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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
UTEP D
10
UTEP TEP 0-3 , 0-1
28
Winner Liberty LU 3-0 , 2-0
UTEP TEP
0-3 , 0-1
10
Final
28
Liberty LU
3-0 , 2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
TEP UTEP 3 0 7 0 10
LU Liberty 7 7 7 7 28

Game Recap: Football |

Miners Battle, Fall at [RV] Liberty 28-10 Saturday Night


GAME BOOK | POSTGAME NOTES

LYNCHBURG, Va. – UTEP cleaned up the penalties and scored on a long pass play to get within four points while the Miners' defense stepped up and made plays, however, [RV] Liberty scored two touchdowns late in the contest to pull away 28-10 in Williams Stadium on Saturday night. 
 
The Miners (0-3, 0-1 Conference USA) held the Flames (3-0, 2-0 CUSA) to only 187 rushing yards as LU came into the ball game averaging 248.0 per game. The UTEP defense also held Liberty under 100 yards of its season average (503.0 ypg) and forced two turnovers.
 
"I told [the team] I was so proud of the fight. And I know the outside world, I'm judged on wins and losses, that's the bottom line," UTEP Head Coach Scotty Walden said. "The reality of it is it's about the process. It's about what's going on behind the scenes and how we played. I can tell you this, this Miner football team fought and played a lot cleaner last week. We were much more composed and poised."
 
After last week's 14 penalties, UTEP only committed two all game for a total of 25 yards. It was the least penalties committed by a UTEP team since Nov. 25, 2018, versus Southern Miss. That game also saw only four total penalties from both teams. Liberty also only drew two flags on the night.  

Liberty started the game 2-for-3 on third downs, but the Miners' D stopped the Flames on the next six third-down plays. Liberty finished the game 5-of-13. 
 
Skyler Locklear finished with 244 yards on career bests of attempts (43) and completions (26). He also found Kenny Odom on a 60-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to make the score 14-10 early in the third quarter. For Odom, it was a career-long reception and his first score in a UTEP uniform. 
 
Kam Thomas finished with 129 all-purpose yards, his third consecutive triple-digit game. Thomas added 68 yards on eight receptions, while Jaden Smith tallied 42 yards on seven catches and Trey Goodman recorded 54 yards on six grabs.
 
Defensively, Kory Chapman registered his third consecutive double-digit tackle effort (11) to lead the Miners and posted his first full sack in two seasons. Xavier Smith tallied 10 tackles, his most in a UTEP uniform, and his fourth collegiate career double-digit tackle performance. Smith added his first collegiate fumble recovery. Nate Dyman added a career-high nine stops, a TFL and recovered his first career fumble. Tevita Tafuna recorded his first career sack and forced fumble. 
 
The Miners' defense forced a Liberty three-and-out to begin the ball game. The Flames' Max Morgan's punt was a 21-yard kick out of bounds at the LU 45 that helped set up UTEP's first points. 
 
UTEP drove the ball 37 yards that ended with a Buzz Flabiano 25-yard field goal to make the score 3-0 at the 9:40 mark. 
 
Liberty answered with an 84-yard, 10-play drive that resulted in a Billy Lucas 12-yard touchdown run to make the count 7-3 at the 4:34 mark of the first quarter. 
 
Following Locklear's second interception of the game that was returned to the UTEP 24, the Flames used two plays to take a 14-3 advantage. Kaidon Salter completed a 23-yard pass to Vaughn Blue, while Lucas scored his second TD on a one-yard rush with 14:35 left in the first half. 
 
The Miners got the ball back at the midway point of the second quarter after Chapman recorded his first sack of the season to force a LU punt. Thomas returned the ball 18 yards on the return to the UTEP 33. However, the Flames' defense forced the Miners to punt. 
 
The UTEP defense stepped on the ensuing possession as Tafuna recorded his first sack and forced fumble which Smith recovered at the UTEP 45 at the 4:06 mark of the second quarter. The Miners took the ball to the LU31 but were stopped on a fourth-and-6 play with 1:48 remaining in the half. 
 
The second half opened with UTEP turning the ball over on a fumble, however, Vaughn gave the ball right back as Dyman recovered his first career fumble at the UTEP 29. 
 
The Miners finally found the end zone on a 60-yard scoring pass as Locklear found Odom down the middle at the LU 36 and Odom raced past the Flames' defenders to get his squad within four points (14-10) at the 12:26 mark following Flabiano's PAT. UTEP only used four plays to go 71 yards to pay dirt.  
 
Following back-and-forth punts, Liberty's offense broke through and drove the ball 81 yards on seven plays that ended with Lucas's third rushing TD of the night to up the lead to 21-10 with 2:07 left in the third. 
 
The Flames put the game away following a failed fourth-down conversion from the UTEP offense as Salter found Tyson Mobley on a 13-yard scoring reception with just over six minutes remaining in the ball game. 
 
Joseph Carter led the LU defense with 13 tackles and recorded a half sack, while TJ Buch had 1.5 sacks. Brenton Williams added a sack of his own. Offensively, the Flames tallied 415 yards as Salter passed for 228 yards (15-19) and a TD. Lucas led the way with 104 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns. CUSA's leading rusher Quinton Cooley gained 45 yards. Treon Sibley tallied 77 yards on five catches. 
 
UP NEXT
UTEP will hit the road to take on Colorado State on Sept. 21. The Miners are returning to Fort Collins for the first time since the 2013 season. The Rams and Miners are set for a 3 p.m. MT start in Sonny Lubick Field at Canvas Stadium (36,500). The contest will be nationally televised on truTV. 
 
 
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. 
 
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