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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
TBJr
45
Winner UNLV NLV 3-1 , 0-0
28
UTEP TEP 1-4 , 0-1
Winner
UNLV NLV
3-1 , 0-0
45
Final
28
UTEP TEP
1-4 , 0-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NLV UNLV 14 14 0 17 45
TEP UTEP 7 7 7 7 28

Game Recap: Football |

Rebels Run Past Miners, 45-28, on Saturday Night

GAME BOOK | POSTGAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – UNLV racked up 307 yards on the ground and six rushing touchdowns as the Rebels (3-1) defeated the Miners (1-4), 45-28, on Saturday night. 
 
Torrance Burgess Jr. rushed for a career-high 99 yards on 19 carries (5.2 avg.), while Kelly Akharaiyi, after no receptions on eight targets last week, responded with 92 yards on four catches. 
 
Despite the defense yielding 497 yards of total offense, Tyrice Knight amassed 15 more tackles, including 13 solo stops. Praise Amaewhule tied his career best with eight tackles and picked off his first career pass. 
 
But UNLV's rushing attack was stellar as Jai'Den Thomas had a game-high 100 yards and four rushing touchdowns, Vincent Davis tallied 97 yards on the ground, Courtney Reese recorded 58 yards and a score, and Donavyn Lester added a touchdown. 
 
UNLV jumped out to an early 7-0 lead at the 9:27 mark when Thomas rushed for a 12-yard score. The Rebels scored on the first play of the drive following a blocked punt. UNLV's Cameren Jenkins blocked a Joshua Sloan attempt that was recovered at the UTEP 12. 
 
"The blocked punt was very critical for us early in the game. You can't give up blocked punts and to me the game was just starting to take an ebb and flow to it and we give up the blocked punt and gives [UNLV] a touchdown opportunity and gets them the lead," UTEP Head Coach Dana Dimel said. "The we scrape and claw our way back to tie the score. One of our goals is to win the last four minutes of the second quarter because it gives you so much momentum going into the half. But we obviously didn't do that. We gave up the touchdown drive from them, and then had that turnover on the third and long play." 
 
UTEP answered on the ensuing possession. The Miners drove the ball 75 yards on 10 plays that was capped by a Gavin Hardison one-yard QB sneak to pay dirt. The key play on the drive was a Marcus Bellon 20-yard reception to the 20 on a third-and-18 from the UNLV 42. 
 
However, the Rebels used three-play 75-yard drive that was highlighted by a 56-yard rushing attempt by Vincent Davis to the UTEP 19. Thomas capped the drive with his second TD of the night, scoring from 17 yards out. 
 
The Miners tied the contest at 14 when Hardison scored his second rushing TD on a one-yard plunge. It was the first time in his career he rushed for a pair of touchdowns, while it was his third career rushing score. 
 
UNLV took the lead back at 21-14 and never looked back. The Rebels used a five-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a Lester one-yard touchdown rush. The score was set up by a 53-yard Ricky White reception to the one. Tyrice Knight chased White down in the open field and made the tackle at the one. 
 
Following a Hardison interception to Cameron Oliver in UTEP territory, Thomas's third TD of the contest put the Rebels up 28-14 with 1:01 left in the half. 
 
UTEP came out of the second half and engineered a 75-yard, eight-play drive that resulted in an 11-yard scoring run by Burgess Jr. to get within seven points (28-21) at the 11:12 mark of the third. 
 
"I really liked the way our guys fought in the that third quarter as far as getting that quick touchdown drive together, and then what was tough was we weren't good on defense on third downs," Dimel said. "We gave up some third and longs that were critical for us." 
 
The Rebels finished 10-for-17 on third-down conversions. 
 
UNLV looked to take another 14-point lead when it drove the ball 77 yards on 18 plays. But Praise Amaewhule intercepted his first career pass and ran 17 yards to the UTEP 22 with just over two minutes left in the third. 
 
The Miners, however, couldn't take advantage of the turnover, only going six yards on three plays and being forced to punt. 
 
During UNLV's following possession, the Miners' defense forced a third-and-11 that would've led to a fourth-and-2 after a nine-yard reception by Thomas, but Amier Boyd-Mathews was called for a facemask penalty that kept the Rebel drive going. Thomas followed with a 46-yard run to the UTEP 8. The drive was capped by Thomas's fourth rushing score to make the count 35-21. 
 
UTEP got back within seven points (35-28) when Jeremiah Ballard hauled in a 27-yard touchdown reception from Hardison. The Miners moved the ball 77 yards on six plays. Kelly Akharaiyi made a key 29-yard reception to the UNLV 31 on a second-and-12.
 
The Rebels would score the next 10 points on a Reese 32-yard scoring run, and a Jose Pizano 30-yard field goal.
 
James Neal added nine tackles and Tyler Williams recorded career highs in tackles (five) and breakups (two). 
 
UP NEXT
UTEP will host its second consecutive home contest when CUSA action resumes against LA Tech on a Friday night (Sept. 29) in the Sun Bowl. The Miners and Bulldogs will kick off at 7 p.m., while the game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network. The action also returns to 600 ESPN El Paso with "The Voice of the Miners" Jon Teicher calling the game with former UTEP WR Cole Freytag, and Mando Medina roaming the sidelines. 
 
Friday night's promotion is "Noche Latina", while the contest is presented by GECU. Tickets for the Miners-Bulldogs game are available by calling 915.747.UTEP, emailing at tickets@utep.edu, or by visiting www.utepminers.com/tickets. 
 
 
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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