UTEP hosts Southern Utah in Scotty Walden’s home debut Saturday Night

9/5/2024 2:49:00 PM

GAME NOTES: UTEP | SUU | CUSA

EL PASO – The Scotty Walden era will make its debut in the Sun City when UTEP hosts Southern Utah on Saturday, Sept. 7. The Miners (0-1) and Thunderbirds (0-1) will kick off at 7 p.m. MT in Sun Bowl Stadium. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and heard on 95.5 FM KLAQ.

Saturday night's promotion is "Heroes Night" with UTEP Athletics' partner GECU as the game sponsor. Miner fans can purchase their UTEP-SUU 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]).

Last week, Miner fans caught a glimpse of Walden's "Blue Blaze" offense at Nebraska in the opening frame. Skyler Locklear drove UTEP 63 yards on only three plays that resulted in a Kam Thomas 38-yard touchdown strike that tied the game at 7-7 following Buzz Flabiano's PAT in the first quarter.

"Kam Thomas played absolutely fearless in man-to-man coverage – he played fearless the whole day," Walden said. "The things you're not going to see that you go back and watch is his blocking on the perimeter. Kam sacrificed for the team and you watch how he played the game; he cares about his teammates and cares about winning. And that (touchdown) route was a fearless route in man-to-man coverage. (Nebraska) didn't play man coverage the rest of the game."

Thomas racked up 132 all-purpose yards against the Cornhuskers including 71 yards on seven receptions, a 29-yard punt return, 30 yards on a pair of kickoff returns and two yards on the ground.

Locklear started the contest 5-for-5 with 59 yards and the TD and finished 11-of-17 for 115 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in his first collegiate start.

On defense, graduate student transfer linebacker, Dorian Hopkins made an immediate impression on Miner fans after racking up 16 tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery to lead the "Orange Swarm" defense. Austin Peay transfer spur Kory Chapman also enjoyed an impressive debut tallying 10 tackles against the 'Huskers.

Chapman, Thomas and Walden will face Southern Utah for a second straight year after last season's 48-45 double overtime shootout victory in Cedar City on Oct. 21. Southern Utah recorded 561 yards on total offense to Austin Peay's 438.

"This team (Southern Utah) plays harder than any team I've seen in the past three years on tape. I mean that with all my heart and soul. There's not a team I've watched that plays harder," Walden said. "You watch them against Utah, and they're down whatever the score ended up being, their kids fight. (SUU head coach DeLane Fitzgerald) has a great culture over there. This is an offense that is going to run a lot of zone schemes up front and like to run a lot of them unbalanced. Coach Fitzgerald is going to have these kids wired up believing they can win. They're going to come into the Sun Bowl with great energy."

UTEP (0-1, 0-0) vs. Southern Utah (0-1, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 7 p.m. MT
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 Thunderbirds will be streamed on ESPN+ with Andy Morgan (play-by-play) and El Paso native and UCLA football great Ed Stansbury (analysis) will be on the call. The action will be on 95.5 FM KLAQ 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 last season on Oct. 11, 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. SOUTHERN UTAH
Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between UTEP and SUU.

ABOUT SOUTHERN UTAH
The Thunderbirds, after finishing 6-5 overall and 4-2 in United Athletic Conference action in 2023, lost their season opener 49-0 at no. 13 Utah on Aug. 29. SUU allowed 513 yards including 328 passing and gained only 150 yards of total offense. The Utes jumped out to a 35-0 lead at halftime. The T-Birds were penalized 13 times for 78 yards and finished 3-for-13 on third-down conversions. QB Jackson Berry led the passing game with 54 yards (6-11, INT), while QBs Bronson Barron (1-7, 9 yards) and Jordan Pachot (1-3, 8 yards) saw action. Targhee Lambson led SUU with 44 yards on six rushes (7.3 avg.). Lambson is a 5-9, 200-pound senior back who gained 507 yards (second-best on the team) on 105 attempts (4.8 avg.) and six touchdowns in 2023. Lambson added 95 yards on 11 receptions and two touchdowns last season. WR Mark Bails recorded 42 yards on three catches. Bails is a 6-3, 200-pound senior transfer from Seton Hill who gained 926 yards on 46 receptions and eight touchdowns last season. LB Darrian Feazell led the way with six tackles. Feazell is a 6-2, 210-pound redshirt junior who transferred from Los Angeles City College. LB Kohner Cullimore returns after ranking second on the team with 73 tackles. Cullimore added 10.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. He tallied six tackles against Utah. The Thunderbirds averaged 31.8 points per game and gave up 23.7 in 2023. The T-Birds averaged 397.3 total yards and yielded 345.7 last year.

CONNECTIONS
Austin Peay defeated SUU 48-45 on Oct. 21, 2023, with Scotty Walden at the helm for the Governors. Walden will face the Thunderbirds for a second consecutive season on Sept. 7.

APSU-SUU QUICK RECAP FROM 2023
Austin Peay defeated Southern Utah in a 48-45 2OT shootout in Cedar City, Utah. RB Jevon Jackson rushed for 92 yards on 16 attempts (5.8 avg.) and two scores. MB Kam Thomas gained 137 all-purpose yards (22 rush, 33 rec.) including an 82-yard punt return against SUU. WR Trey Goodman caught four passes for 80 yards and a TD, while also passing for one on a 54-yard attempt. S Xavier Smith tallied five tackles and Spur Kory Chapman added a pair of stops.

HOME OPENERS
UTEP is 63-38-4 overall in home openers. The Miners are 4-1 in the last five seasons. UTEP defeated Houston Baptist 36-34 in 2019, Stephen F. Austin 24-14 in 2020, Bethune-Cookman 38-28 in 2021, and UIW 28-14 last season.

UTEP COACHES IN THEIR HOME DEBUTS
UTEP head coaches are 12-14 in their first career appearances in El Paso. The Miners are 2-2 during the last four coaches at the helm. The two victories came from Gary Nord who defeated SMU 37-20 in 2000, and Mike Price who beat up Weber State 32-0 in 2004. Sean Kugler lost to New Mexico 42-35 in 2013 and Dana Dimel was upset by Northern Arizona 30-10 in 2018. Tommy Dwyer beat the YMCA 7-6 (1914), H.E. Van Surdam lost to Arizona 60-7 (1920), Thomas C. Holiday fell to Calumus Club 21-0 (1921), Jack C. Vowell lost to Arizona 18-0 (1922), George B. Powell won over Sul Ros 32-6 (1923), E.J. Stewart lost to Arizona 28-6 (1927), Mack Saxon beat New Mexico Mines 46-0 (1929), Walter Milner won against New Mexico 7-0 (1942), Jack Curtice lost to Drake 7-2 (1946), Mike Brumbelow rolled NM State 40-0 (1950), Ben Collinswon against North Texas 14-13 (1957), Bum Phillips beat UNM 16-14 (1962), Warren Harper beat North Texas 14-13 (1957), Bobby Dobbs walloped North Texas 61-15 (1965), Tommy Hudspeth lost to Arizona State 55-14 (1972), Gil Bartosh lost to Pacific 17-14 (1974), Bill Micheal lost to UNT 41-10 (1977), Bill Altonlost to no. 13 BYU 65-8 (1981), Bill Yung fell to no. 6 SMU 31-10 (1982), Bob Stull stomped Northern Michigan 64-29 (1986), David Lee fell to Tulsa 23-14 (1989), and Charlie Bailey lost to Colorado State 54-0 (1993).

FIRST CAREER START UNDER CENTER
QB Skyler Locklear was named the starting field general on Aug. 29 and made his UTEP debut on Aug. 31 at Nebraska. Locklear threw his first UTEP career touchdown in his first career start. Locklear hooked up with Kam Thomas on a 38-yard dart in the first quarter against the Cornhuskers. It was his second collegiate career TD toss after passing for one while playing at Austin Peay last season. Locklear finished 11-for-17 with 115 yards a TD and an interception. Locklear started the game 5-of-5 for 63 yards and a TD.

ALL-PURPOSE MINER
Miner Back Kam Thomas racked up 132 all-purpose yards at Nebraska in his UTEP debut on Aug. 31. Thomas tallied 71 yards on seven receptions and a touchdown on offense, while on wefense, he returned a punt 29 yards, added 30 yards on a pair of kickoff returns and had two yards rushing against the Cornhuskers. Thomas hauled in a 38-yard TD reception caught at the five and broke away from the defender into the end zone during the first quarter to tie the game. Thomas ranks tied 60^th in FBS with 132 all-purpose yards.

WORKIN' 9 TO 5
No. 9 QB Skyler Locklear found no. 5 MB Kam Thomas on a 38-yard touchdown at Nebraska. Locklear targeted Thomas a team-high 11 times on Saturday afternoon. Thomas finished with seven receptions.

SHAY SEEING PLAYING TIME
True freshman QB Shay Smith, a graduate from Franklin High School, saw action late in the game at Nebraska. Smith completed his two pass attempts for 14 yards with a long pass of 11 yards to redshirt freshman RB Joshua Dye.

OTHER NOTABLE DEBUTS ON OFFENSE
RB Jevon Jackson (Austin Peay transfer) led UTEP with 32 yards on 10 carries at Nebraska. WR Jaden Smith (EKU transfer) tallied 33 yards on four receptions with a long catch of 21 yards. WR Trey Goodman(Austin Peay transfer) recorded 26 yards on a pair of catches against the Cornhuskers. RB Joshua Dye(redshirted at UTEP in 2023) saw his first collegiate action and hauled in an 11-yard reception. WR Ashton Nickelberry (Austin Peay transfer) had three yards on one catch, and WR Kenny Odom (Austin Peay transfer) returned a kickoff 18 yards and was targeted once.

RETOOLED O-LINE
The UTEP offensive line had a completely different look from recent seasons past as four players made their first career starts as a Miner at Nebraska on Aug. 31. Returnees C Ivan Escobar and RT Jaquan Toney(played in one game last year) made their first career starts on the offensive line, while RG Otis Pitts III made his third career start and first since getting the nod against WKU on Nov. 4, 2023. Transfers from Austin Peay LG Brennan Smith and LT Isaiah Wright started on the left side of the line. The unit allowed only one sack against the Cornhuskers.

HOPKINS'S STELLAR DEBUT
LB Dorian Hopkins, a graduate transfer from Tulsa, racked up a collegiate career-high 16 tackles (six solo) along with a tackle for loss and first career fumble recovery at Nebraska on Aug. 31. Hopkins is the first Miner since LB AJ Hotchkins to lead the team in tackles in their UTEP debut. Hotchkins tallied 13 stops against Northern Arizona on Sept. 1, 2018, in his first game as a Miner.

MORE ON HOPKINS'S DAY
Dorian Hopkins hit double figures in tackles for the first time in his collegiate career after his 16-tackle effort against the Cornhuskers. His previous best was eight stops while playing at Tulsa against another power conference opponent Oklahoma on Sept. 16, 2023.

NATIONAL LEADER
Dorian Hopkins following his performance at Nebraska is the current leader in the nation with 16 tackles.

MOST TACKLES IN A SEASON OPENER SINCE 2009
Dorian Hopkins's 16 tackles were the most during a season opener in 15 seasons. DB Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith racked up 19 stops to open the 2009 campaign against Buffalo on Sept. 5.

CHAPMAN THE HITMAN
Spur Kory Chapman also made an impressive UTEP debut as the senior transfer totaled 10 tackles at Nebraska on Aug. 31. For Chapman, it was his fifth career double-digit tackle performance. He recorded four games at Austin Peay of 10+ tackles including his career-best 13 stops against EKU in 2023.

JAYLON'S CAREER HIGH
CB Jaylon Shelton was another transfer who made his UTEP debut at Nebraska. Shelton tallied a collegiate career-high eight tackles against the 'Huskers on Aug. 31. The redshirt junior transfer played in four games at Texas State in 2023. Before that, he played in one game at West Virginia in 2022, and in nine games at Tyler JC in 2021. His previous best performance was six tackles in three different games while at Tyler in 2021.

THE WARRIOR IN THE TRENCHES
NT Sione Tonga'uiha tied his career best with three tackles while he also recorded his first career full sack at Nebraska on Aug. 31. It's the most tackles tallied since getting three at Boise State in 2021. He also recorded three at NM State the same season. Tonga'uiha recorded a .5 sack against NM State in 2022.

OTHER NOTABLE EFFORTS
CB AJ Odums recorded a career-high seven tackles and added a pass breakup at Nebraska. Odums previous best was six tackles against no. 22 Liberty last year. LB Nate Dyman, who played in four games last season and tallied a tackle, recorded a career-best five stops against the Cornhuskers.

OTHER NOTABLE DEBUTS ON DEFENSE
S Xavier Smith (Austin Peay transfer), who made his first start as a Miner, collected six tackles in his Miner debut at Nebraska. DE Devin Goree (Missouri State transfer) totaled three tackles in his first start at UTEP. S Landon Hullaby (Texas Tech transfer) tallied a career-best three stops and his first forced fumble in his college career. LB Tray Dunson (Gardner-Webb transfer) tallied three tackles in his starting role.

WEFENSE DEBUTS
P Adam Jacklin, a transfer from North Texas, punted six times for 235 yards (39.2 avg.) with a long of 41 yards and one inside the 20-yard line at Nebraska. K Joe Bowman, a transfer from SEMO, served as a kickoff specialist, tallying 181 yards on three KO (60.3 avg.). MB Kam Thomas returned a punt 29 yards and totaled 30 yards on two kickoff returns with a long return of 18 yards. WR Kenny Odom returned a kickoff 18 yards.

UP NEXT
UTEP will begin Conference USA action at defending champs Liberty on Sept. 14. The Miners and Flames will be streamed on ESPN+ and is set for a 4 p.m. MT/6 ET kickoff in Lynchburg, Virginia, at Williams Stadium (25,000).

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