UTEP Hosts Kennesaw State on Senior Day, 92nd Homecoming Saturday Afternoon

11/7/2024 12:36:00 PM

GAME NOTES: UTEP | KSU | CUSA

EL PASO – UTEP will conclude the home portion of the schedule as the Miners are set to host Kennesaw State on Saturday, Nov. 9, on 'Senior Day,' while it's also the 92^nd Homecoming Game. The Miners (1-8, 1-5 Conference USA) and Owls (1-7, 1-3 CUSA) – in their first ever meeting – will kick off at 2 p.m. MST in Sun Bowl Stadium. Proud partner Deadbeach Brewery is the game sponsor.

Miner fans can purchase their UTEP-KSU 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]).

Fans can tune into 95.5 FM KLAQ with "The Voice of the UTEP Miners" Jon Teicher and former UTEP wide receiver Cole Freytag. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ with Andy Morgan and Ed Stansbury calling the action.

Twenty-four seniors will be honored before Saturday afternoon's game versus Kennesaw State. They are CB Josiah Allen, DL Chase Bibler, Spur Kory Chapman, LB Tray Dunson, WR, WR Lucas Flores, Trey Goodman, DE Devin Goree, LB Jake Hall, LB Dorian Hopkins, WR Kevin Hurley, DL KD Johnson, TE Julian Lopez, S Oscar Moore, OL Otis Pitts III, DL Hunter Rapolla, LB Jalen Rayam, LS Angelo Tejada, DE Bryton Thompson, NT Sione Tonga'uiha, NT Tevita Tafuna, Bandit Maurice Westmoreland, WREmari White, MB Corey Wren and OL Isaiah Wright.

UTEP is coming off a 20-13 setback against Middle Tennessee. The Miners carried a 13-10 late into the third quarter before the Blue Raiders tied the contest at 13 and took the go-ahead lead on a one-yard TD rush by Nicholas Vattiato with 1:53 left in the game. JP Pickles, a true freshman quarterback starting under center for UTEP for the first time since 2013, rushed for a 17-yard score and Buzz Flabiano connected on the PAT to give the Miners a 10-3 advantage at the 7:31 mark of the second quarter. A Vattiato 61-yard TD pass tied the game at 10-10 with 3:40 left in the half. Linebacker Nate Dyman recorded a career-high 13 tackles to lead the Miners, while fellow LB Dorian Hopkins tallied 11 stops, an INT and a sack. Josiah Allen also picked off a pass, his first as a Miner.

Following its nationally recognized upset win over Liberty on Oct. 23, Kennesaw State fell at WKU 31-14 on Oct. 30. For the Owls, the victory over the Flames was their first ever FBS victory but the Hilltoppers prevented win no. 2 as Caden Veltkamp threw for three touchdowns. RB Michael Benefield rushed for 98 yards and a TD while QB Davis Bryson ran for a 20-yard score. DB Tyler Hallum led the defense with seven tackles. LB Juandarion Silas and DL Ugonna Nwoha each picked up a sack.

"This is a matchup of you can't look at either team's record because we both have teams that play extremely hard and have great cultures," UTEP Head Coach Scotty Walden said. "[KSU Head Coach Brian Bohannon] has built a winning program, and they're making the transition, but they've done there is win. We've gone to their place to play them and they're tough as nails. They're gritty and run the ball physically. They're going to play physical run defense, and they're long and athletic on defense. The quarterback [Davis Bryson] is a running threat and Coach Bohannon breeds a culture of grit and toughness. We have to bring out A-game into the Sun Bowl, and we have a bigtime challenge coming up for homecoming."

Walden last faced Kennesaw State on Nov. 12, 2022, during an Austin Peay 31-14 victory over the Owls. RB Jevon Jackson rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns and WR Trey Goodman tallied 32 yards on three catches. Spur Kory Chapman recorded nine tackles and a QB hurry.

UTEP (1-8, 1-5) vs. Kennesaw State (1-7, 1-3)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 9
Time: 2 p.m. MST
Location: El Paso, Texas
Venue: Sun Bowl Stadium (45,971)
X Updated: @UTEPFB

TV: ESPN+
PxP: Andy Morgan
Analyst: Ed Stansbury

Radio: 95.5 FM KLAQ
PxP: Jon Teicher
Analyst: Cole Freytag
Sideline: Mando Medina

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The Miners and Blue Raiders will be streamed on ESPN+ with Andy Morgan (play-by-play) and Ed Stansbury (analysis) calling the action. The action will be on 95.5 FM KLAQ this week 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. KENNESAW STATE
UTEP and Kennesaw State will face each other for the first time ever on Nov. 9, 2024, in Sun Bowl Stadium.

ABOUT KENNESAW STATE
The Owls made national headlines when they upset Liberty 27-24 on Oct. 23 in Fifth Third Stadium. It marked Kennesaw State's first-ever FBS victory on top of its first CUSA win. Overall KSU is 1-7 overall and 1-3 in league play. Kennesaw State's first FBS game came on Aug. 31 in a loss at UTSA 28-16. KSU's first CUSA game came against Jax State during a 63-24 loss on Oct. 4. Following its update win over the Flames, the Owls followed with a 31-14 setback at WKU on Oct. 30. KSU averages 14.9 points per game and gives up 31.1. The Owls rank as one of the lowest FBS teams in total offense, averaging 245.4 yard per game. Its defense yields 410.0 yards per contest. RB Michael Benefield leads the rushing attack with 394 yards (4.3 avg.) and has scored three touchdowns. QB Davis Bryson has thrown for 901 yards on 86-of-157 passing, seven interceptions and three touchdowns. RB Qua Ashley leads the team in receptions (17) and ranks second in receiving yards (156). WR Blake Bohannon leads the team in receiving yards (166) on 15 catches. DB Sidney Porter paces the squad with 45 tackles.

A BIT OF HOMECOMING HISTORY
UTEP is 40-50-1 all-time in homecoming games. UTEP last won a homecoming game in 2021, defeating Old Dominion 28-21. Since winning five consecutive homecoming games from 2008 through 2012, UTEP is 2-7 in its last nine. The Miners beat NM State 8-0 in the very first homecoming game in 1929.

FIRST SINCE 2013
QB JP Pickles was the first UTEP true freshman quarterback to make a start under center since 2013 when QB Mack Leftwich on Nov. 9, 2013, at North Texas. Leftwich started the last four games of the '13 campaign.

PICKLES'S FIRST START
JP Pickles made his collegiate debut at LA Tech on Oct. 22. The true freshman made his first career start on Nov. 2 against Middle Tennessee. Pickles rushed for 77 yards on 19 carries. He threw for 145 yards (18-33-INT).

PICKLES RELISHING THE RUN
JP Pickles rushed for 53 yards at LA Tech and hit 77 against MTSU. Pickles has rushed for 130 yards in his last two games (65.0 ypg).

MOST RUSH YARDS BY A UTEP QB SINCE '20
JP Pickles's 77 yards rushing were the most since QB Calvin Brownholtz's 114 rushing yards against North Texas on Dec. 11, 2020.

JJ'S LAST THREE GAMES
RB Jevon Jackson rushed for a game-high 83 yards against Middle Tennessee. Jackson has rushed for 343 yards in the last three games (114.3 ypg). He hit a season-high 148 against FIU and 112 at LA Tech.

ACTION JACKSON
Jevon Jackson leads the Miners with 582 yards rushing and ranks fourth in Conference USA. Jackson averages 64.7 rushing yards per game (fifth in CUSA).

UTEP RUN D THE LAST 3 GAMES
Before the FIU game, the UTEP defense had been giving up over 200 rushing yards per game. The Miners have yielded 186 yards (62.0 ypg) on the ground in the last three games (85 vs. FIU, seven at LA Tech, 94 vs. MSTU). It's the least given up in three straight games since 2021, when the Miners gave up 195 rushing yards – 88 against ODU (Oct. 2), 15 at Southern Miss (Oct. 9) and 92 versus LA Tech (Oct. 16).

SCORING DEFENSE THE LAST THREE CUSA GAMES
The UTEP defense, which has allowed over 30 points per game, has only allowed 55 points in the last three contests (18.3 avg.). The Miners gave up 21 in a win against FIU, 14 at LA Tech and 20 against MTSU. It's the least points allowed in three straight Conference USA games since 2021 (21 versus ODU on Oct. 2, 13 at Southern Miss on Oct. 9, 3 vs. LA Tech on Oct. 16).

SACK ATTACK
UTEP leads CUSA in sacks (22), sacks per game (2.4), and ranks second in sack yards (117). The Miners rank tied for 23^rd in FBS in total sacks. Bandit Maurice Westmoreland is ranked tied for third in CUSA with 4.5 sacks, while Spur Kory Chapman and DT KD Johnson are tied for 15^th with 2.5 sacks each. Spur Josiah Allen, DL Kyran Duhon, S Lantz Russell and DE Bryton Thompson are tied 22^nd 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 61 tackles for loss and paces the league at 6.8 TFLs per game. The Miners' TFL yards (212) also lead the conference. Spur Kory Chapman ranks second in CUSA with 9.5 TFLs, while LB Dorian Hopkins is tied for fourth with 8.0. DL KD Johnson is and Bandit Maurice Westmoreland tied for 11^th with 6.0 TFLs. DE Bryton Thompson has 5.5 (t-16^th) and LB Nate Dyman has 5.0 TFLs (t-21^st).

MINER PICKS
UTEP has recorded eight interceptions, ranking fourth in CUSA. The Miners' eight picks surpass their total (six) from last season. It's the most since 2021 when UTEP recorded eight picks.

PASSES DEFENDED
UTEP ranks fourth in Conference USA with 31 passes defended (23 PBUs, eight INTs). Jax State leads with 39 passes defended and 10 INTs.

FIRST INT FOR JOSIAH
CB Josiah Allen intercepted his first pass in a UTEP uniform during the first quarter against MTSU. Overall it was Allen's second collegiate INT since picking off a pass while playing at Sacramento City College in 2021.

SOLO STOPPER
Josiah Allen leads the team with 30 solo tackles. He ranks tied for 10^th in CUSA. Allen produced a season-high and a career-tying best six solo tackles Sam Houston. Allen went on to register 12 more solo tackles in the next three games – four at WKU, four vs. FIU, and four at LA Tech.

SECOND PICK FOR D-HOP
LB Dorian Hopkins also picked off a pass against MTSU during the second quarter. It was his second INT this season. Hopkins ranks tied for third in CUSA with two interceptions and leads the league with 104 INT return yards.

FIRST SACK FOR D-HOP
Dorian Hopkins recorded his first sack in a UTEP uniform during the third quarter against MTSU. It was Hopkins's second career collegiate sack after tallying one in 2023 while playing at Tulsa.

FIRSTS FOR AMIER
CB Amier Boyd-Matthews recorded his first career forced fumble and first career fumble recovery against MTSU. He did it during the opening kickoff of the second half after he forced kickoff returner Cam'ron Lacy to fumble the ball.

DYMAN IN THE ROUGH
LB Nate Dyman tallied a career-high and team-most 13 tackles against Middle Tennessee. It surpasses his previous best of 10 stops (twice this season). Dyman now has a trio of double-digit tackle efforts in 2024. He ranks second on the team with 62 tackles while adding 5.0 TFLs, three breakups, three QB hurries and one fumble recovery. Dyman recorded 10 tackles at Colorado State and at WKU.

CAREER HIGH FOR MO
Bandit Maurice Westmoreland recorded a career-high seven tackles against MTSU. His previous best was six stops.

KORY'S TFL'S NO. 2 IN CUSA
Kory Chapman ranks second in CUSA with 9.5 tackles for loss. FIU's Travion Barnes leads CUSA with 10.5 TFLs.

CAREER HIGH FOR JACKLIN
P Adam Jacklin averaged a career-high 45.6 yards on five punts (228 yards). He added a career-best two 50+ yard boots including a game-long 60-yard kick.

OTHER WEFENSE HIGHLIGHTS
WR Kenny Odom tallied two tackles on while playing on special teams (Wefense). WR Trey Goodmanreturned two punts for 28 yards including a collegiate career-long 24-yard return.

UP NEXT
UTEP will step out of CUSA action and travel to no. 7 Tennessee on Nov. 23 in Knoxville. The Miners and Volunteers are set to kick off at 11 a.m. MST/1 p.m. ET in Neyland Stadium. The contest will be streamed on SECN+/ESPN+.

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