UTEP Hosts Middle Tennessee Saturday Afternoon in the First of Back-to-Back Afternoon Home Games

10/31/2024 12:57:00 PM

NOTES: UTEP | MTSU | CUSA

EL PASO – Saturday games return as UTEP will host Conference USA foe Middle Tennessee. The Miners (1-7, 1-4 CUSA) and Blue Raiders (2-6, 1-3 CUSA) are set to kickoff at 1:30 p.m. in Sun Bowl Stadium on Nov. 2. Saturday's contest is the first of back-to-back home games for the Miners. Saturday's promotion is Future Miner Day with proud partner GECU as the game sponsor.

The 2004 UTEP football team is returning to the 915 on Saturday afternoon. The team, led by head coach Mike Price, will be honored 20 years after the Miners shocked the nation by winning eight games and receiving an invitation to the Houston Bowl. Over 40 members, including 17 starters of the '04 squad, will be reuniting in El Paso

Miner fans can purchase their UTEP-MTSU tickets at www.utepminers.com/tickets, by calling 915.747.UTEP, by emailing: tickets@utep.edu, or at the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 201 Glory Road [Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus]).

The CUSA contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network, and fans can tune into "The Home of UTEP Football" 600 AM ESPN with "The Voice of the UTEP Miners" Jon Teicher and former UTEP wide receiver Cole Freytag.

The Miners are coming off a 14-10 setback at LA Tech on Oct. 22. UTEP held a 10-7 edge before Bulldogs' Amani Givens scored the go-ahead touchdown with just over six minutes remaining in the contest. Jevon Jackson produced his second consecutive century mark rushing for 112 yards. True freshman backup quarterback JP Pickles saw his first collegiate action after starting QB Skyler Locklear was knocked out of the contest on a targeting call. Pickles went on to finish with 53 yards on the ground. Kory Chapman made his way back to the gridiron after missing two games. Chapman led the defense with eight tackles, including a career-high 3.5 TFLs. Chapman added a sack, upping his total to 2.5 on the year. Maurice Westmoreland tallied a season-high 2.0 sacks, giving the senior 4.5 on the season.

The Blue Raiders dropped their previous game, 42-20 to Jax State on Oct. 23. A Zeke Rankin 47-yard field goal put MTSU up 10-7 late in the first quarter, but JSU took a 14-10 lead with just over a minute left in the first quarter and never looked back. The Blue Raiders got within eight points (21-13) following a Rankin 41-yard make but the Gamecocks pulled away. CUSA's leader in passing yards Nicholas Vattiato threw for 297 yards on 25-of-36 passing and two touchdowns. Holden Willis (61 yards) and Myles Butler (four yards) were on the other end of Vattiato's touchdown tosses. Willis finished with 109 yards on eight receptions while Omari Kelly hauled in eight passes for 128 yards. Vattiato paces CUSA quarterbacks with 257.1 passing yards per game, while his nine TD passes rank tied for fourth. Kelly leads CUSA in receiving yards per game (97.4) and is tied for first in receptions (46). He ranks second with 779 receiving yards. Willis ranks third in receiving yards per game (75.0) and overall receiving yards (600). Middle Tennessee chalked up its lone CUSA win against Kennesaw State, 14-5, on Oct. 15.

"[Nicholas Vattiato] is their guy who lit it on fire last year, and he's still lighting it on fire this year," UTEP Head Coach Scotty Walden said. "He throws a great deep ball and he's very poised in the pocket. He's always the same guy when he's up and when he's down. And then there are the two weapons on the outside, Holden Willis and Omari Kelly. I think Kelly might be one of the best G-fivers receivers in the country – he's that good. He's an elite punt returner and took one back to the house against Kennesaw State. And then Willis is the guy who's more explosive than Kelly. He's a tight end, a hybrid wide receiver who weighs 215-220, but he can catch the football and runs great routes. Those are two guys we need to be aware of, especially with the type of quarterback they have. They're explosive."

MTSU beat UTEP 34-30 last season in Murfreesboro on Nov. 18. Vattiato finished with 242 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-35 passing. Willis tallied 105 yards on six catches and two touchdown receptions. Emari White tallied 36 yards on five receptions. Defensively, Oscar Moore recorded eight tackles, an INT and a forced fumble.

UTEP (1-7, 1-4) vs. Middle Tennessee (2-6, 1-3)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 2
Time: 1:30 p.m. MDT
Location: El Paso, Texas
Venue: Sun Bowl Stadium (45,971)
X Updated: @UTEPFB

TV: CBSSN
PxP: Alex Del Barrio
Analyst: Adam Breneman

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

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The Miners and Blue Raiders will be nationally televised on CBSSN with Alex Del Barrio (play-by-play) and Adam Breneman (analysis) calling the action. The action continues on "The Home of UTEP Football" 600 AM ESPN with "The Voice of the UTEP Miners" Jon Teicher calling play-by-play in his 44^th season. 'Teich,' who called his 500^th game on Oct. 11, 2023, is joined by former UTEP WR Cole Freytag (2012, 2014-16) in the booth providing analysis in his third season. El Paso native and long-running member of the local media Mando Medina will be reporting from the sidelines. The contest can also be heard on the UTEP Miners app.

SERIES VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series 5-1 after last season's 34-30 win in Murfreesboro. The Blue Raiders have won the last four meetings including a 24-13 win against the Miners in 2022 in El Paso. UTEP last beat Middle Tennessee 24-21 on Nov. 29, 2014, led by RB Aaron Jones's 219 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns to. UTEP chalked up win no. 7 that evening. Last season, K Buzz Flabiano's 33-yard field goal tied the contest at 24-24 at the 11:51 mark of the third, but a QB Nicholas Vattiato 56-yard touchdown pass to Zack Dobson gave MTSU the go-ahead 31-24 advantage. The Blue Raiders built the lead to 34-24 to open the fourth quarter, but QB Cade McConnell found WR Kelly Akharaiyi on an 80-yard touchdown pass on UTEP's ensuing possession with 14:32 left in the game, however, a Flabiano missed PAT kept the score at 34-30 and both teams were shutout the remainder of the contest. WR Emari White caught five passes for 36 yards and RB Ezell Jolly tallied 42 all-purpose yards (12 receiving, 30 rushing). S Oscar Moore recorded eight tackles and a forced fumble. Spur Josiah Allen registered four stops and a breakup. DE Maurice Westmorelandrecorded a sack.

ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE
The Blue Raiders dropped to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in CUSA action following a 42-20 loss at high-scoring Jax State on Oct. 23. MTSU opened the campaign with a 32-25 victory over Tennessee Tech on Aug. 31and recorded its lone CUSA win against Kennesaw State, 14-5, in Murfreesboro. The Blue Raiders also fall at LA Tech 48-21 (Oct. 10) and against WKU 49-21 (Sept. 14). MT QB Nicholas Vattiato leads the league and ranks top 25 nationally, averaging 257.1 yards passing yards per game. Vattiato has completed over 64 percent of his passes (175-272) for a conference-best 2,057 yards and nine touchdowns with five INTs. MTSU WRs Omari Kelly (779 yards receiving) and Holden Willis (600) rank first and second in receiving yards in CUSA, respectively. Kelly is also the CUSA leader with 46 receptions (16.9 avg.), while Willis, a 6-6 pass catcher, has tallied 39 catches (15.4 avg.) Each player has hauled in three touchdowns. Nationally, Kelly ranks seventh in receiving yards while Willis in 20^th. Despite ranking high in the passing and receiving categories, the Blue Raiders average only 16.9 points per game (ranked second to last in CUSA) and are last in total defense (467.5 ypg).

BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING
Conference USA's Midweek Madness concluded last week as LA Tech edged UTEP on Tuesday night in Ruston. The Miners played back-to-back Thursday contests, followed by a Wednesday night home game in a win against FIU and a Tuesday road game at LA Tech. UTEP is 3-4 during CUSA midweek games the last two seasons. UTEP is 0-1 on Tuesday, 3-1 on Wednesday and 0-2 on Thursday.

KEEP THOSE FLAGS IN YOUR POCKET
UTEP was flagged only twice for eight yards at LA Tech. The Miners have been penalized only eight times in their last four road games (two at Liberty, two at CSU, two at WKU, two at LA Tech). Overall, during the last five games, UTEP has been penalized only 11 times. UTEP drew three flags in its previous home game versus FIU, which was the least in the Sun Bowl for the Miners since Nov. 19, 2022, also against FIU.

JP'S FIRST COLLEGIATE ACTION
QB JP Pickles saw his first collegiate action at LA Tech. The true freshman rushed for 53 yards on 12 carries (4.4 avg.) including a long rush of 12 yards. Pickles finished 2-of-5 for nine yards passing.

2 IN A ROW FOR JJ
RB Jevon Jackson rushed for 112 yards on 22 carries (5.1 avg.) at LA Tech. Jackson has gone for 100+ yards rushing in back-to-back games after running for a season-high 148 yards against FIU. This season, it's the first time that a Miner produced back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts. The last Miner to do so was RB Deion Hankins in 2023 (120 yards vs. NM State on Oct. 18, 117 at Sam Houston on Oct. 25).

ACTION JACKSON
Jevon Jackson has averaged 130.0 rushing yards in the last two games. Jackson ranks fifth in CUSA in rushing yards per game (62.4) and fourth in total rush yards (499).

3 STRAIGHT 100-YARD EFFORTS
UTEP has had three consecutive 100-yard rushers as RB Jevon Jackson most recently rushed for 112 yards at LA Tech. Jackson put up a season-high 148 rushing yards against FIU the week before, and RB Ezell Jollyrushed for a career-high 119 yards at WKU. The 2014 season was the last time UTEP had three consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts when RB Aaron Jones turned three straight performances (237 at New Mexico on Aug. 30, 144 vs. Texas Tech on Sept. 4, 168 vs. NM State on Sept. 13).

KAM HAULING 'EM IN
MB Kam Thomas ranks second in CUSA with 43 receptions after tallying five more for 67 yards and a TD at LA Tech. Overall, Thomas has 442 yards on 43 catches and two touchdowns in 2024. MT's WR Omari Kelly leads the league with 46 receptions. Thomas is on pace for around 65 receptions which would rank in the top 10 for a single-season in program history.

KENNY GOT BURNERS
WR Kenny Odom leads CUSA, averaging 21.5 yards per reception and 24 catches. Odom's team-leading 515 receiving yards rank fourth in the league, and he ranks seventh with yards per game (64.4). Odom ranks tied for second in CUSA with four receiving scores.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
Kenny Odom's six 40+ yard plays, four 50+ yard plays, and three 60+ yard plays rank first in CUSA. Odom tallied a career-long 76-yard touchdown reception at WKU, a 60-yard score at Liberty and a 55-yard TD catch at Colorado State. He's added catches of 62 yards (FIU), 49 yards (vs. Sam Houston) and 44 yards (vs. SUU).

STUFFING THE RUN
UTEP allowed only seven yards rushing at LA Tech, the least since giving up seven at ULM on Sept. 26, 2020. It's ranked tied for the seventh-lowest rushing yards allowed in school history.

UTEP RUN D THE LAST TWO GAMES
Before the FIU game, the UTEP defense had been giving up over 200 rushing yards per game. The Miners have yielded only 92 yards (46.0 ypg) on the ground in the last two games (85 vs. FIU and seven at LA Tech). It's the least given up in back-to-back games since 2022, when the Miners gave up 91 rushing yards – 15 against FIU (Nov. 19) and 76 at no. 25 UTSA (Nov. 26).

SCORING DEFENSE THE LAST TWO CUSA GAMES
The UTEP defense, which has allowed over 30 points per game, has only allowed 35 points in the last two contests (17.5 avg.). The Miners gave up 21 in a win against FIU and 14 at LA Tech. It's the lowest points allowed in back-to-back Conference USA games since 2021 (13 at Southern Miss on Oct. 9 and 3 vs. LA Tech on Oct. 16).

HOLDING OPPONENTS UNDER 300 YARDS IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
UTEP allowed under 300 yards of total offense in two consecutive games (287 vs. FIU, 255 at LA Tech) for the first time since 2022 (299 at New Mexico, 177 vs. Boise State). The last time it happened in back-to-back CUSA games was in 2021 (278 vs. LA Tech, 280 at Florida Atlantic).

RED ZONE D
UTEP ranks third in CUSA and 23^rd in FBS in red zone defense (75.9).

SACK ATTACK
UTEP leads CUSA in sacks (21), sacks per game (2.6), and sack yards (116). The Miners ranks tied for 25^th in FBS in sacks per game. Bandit Maurice Westmoreland is ranked second in CUSA with 4.5 sacks, while Spur Kory Chapman and DT KD Johnson are tied for 10^th with 2.5 sacks each. Spur Josiah Allen, DL Kyran Duhon, S Lantz Russell and DE Bryton Thompson are tied 17^th with 2.0 apiece. UTEP is on pace for around 30 sacks which would be the most in 20 seasons (42 sacks in 2004).

TACKLING BEHIND THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
UTEP leads CUSA with 56 tackles for loss and paces the league at 7.0 TFLs per game. The Miners' TFL yards (202) also lead the conference. Spur Kory Chapman ranks second in CUSA with 8.5 TFLs, while LB Dorian Hopkins and DL KD Johnson are tied for sixth with 6.0 TFLs, Bandit Maurice Westmoreland (5.5 TFL) is tied for 14^th, while DE Bryton Thompson and LB Nate Dyman are tied for 16^th with 5.0 TFLs.

MINER PICKS
UTEP has recorded six interceptions, ranking tied for fourth with WKU in CUSA. The Miners' six picks match their total from last season.

MO SACKS
Bandit Maurice Westmoreland recorded a season-high 2.0 sacks at LA Tech. Westmoreland leads the Miners with 4.5 sacks – tallying them all the last four games.

WHERE MO RANKS
Maurice Westmoreland is tied for second in CUSA with 4.5 sacks. Westmoreland is tied with Sam Houston's Chris Murray. Liberty's TJ Bush Jr. leads the way with 5.0 sacks. Westmoreland is tied for 33^rd in FBS.

SACK ATTACK
Maurice Westmoreland recorded at least half a sack in the last four games for the first time in his career. Overall, he's tallied 4.5 sacks in his previous four contests. Westmoreland opened the string of games with a half sack against Sam Houston on Oct. 3 and followed that with a sack each at WKU and against FIU.

FIRST TIME SINCE 2022
Maurice Westmoreland is the first Miner since DE Jadrian Taylor to be credited with at least a half sack in four straight games. Westmoreland is also the first since Taylor to record a full sack in three consecutive games when Taylor did it four games in a row in '22 (3.0 at Charlotte, 1.0 at LA Tech, 2.0 vs. FAU, 1.0 vs. MTSU).

MOVING UP THE SACK LIST
Maurice Westmoreland now has 12.0 career sacks after recording a season-high 2.0 at LA Tech. Westmoreland needs just one more to crack the program's top-10 list. Former teammate DE Praise Amaewhule has the most sacks in school history with 22.5.

CHAPMAN GETTING AFTER IT
Spur Kory Chapman made his way back to gridiron after missing a few games due to injury. Chapman tallied a collegiate career-high 3.5 tackles for loss. Chapman leads the Miners with 8.5 tackles for loss.

KORY'S TFL'S NO. 2 IN CUSA
Kory Chapman ranks second in Conference USA with 8.5 tackles for loss. FIU's Travion Barnes leads CUSA with 10.0 TFLs.

DUHON COMING ON
DL Kyran Duhon started his second consecutive game as a true freshman and posted a sack with three tackles and a pass breakup at LA Tech. Duhon has tallied 25 tackles (11 solo) with 2.0 sacks, 2.0 TFLs and a breakup.

UP NEXT
UTEP will host CUSA newcomer Kennesaw State in the 92^nd Homecoming Game, while it's also Senior Day. The Miners and Owls are set for a 2 p.m. MST kickoff in the Sun Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 9. UTEP will wrap up the home portion of the schedule. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ Sports Network and heard on "The Home of UTEP Football" 600 AM ESPN. Tickets are available at 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!

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.

Print Friendly Version