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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
T Knight
7
UTEP TEP 1-2 , 0-1
38
Winner Northwestern NU 1-1 , 0-1
UTEP TEP
1-2 , 0-1
7
Final
38
Northwestern NU
1-1 , 0-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
TEP UTEP 7 0 0 0 7
NU Northwestern 7 0 21 10 38

Game Recap: Football |

Northwestern Uses Dominant Second Half to Beat UTEP, 38-7


GAME BOOK | POSTGAME NOTES

EVANSTON, Ill. – UTEP battled Big Ten opponent Northwestern, going into the locker room tied at the half, but the Wildcats (1-1) outscored the Miners (1-2) 31-0 in the second at Ryan Field on Saturday afternoon.  
 
With the count 7-7, Northwestern opened the second half with a 13-play, 79-yard drive that took over six minutes off the clock. Thomas Gordon was wide open the scoring play, walking into the end zone on an 18-yard reception. 
 
Gavin Hardison followed with his second interception of the game as NU's Xander Mueller returned the pick to the UTEP three-yard line. The Wildcats capitalized, as Ben Bryant scored on a one-yard QB keeper three plays later at the 6:03 mark of the third quarter to go up 21-7 and the Wildcats never looked back. 
 
"[Northwestern] came out with a really good drive at the start of the second half - a nice physical drive and finish it the way they needed to," UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel said. "Then we got the turnover on the first drive of the second half and gave them really good field position. I think that really hurt us from there. It was a hard-fought game and before you know it, one good drive form them and a bad play on offense, then it's a 21-7 game." 
 
NU won its first game on American soil since defeating Rutgers in Evanston on Oct. 16, 2021, and first win since the 2022 opener in Dublin, Ireland. 
 
Hardison started the game 7-for-8 and finished 17-of-25 for 192 yards, a passing score and two interceptions. Jeremiah Ballard tallied a career-high 92 yards on four receptions. 
 
A pair of freshmen saw action on Ryan Field in the fourth. Redshirt freshman Jake McNamara saw action in the fourth quarter, throwing for 23 yards (2-5) and an interception. True freshman RB Ezell Jolly tallied 10 yards on five rushes. 
 
Northwestern outgained UTEP 391 yards to 319. The Wildcats ran up 268 yards of total offense in the dominant second half to the Miners' 116 yards. The NU defense yielded UTEP's rushing attack to 104 yards on 35 carries (3.0 avg.). 
 
UTEP finished 3-for-13 on third down conversions, while NU was 6-11. 
 
The Miners opened the contest with the ball and engineered an eight-play, 70-yard scoring drive that was capped by Zach Fryar's first career touchdown at the 3:52. Hardison finished 3-of-3 for 40 yards on the drive. Hardison added a 16-yard run on a second-and-12 to the NU 48. 
 
The Wildcats answered with their own eight-play, 71-yard drive that resulted in a Jack Lausch six-yard TD rush. 
 
UTEP outgained NU 203 yards to 123 in the first half. The Miners had a chance to take a three-point lead going into the locker room, but redshirt freshman Buzz Flabiano missed on a 44-yard field goal attempt with nine seconds remaining in the first half. 
 
Maurice Westmoreland registered his first career sack during the second quarter on a third-down play, while Josiah Allen also recorded his first, a half sack with Tyrice Knight also during the second.  
 
Knight led the defense with 14 more tackles, making it three consecutive games with double-digit tackles and 15th overall in his career. James Neal finished with eight tackles while McKel Broussard tallied a career-high seven stops and a TFL. 
 
Ron Heard II and Mueller each tallied seven tackles to lead NU defensively. The Wildcats' rushing attack ran for 184 yards on 39 attempts and scored three times. Cam Porter led the way with 90 yards on 17 carries (5.3 avg.) and 
 
UP NEXT
UTEP will hit the road for the second of back-to-back road games versus Power Five opponents as it will play at Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 16 with kickoff set for 9:00 p.m. MT/8 PT on the Pac-12 Network. The Miners and Wildcats can also be heard on 95.5 KLAQ. It will mark the 53rd meeting and first since 2017 when the Miners and Wildcats played in the Sun Bowl. 
 
 
Help Support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club. Visit https://givingto.utep.edu/mac today!
 
UTEP football is celebrating 60 years in the historic Sun Bowl. You're invited to pledge to support the Miners' success during the 2023 season. You can pledge to support each Miner win, bowl eligibility and even a CUSA Championship. Personalize your support of the Miners! https://caringcent.org/utep/football23
 
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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