Skip To Main Content

UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
Ashten Emory TD
34
Winner New Mexico St. NMS 4-7 , 2-5
31
UTEP TEP 2-9 , 1-6
Winner
New Mexico St. NMS
4-7 , 2-5
34
Final
31
UTEP TEP
2-9 , 1-6
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
NMS New Mexico St. 0 21 3 10 34
TEP UTEP 21 0 3 7 31

Game Recap: Football |

NM State Stuns UTEP 34-31 with Late Touchdown, Wins Battle of I-10


GAME BOOK | POSTGAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas — NM State quarterback Adam Damante engineered a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the final minute, rallying the Aggies past the Miners, 34-31, in the 102nd meeting between the I-10 rivals on Saturday in the Sun Bowl.
 
Damante connected with TK King for the game-winning, 10-yard touchdown with 21 seconds remaining.
 
The Miners had taken a 31-27 lead on a 28-yard TD pass from Skyler Locklear to Kenny Odom with 56 seconds left. UTEP had moved 97 yards on 12 plays to regain the lead — including a crucial fourth and 11 conversion when Locklear hit Jaylan Brown for 34 yards — but couldn't hold onto it.
 
The Aggies (4-7, 2-5 Conference USA) took possession of the traveling trophies, the silver spade and the brass spittoon, with the future of the rivalry in question due to scheduling challenges with UTEP, which is leaving CUSA to join the Mountain West Conference next year.
 
UTEP fell to 2-9 overall and 1-6 in CUSA with the loss. The Miners led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, but were outscored 34-10 over the final three periods.
 
"This is 100 percent on me. I have to be better for our team, and I'm very disappointed," second-year UTEP head coach Scotty Walden said. "We jumped on [NM State] early, and they responded. In a rivalry game, you have to be ready for anything. We weren't ready to respond when they swung back and couldn't get it done at the end. Congrats to Coach [Tony] Sanchez and his group. They were really resilient in starting their backup quarterback. I'm sorry to our seniors that we couldn't get it done and send them out the right way. We have to be better." 
 
UTEP took a 7-0 lead on a one-yard rushing touchdown by Locklear with 9:58 remaining in the first period. Locklear set a school record with his eighth rushing TD of the season. Ashten Emory broke free for a career-long 56-yard run earlier in the drive to set up the score.  
 
Moments later, UTEP safety Solo Barnes intercepted Damante at the NMSU 35, and Emory ran it in for a touchdown on the next play to push the Miners' advantage to 14-0. Emory rushed for 109 yards in the first half.
 
The lead blew out to 21-0 on a 27-yard TD pass from Locklear to Wondame Davis Jr. with 5:56 remaining in the first quarter.
 
The Aggies responded with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter — including two touchdown catches by Donovan Faupel — to provide the equalizer. 
 
Damante was 16-of-19 passing for 124 yards in the first half to rally the Aggies from the three-touchdown deficit.
 
The teams traded field goals to open the second half. The Aggies took their first lead, 24-21, on a 46-yard field goal by David Barker with 5:09 left in the third quarter.
 
The Miners knotted it up on a 22-yard field goal by Tanner Cragun late in the third.
 
The Aggies regained a three-point edge (27-24) on a 24-yard field goal by Barker with 10:20 to play.
 
Still down three, UTEP took possession with 4:19 to play. The go-ahead touchdown drive featured successful conversions on 3rd and one, 4th and four, and 4th and 11.
 
But the Miners couldn't hang on to the lead, as the Aggies moved swiftly down the field for the winning TD.
 
Damante, an Arizona transfer making his first start for the Aggies, completed 29 of 41 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Dijon Stanley rushed for 106 yards for NMSU.
 
Locklear completed 16 of 30 passes for 151 yards and two TD's for UTEP. 
 
Emory had a big game for the Miners with a career-high 181 rushing yards — the most by a UTEP player this year.
 
The Aggies put up 470 yards of offense to the Miners' 399.
 
Three UTEP players registered double-digit tackles — Micah Davey (12), Yessman Green (10) and Jayden Wilson (10).
 
UP NEXT
The Miners will close out their 2025 schedule at Delaware next Saturday (Nov. 29) at 11 a.m. MST.  The game will be streamed on ESPN+, and the UTEP radio broadcast can be heard on 600 ESPN El Paso.
 
 
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