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UTEP Miners

UTEP Miners
Wondame Davis Jr. TD
30
Winner Jacksonville St. JSU 6-3 , 5-0
27
UTEP TEP 2-7 , 1-4
Winner
Jacksonville St. JSU
6-3 , 5-0
30
Final
27
UTEP TEP
2-7 , 1-4
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
JSU Jacksonville St. 10 10 0 10 30
TEP UTEP 7 6 7 7 27

Game Recap: Football |

Jax State Late Field Goal Downs UTEP, 30-27, Saturday in the Sun Bowl


GAME BOOK | POSTGAME NOTES

EL PASO – Garrison Rippa's 45-yard field goal gave Jax State the go-ahead lead with 53 seconds remaining in the contest, and the Gamecocks rushed for 275 yards to help defeat UTEP, 30-27, on Saturday afternoon in Sun Bowl Stadium.
 
The Miners had a last chance to get into field goal range to try and tie the game, but Skyler Locklear's deep ball on a fourth-and-10 to Eric Willis III from UTEP's own 30 fell short with 27 seconds left in the game.
 
Overall, Jax State (6-3, 5-0 Conference USA) racked up 456 yards of total offense, the most allowed by the UTEP defense this season. UTEP (2-7, 1-4 CUSA) totaled 370 yards of total offense, while only converting 2-of-13 third downs. The Miners were 5-of-7 on fourth-down conversions, however. 
 
"I'm disappointed with the outcome, but I'm extremely proud of our players and their effort," second-year UTEP head coach Scotty Walden said. "We gave away too many big game-changing plays against a really good team. Hats off to [Jax State], they have a really good football team. They're coached well and have good players. I want to give a shoutout to our fans and student section. They got rowdy; it made a difference in the game and in the fourth quarter. I really appreciated that; I thought it was awesome, and we needed that energy."
 
Locklear accounted for four touchdowns (two rush, two pass), the second time he's done so this season (first time was at Sam Houston). Locklear added a career-high and team-best 82 yards on the ground and threw for a season-high 244 yards. 
 
Wondame Davis Jr. had a monster game, putting up a career-best 166 yards on only five receptions (33.2 avg.), including a career-long 75-yard touchdown catch. Willis III added his first touchdown in a UTEP uniform. 
 
"I'm proud of this team and proud of their fight," Walden added, "But this is a results-oriented business, and a results-oriented game we play, and I understand that. In year two of the program, we'll continue to keep swinging and find a way to win these close games."
 
Cam Cook, the nation's leading rusher, gained 127 yards on 19 carries (6.7 avg.) and a touchdown, while JSU QB Caden Creel cooked the Miners for 134 yards rushing on 13 carries (10.3 avg.). Creel added 181 yards passing and a 77-yard touchdown pass to Deondre Johnson. 
 
Jax State got on the board on an 88-yard, four-play drive that resulted in a wide-open Johnson 77-yard touchdown pass from Creel. The Gamecocks took an early 7-0 edge following the made PAT by Rippa at the 11:07 mark. 
 
The Miners used only one play to strike back. Locklear completed a career-long 75-yard touchdown pass to Davis Jr., who hauled in a career-long reception. Carlos Arreola's PAT tied the game at 7-7 at the 10:56 mark. 
 
Jax State followed with a Rippa 30-yard field goal to take a 10-7 advantage with 53 seconds remaining in the first. 
 
The Gamecocks were forced to punt on their next possession, in which the Miners drove the ball to the JSU 20, but Locklear threw an interception to Jax State's Caleb Nix, who returned it 93 yards for a pick six and a 17-7 lead at the midway point of the second. 
 
UTEP cut the deficit to four points (17-13) after Locklear's one-yard touchdown rush. The Miners attempted a two-point conversion, but Cade McConnell's pass was incomplete. 
 
JSU extended its lead to seven points (20-13) after Rippa's second made field goal from 36 yards out late in the first half. 
 
Locklear's second rushing score, a 10-yard scamper to pay dirt and Arreola's PAT tied the score at 20 apiece with 6:34 left in the third quarter. UTEP drove the ball 47 yards on 11 plays. 
 
Cook's one-yard score lifted the Gamecocks to a 27-20 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the contest. 
 
Willis III's first touchdown reception as a Miner and Arrelo's PAT tied the score again, this time at 27 all with 2:15 remaining in the game.
 
The Gamecocks started the game-winning drive from their own 25 and marched 46 yards on eight plays, capped by Rippa's 45-yarder. Creel's 31-yard rush on second-and-7 put the ball at UTEP's 41. A UTEP defensive holding penalty then moved the ball to the UTEP 31. Cook gained two yards to UTEP's 29 to help set up the winning field goal.
 
Micah Davey, CUSA's leading tackler, racked up a game-high 13 more tackles with a tackle for loss. Davey now has 107 tackles in 2025, while he has racked up 68 in the last five games (13.6 per game). Solo Barnes picked off his first pass as a Miner and added four tackles to his line. 
 
Mac Sanders led JSU with seven tackles, while Nix had five stops to go with his INT for a TD. 
 
UP NEXT
UTEP will hit the road to play at Missouri State in the Miners' first-ever trip to the "Show Me State". The Miners and Bears will kick off at 1 p.m. MST/2 CT at Robert W. Plaster Stadium in Springfield. The contest can be heard on 95.5 KLAQ FM and will be streamed on ESPN+. This will mark the first meeting between UTEP and Missouri State. 
 
 
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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