are 1-2 at FIU, 0-2 at Florida Atlantic, 0-2 at UCF and 0-1 at South Florida. The 27-14 triumph against the Panthers marked the Orange and Blue's second win in program history in the Eastern Time Zone. UTEP is now 2-26-1 all-time in the situation, also previously winning a shootout at Charlotte, 41-35, on Oct. 1, 2022.

EARLY OCTOBER SUCCESS
UTEP won its first game in the month of October for the third straight season after winning at FIU 27-14 on Oct 11. Last year, the Miners had a historic 41-35 victory at Charlotte on Oct. 1 while knocking off Old Dominion, 28-21, in the Sun Bowl on Oct. 2, 2021.

PRAISE THE SACK KING
DE Praise Amaewhule broke a 30-year-old record after he became the program's all-time sack leader at FIU on Oct. 11. Amaewhule posted the record-breaking sack during the third quarter on FIU QB Keyone Jenkins for a loss of seven yards. Amaewhule added his second sack of the game late in the fourth quarter. The redshirt senior now has 21.5 career sacks surpassing Gonzalo Floyd's (1990-91, 93) total of 20.

PRAISE HIS PERFORMANCE
DE Praise Amaewhule posted 2.0 sacks at FIU on Oct. 11, his most during a single game since 3.5 at LA Tech on Oct. 10, 2020. Amaewhule ranks second on the team with 4.0 sacks, while rating third in Conference USA.

LEADER OF THE SACK
DE Maurice Westmoreland tallied a career-high 2.5 sacks at FIU on Oct. 11. Westmoreland leads the Miners with 4.5 sacks, while ranking tied for first with WKU's Kendrick Simpkins in Conference USA. He ranks tied 19^th in FBS with nine other players.

VICIOUS VAUGHN
DE Kanious Vaughn tallied a career-high 2.0 sacks at FIU, while adding a forced fumble. Vaughn got to the QB during the first quarter, while he recorded his second in the fourth quarter along with the forced fumble coming on the same play.

MCCONNELL MAGIC IN MIAMI
QB Cade McConnell, who was fourth on the quarterback depth chart heading into 2023, made his first career start in a UTEP uniform at FIU on Oct. 11. McConnell dazzled the evening with a career performance, throwing for 262 yards on 11-of-17 passing with two touchdowns. The highlight was a career-long 80-yard bomb to WR Kelly Akharaiyi during the first quarter against the Panthers. McConnell saw his first action with the Miners last week against LA Tech. He finished 4-of-11 for 48 yards and 10 yards rushing on two carries.

GET TO KNOW CADE
QB Cade McConnell transferred to UTEP prior to the 2022 season coming from Cerritos College. McConnell played in 11 contests during the 2021 season, leading the Falcons with 1,412 yards on 127-of-225 passing with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions. He added 29 yards on the ground and a rushing score. The product of Los Alamitos, Calif., graduated from Los Alamitos High School where he played on three Sunset League championship teams. McConnell tossed 30 touchdowns as a senior. He earned the team's MVP award as a junior when he threw for 3,023 yards. As a freshman, he threw for 2,470 yards and 27 TDs to go along with 530 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He was also a member of the baseball team for one season. Cade's father, Sean, played quarterback for the Falcons from 1988-89 and then transferred to East Carolina where he played for the Pirates for two seasons.

KELLY'S DAZZLING NIGHT
WR Kelly Akharaiyi produced big numbers at FIU on Oct. 11, tallying career highs in receiving yards (223), receptions (eight), long reception (80) and touchdown catches (two). Akharaiyi was on the other end of QB Cade McConnell's touchdown tosses against the Panthers. The first was an 80-yard touchdown reception during while he added a 23-yard score in the first quarter.

TAMING PANTHERS
WR Kelly Akharaiyi has posted 11 receptions for 322 yards (29.3 avg.) and three touchdowns in two career games against FIU. Last season, Akharaiyi tallied 99 yards on three receptions, including a 68-yard touchdown catch.

WHERE KELLY'S PERFORMANCE RANKS
WR Kelly Akharaiyi was the first Miner since Jordan Leslie to post a 200+ yard receiving game when Leslie had 218 yards at Tulsa on Oct. 11, 2012. Akharaiyi's 223 yards ranks tied for fifth best in program history with Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr. who put up 223 on Sept. 30, 2006, against NM State. Akharaiyi was 17 yards shy of cracking Conference USA's all-time single-game list.

OTHER 200+ YARD PERFORMANCES IN PROGRAM HISTORY
WR Kelly Akharaiyi was the seventh Miner to post 200 receiving yards or more in a single game in school history. WR Chuck Hughes owns the program's top-two efforts with 349 against North Texas (1965) and 254 versus Arizona State (1965). WR Volley Murphy tallied 234 yards at New Mexico (1967), while WR Bob Wallace posted 233 against NM State the same season. Johnnie Lee Higgins Jr. recorded 223 yards against NM State, WR Jordan Leslie registered 218 (2012) and WR Arnie Adkison went for 200 at Utah (1987).

KELLY'S BREAKOUT SEASON
After posting 275 yards on 21 receptions and a touchdown in 12 games last season, WR Kelly Akharaiyi'snumbers have picked up in his second season as a Miner. In seven games this year, he leads the team with 25 receptions for 513 yards and three touchdowns. Akharaiyi's 20.5 yards per catch paces the squad, while his 80-yard touchdown reception against FIU was the longest play of the season for the Miners. Akharaiyi ranks fourth in the Conference USA in receiving yards (513), yards per catch (20.5) and yards per game (73.3). He's tied for fourth in CUSA with a trio of TD receptions. The last three games Akharaiyi is averaging 117.3 receiving yards per game. He opened his junior campaign with his first career 100-yard game (102) at Jax State.

TYRICE TEARING THROUGH OFFENSES
LB Tyrice Knight ranks second in FBS with 82 total tackles but leads the nation with 53 solo stops. He ranks no. 4 nationally at 11.7 tackles per game after posting six at FIU. Knight ranks tied eighth in FBS with 9.5 tackles for loss. He's also added 3.5 sacks, four pass breakups, two QB hurries and a fumble recovery.

KNIGHT'S DOUBLE-DIGIT EFFORTS
LB Tyrice Knight has recorded 16 double-digit tackle performances during his career, including five in 2023. The list started when Knight tallied 14 at UTSA and 11 against North Texas the last two games of the 2020 season. In 2021, he recorded double-digits five times, highlighted by his career-high 15 against Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Also, that season he tallied 12 against UNM, 11 at UNT, 10 against UTSA and 10 more at UAB. In 2022, he added four more with 14 stops at UNM, 12 at Rice, 11 against UNT and 10 versus Middle Tennessee. The redshirt senior opened the campaign with 13 tackles at Jax State and followed with a career-high 16 tackles in a win over UIW. He recorded 14 tackles at Big Ten program Northwestern, then 15 against UNLV 10 more tackles against LA Tech.

BACK ON TRACK
RB Deion Hankins has averaged 72.5 rushing yards the last two games, after averaging only 23.0 yards the previous three games. Hankins led the Miners with 83 yards on the ground on 15 carries (5.5 avg.) against LA Tech a few weeks back and then grinded out 62 yards with a rushing score at FIU on Oct 11. Hankins ranks second on the team with 442 yards on 92 carries (4.8 avg.) with a pair of touchdowns. He ranks fifth in Conference USA in rushing yards and fourth in rushing yards per game (63.1).

MOVING UP THE RUSHING TD LIST
RB Deion Hankins scored his 20^th career touchdown on a one-yard rush during a win at FIU on Oct. 11. Hankins is now ranked tied for ninth on the program's all-time list. Owen Price and Donald Buckram are tied for seventh with 21 rushing touchdowns each. Fred Wendt (23 TD), Howard Jackson (25 TD), Marcus Thomas (26 TD), Pug Gabrel (27 TD), Aaron Jones (33 TD) and John Harvey (42 TD) round out the top 10.

TORRANCE TEARING IT UP
RB Torrance Burgess Jr. led UTEP with a game-high 86 yards on the ground at FIU. Burgess Jr. leads the team and ranks fourth in Conference USA with 452 yards rushing (5.2 avg.), while ranking third in CUSA at 64.6 yards rushing per game.

UP NEXT
UTEP will hit the road for its final Wednesday contest when the Miners head to Huntsville, Texas, to take on Sam Houston on Oct. 25. The Miners and Bearkats will kick off at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN2 and 600 ESPN El Paso.

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