UTEP Set to Battle #7 Texas in Austin Saturday Afternoon on the SEC Network

9/11/2025 2:58:00 PM

NOTES: UTEP | UT | CUSA

EL PASO – UTEP, coming off its decisive home-opening victory, will take the road to take on no. 7 Texas on Saturday, Sept. 13, in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at Campbell-Williams Field. The Miners (1-1) and Longhorns (1-1) are set for a 2:15 p.m. MDT/3:15 CT kickoff on the SEC Network.

Fans can listen on 95.5 KLAQ with "The Voice of the UTEP Miners" Jon Teicher, returning for his 45th season calling the action for the Orange and Blue. Former UTEP football coach Aaron Price joins "Teich" in the booth, while Mando Medina will roam the sidelines.

The Miners chalked up win no. 1 of the season after a dominant 42-17 victory over UT Martin on Sept. 6 in the Sun Bowl.

The "Blue Blaze" offense tallied 472 yards of total offense against the Skyhawks, the most during the Scotty Walden era. A highlight in the contest was when transfer running back Hahsaun Wilson's program-record 94-yard touchdown run that gave the Miners a 28-7 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. Wilson gashed the UTM defense with 117 yards on eight carries. Malachi Nelson put up career numbers in his first home start, throwing for career bests in touchdowns (four) and pass yards (278). Nelson hooked up with running back Ashten Emory on a couple of scores (eight yards, 12 yards), along with finding Toric Goins Jr. on a 48-yard touchdown pass and connecting with Kenny Odom on a career-long 74-yard touchdown pass. Goins Jr. (105) and Odom (124) hit the century mark in the air.

Defensively, the Miners tallied four sacks and 11 tackles for loss. The stingy defense allowed only 4-of-17 on third-down conversions. Linebacker Micah Davey bullied over the offensive players for 14 tackles – his 19^thcareer double-digit effort. Justin Content recorded a career-high nine tackles, while Neil Campbell set the tone for the Miners when he sacked UTM quarterback Jase Bauer, which led to a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Joshua Rudolph early in the contest. Emory scored the first of his three touchdowns on a two-yard rush that gave UTEP an early 7-0 edge.

The no. 7-ranked Longhorns won their first game of the season, beating up on San Jose State, 38-7, on Sept. 6, in Austin.

Arch Manning threw four touchdowns in the first half against the Spartans. Manning topped off the day with a 20-yard touchdown rush in the third for the last points of the contest. Manning finished the day 19-of-30 for 295 yards with one pick. Running back CJ Baxter gained 64 yards on 13 carries, while wide receiver Parker Livingstone tallied 128 yards on four receptions and two scores. Tight end Jack Endries added two catches for two TDs and 52 yards. Defensive back Michael Taaffee led with eight tackles, and defensive lineman Maraad Watson tallied 1.5 sacks. Defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau picked off a pass.

Manning versus Nelson is a side feature in Saturday's contest, as the two signal callers were rated two of the top five quarterbacks coming out of high school in 2023. Nelson was ranked no. 1 overall by ESPN. Both QBs have similar numbers in 2025 thus far – Nelson has thrown for 456 yards on 36-of-60 passing with one interception and five touchdown passes. Manning has thrown for 465 yards on 36-of-60 passing, two picks, five touchdowns and one rushing score.

UTEP (1-1, 0-0) vs. #7 Texas (1-1, 0-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 13
Time: 2:15 p.m. MDT3:15 CT
Location: Austin, Texas
Venue: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at Campbell-Williams Field (100,119)
X Updated: @UTEPFB

TV: SEC Network
PxP: Dave Neal
Analyst: Fozzy Whittaker
Sideline: Morgan Uber

Radio: 95.5 FM KLAQ
PxP: Jon Teicher
Analyst: Aaron Price
Sideline: Mando Medina

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The Miners and Longhorns will be televised on the SEC Network with veteran play-by-play talent Dave Neal and former NFL running back Fozzy Whittaker 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 45th season. 'Teich', who called his 500^thgame on Oct. 11, 2023, at FIU, is joined by former UTEP assistant coach Aaron Price in the booth, providing analysis. 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. TEXAS
Texas leads the all-time series 6-0. The last meeting was on Sept. 12, 2020, when no. 14 UT beat UTEP 59-3. K Gavin Baechle connected on a 47-yard field goal. The Miners and no. 11 Longhorns met on Sept. 10, 2016, in Austin when RB Aaron Jones rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown.

ABOUT NO. 7 TEXAS
The Longhorns opened the campaign with a 14-7 loss at no. 3 Ohio State on Aug. 30 but bounced back to beat San Jose State, 38-7, on Sept. 6, in Austin. QB Arch Manning threw four touchdowns in the first half against the Spartans. Manning topped off the day with a 20-yard touchdown rush in the third for the last points of the contest. Manning finished the day 19-of-30 for 295 yards with one pick. RB CJ Baxter gained 64 yards on 13 carries, while WR Parker Livingstone tallied 128 yards on four receptions and two scores. TE Jack Endries added two catches for two TDs and 52 yards. DB Michael Taaffee led with eight tackles, and DL Maraad Watson tallied 1.5 sacks. DB Jaylon Guilbeau picked off a pass. The 'Horns are averaging 22.5 points per game and giving up only 10.5 points per game, which ranks fifth in the SEC and 25th in FBS. UT's rush defense (81.0 ypg) ranks fifth in the SEC and 25^th in FBS. The defense has recovered three fumbles, ranking first in the SEC and third in FBS. The UT defense has forced four turnovers – first in the SEC, 17^th in FBS. Manning is tied for third in the SEC and is tied 20^th in FBS with five touchdown passes. Livingstone ranks eighth in the SEC with 175 yards on only six receptions and tied for first with three touchdown receptions. LB Anthony Hill Jr. is tied for the SEC lead with two forced fumbles.

VERSUS AP TOP 25
The Miners are 4-60, including 1-40 on the road. UTEP last faced a ranked team in 2024 at no. 10 Tennessee. UTEP last beat a ranked opponent on Oct. 3, 2009, in a 58-41 win over no. 12 Houston in the Sun Bowl. The last road win against a ranked opponent was on Nov. 2, 1974, in a 31-27 victory.

OFFENSIVE BLAZE
UTEP racked up 42 points with a time of possession of only 21:12 against UT Martin on Sept. 6. It marks the second time under head coach Scotty Walden that the Miners have topped 40 points despite possessing the ball for less than 23 minutes (W, 42-35, at NM State, 11/30/24, 20:28, time of possession). From 1974 (prior records incomplete) through 2023, UTEP never eclipsed 40 points in a game with a time of possession of fewer than 23 minutes. Furthermore, in those 59 such contests in that timespan, there were only three times that UTEP possessed the ball for 25 minutes or less. It happened once in 2007 under Mike Price (W, 52-12, vs. Texas Southern, 24:45 time of possession) and twice in 1988 under Bob Stull. (W, 42-25, at Hawaii, 24:48 time of possession; W 58-7, vs. San Diego State, 23:57 time of possession).

OFFENSE COMING TOGETHER AT HOME
Including the home finale from last year (W, 43-35, 2OT, vs. Kennesaw State), the Miners have surpassed both 40 points and 450 yards of total offense in their past two appearances in the Sun Bowl. UTEP hadn't posted consecutive such performances at home since the 2016 campaign. That year the Orange and Blue pulled off the feat in routs against Houston Baptist (W, 42-10, 11/5/16, 514 yards) and North Texas (W, 52-24, 11/26/16, 555 yards).

MOST YARDS IN WALDEN ERA
The Miners' 472 yards of total offense against UT Martin on Sept. 6 are the most during the Scotty Walden era. It is also the third time that UTEP has eclipsed 400 yards under Walden's direction.

LONGEST PLAY FROM SCRIMMAGE IN PROGRAM HISTORY
RB Hahsaun Wilson zoomed past Skyhawk defenders on his way to a school-record 94-yard touchdown run. The previous longest run was a 91-yard scamper by RB Aaron Jones at Texas Tech in 2015. The previous longest play from scrimmage was a 92-yard Billy Stevens' touchdown pass to Bob Wallace in 1965.

LONGEST PLAY FROM SCRIMMAGE IN THE NATION
Hahsaun Wilson's 94-yard touchdown run against UT Martin is the longest rush play and overall play from scrimmage in the nation. Wilson is one of two players in FBS to account for a 90+ yard play, as ODU's Trequan Jones went for a 93-yarder against N.C. Central on Sept. 6.

ANOTHER 100-YARD EFFORT
Hahsaun Wilson rambled for 117 yards against UTM, his third career 100-yard game in college. While previously playing for Charlotte, he piled up 198 vs. Memphis on Nov. 11, 2023, and 164 vs. East Carolina on Oct. 5, 2024.

RUN MINERS, RUN
Hahsaun Wilson (school-record 94-yard rush) and QB Skyler Locklear (63-yard run) both got into the open field for big gains against UT Martin. The Miners hadn't had two runs of at least 50 yards in a single game since RB Aaron Jones pulled off the feat by himself against North Texas on Nov. 26, 2016. Jones broke for an 83-yard TD score, in addition to one from 58 yards, as part of a historic night. He finished with 301 rushing yards (second most in program history) while also setting the school's single-season record (1,773 yards).

DUAL THREAT
RB Ashten Emory ran for a touchdown and caught a pair of scores in the romp against UT Martin on Sept. 6. He is the first UTEP player to rush for a TD and catch two as well in the same game since RB Aaron Jones showed off his versatility in a five-OT victory at UTSA (10/22/16) nine years ago. Incidentally enough, RB Walter Dawn Jr. also found pay dirt three times that game, twice on the ground and once through the air.

HOUSE CALLS
Ashten Emory has scored four touchdowns to start the 2025 season. Emory leads Conference USA and while ranking tied for fifth in FBS. Emory has rushed for a pair of scores while hauling in a pair of touchdown receptions. Emory's first career touchdown came at Utah State on Aug. 30.

BIG RUNS
UTEP had two rushes of longer than 60 yards against UT Martin as RB Hahsaun Wilson took a 94-yarder to the house, and QB Skyler Locklear tallied a 63-yard gain. RB Deion Hankins (72-yard rush, vs. FAU on Oct. 22, 2022) had been the last Miner to ramble at least 60 yards on a carry.

A TRIO HITTING THE CENTURY
UTEP had two 100-yard receivers (WR Kenny Odum, 124 yards and WR Toric Goins Jr., 105 yards) and a 100-yard rusher (RB Hahsaun Wilson, 117 yards) in the same game for the first time since also doing so at ULM on Sept. 26, 2020. That year, Justin Garrett (120) and Jacob Cowing (102) did so through the air, and Deion Hankins (118) accomplished it on the ground.

SOMETHING WITH QBS AND THAT FIRST HOME STARTS UNDER WALDEN
Last year, QB Skyler Locklear became the first FBS player since 2015 to have a rushing, passing and receiving touchdown in the same game in the home opener vs. Southern Utah (9/7/24). Fast forward nearly exactly one year to the date when transfer QB Malachi Nelson lit up UT Martin with four TD passes in his first home game as a starter. The four TD tosses were the most by a UTEP QB in their initial home start since QB Brooks Dawson went 17-26 for four TDs and 175 yards against UC-Santa Barbara (9/16/67) nearly 60 years ago.

FLASHING THAT QB SPEED
QB Skyler Locklear ripped off a 63-yard run vs. UT Martin on Sept. 6. It marked the longest dash by a UTEP quarterback since QB Kai Locksley also exploded for a 63-yard gain at Southern Miss (9/28/19) six years ago.

MALACHI'S FIRST HOME START
QB Malachi Nelson finished 14-26 with career highs in passing yards (278) and touchdowns (four), and no interceptions. Nelson's first TD put the Miners up 14-7 in the second quarter when he found WR Toric Goins Jr. on a 48-yard pass. Nelson then threw an eight-yard TD pass to RB Ashten Emory that led to a 22-7 advantage. Nelson followed with a career-long 74-yard touchdown to WR Kenny Odom that helped put the Miners up 35-10. Nelson hooked up with Emory again, this time on a 12-yarder late in the third quarter.

FIRST TIME IN 11 YEARS
Malachi Nelson threw a career-high four touchdowns in UTEP's big win over UT Martin. He becomes the first Miner to pass for four TDs in a nonconference game since QB Jameill Showers did so at No. 25 Kansas State on Sept. 27, 2014.

PASSING TDS GALORE UNDER WALDEN
Both QB Malachi Nelson (four TDs vs. UT Martin, Sept. 6) and QB Skyler Locklear (four TDs vs Kennesaw State, 11/9/24) have tossed four touchdown passes in a game as a Miner under the tutelage of head coach Scotty Walden. Before Walden assumed the reins of the program last year, QB Jameill Showers (four TDs at No. 25 Kansas State, 9/27/14) was the last UTEP signal caller to post a quartet of passing TDs, doing so more than a decade ago.

MALACHI'S RANKINGS
Malachi Nelson ranks tied for second in Conference USA with five touchdown passes in the first two games. He ranks sixth in completions (36) and passing yards (456).

CADE'S SUPER 2-POINT PLAY
QB Cade McConnell leaped over a Skyhawk defender for a two-point conversion during the second quarter following an RB Ashten Emory TD, the first two-point conversion of his career.

FAST START FOR ODOM
WR Kenny Odom recorded his first 100-yard game of 2025 with a 124-yard output against UT Martin. Odom opened the season with 97 yards on a career-high nine receptions at Utah State. Odom has hauled in touchdowns in back-to-back games. Odom now has a trio of 100-yard game efforts and has scored 10 touchdowns over the last two years.

KENNY KILLING IT
Kenny Odom ranks first in Conference USA and is tied for 15^th in FBS with 221 receiving yards. His 110.5 receiving yards per game rank first in CUSA and tied for 15^th in FBS. Odoms ranks third in CUSA in all-purpose yards per game (118.5).

GOINS, GOINS, GONE!
WR Toric Goins Jr., in his first start as a Miner, tallied his first collegiate 100-yard game with 105 yards on three receptions and a touchdown. Goins Jr. hauled in a 48-yard touchdown reception, the first in his UTEP career. It was Goins Jr.'s second career collegiate touchdown after catching one at Trinity Valley CC in 2024. Goins Jr. added a career-long 49-yard reception against the Skyhawks.

LEADER OF THE SACK
UTEP recorded four more sacks in its win over UT Martin and ranks first in Conference USA and tied first in FBS with 10 sacks on the season. The Miners rank tied for second in FBS at 5.0 sacks per game.

MORE SACK NOTES
The Miners posted four sacks and now have a total of 10 through two weeks of play. That is the most over the first two games of the season since 2005, when they had 12. UTEP has recorded at least four sacks in consecutive contests for the first time since 2021. That year, they had five at Southern Miss (10/9/21), which was followed up with four vs. LA Tech (10/16/21).

NATIONAL LEADERS IN TFL
UTEP ranks first in FBS with 11.5 tackles for loss per game. The Miners rank second in FBS with 23 total TFL.

STINGY THIRD-DOWN D
UTEP ranks first in Conference USA and 10^th in FBS in opponent third-down conversions, allowing only six conversions on 29 attempts (20.7 percent).

FIRST DOWN D
UTEP ranks tied for second in Conference USA in first-down defense, yielding only 37. Liberty leads the league with only 33. The Miners' 18.5 per game ranks tied for third in CUSA.

RUSHING DEFENSE
UTEP ranks first in Conference USA in rushing defense, allowing only 101.5 rushing yards per game.

RUN STUFFERS
UTEP held the Skyhawks to 76 yards on 40 rushing attempts. It's the fewest rushing yards by a Miners' opponent with at least 40 attempts since UT Arlington had 67 yards on 40 carries on Sept. 11, 1971.

TACKLING MACHINE IN FIRST GAME AT SUN BOWL
McNeese State transfer LB Micah Davey was seemingly everywhere against UT Martin on Sept. 6. He finished with 14 tackles (eight solo), marking the most by a Miner in their first home game since LB Barron Wortham (15 tackles) did so as a true freshman vs. BYU on Sept. 1, 1990, in UTEP's season opener that year.

LEADING TACKLER
Micah Davey racked up 14 tackles against UT Martin. It was the 19th time he's hit double-digit tackles in his collegiate career. Davey leads Conference USA with 22 tackles and is tied in the top 15 in FBS. He's tied for 13^th in FBS, averaging 11.0 tackles per game. While at McNeese State, Davey posted double-digit tackles in all 10 games in 2023, five in 2024 and three in 2022. For his college career, Davey has amassed 333 tackles in 30 games (11.1 per game).

NEIL'S BIG PLAY
CB Neil Campbell recorded a sack and a forced fumble on UT Martin's fourth play from scrimmage to set the tone during the Miners' win. Campbell had 1.5 sacks at Indiana Wesleyan. It was his second collegiate career forced fumble. His last FF came in 2021. He finished with a team-leading 2.5 tackles for loss and 19 yards against the Skyhawks.

CAREER NIGHT FOR CONTENT
CB Justin Content nearly joined Neil Campbell in double figures against UTM, finishing with nine stops to more than double (four) his prior best as a Miner in the season opener at Utah State on Aug. 30.

GOOD START FOR RUDOLPH
LB Joshua Rudolph recorded a fumble recovery, the first of his collegiate career. He also recorded eight tackles for the second straight week. Rudolph has 16 tackles to start 2025, ranking tied for 11^th in Conference USA.

UDOKA TACKLING BEHIND THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE
Bandit Udoka Ezeani has tallied 5.5 tackles for loss. He ranks second in Conference USA. Udoka opened the season with a collegiate career-high 4.5 TFL at Utah State. His previous season best was 4.5 TFL in nine games in 2023 while at Butler CC.

SACK MASTERS
Bandit Udoka Ezeani and DE Ashaad Hall each have 2.0 sacks in 2025, ranking tied for second with three other players in CUSA.

TRENCH WARRIOR
DL Shakaun Bowser registered a sack against UT Martin, his first at the DI level. He had 2.5 sacks while previously playing with Garden City CC.

IRON MAN
LB Garrett Hawkins, who's listed at linebacker, played fullback and rushed the ball for a two-yard gain during the second quarter against UT Martin.

BOOMING BOTSFORD
P Noah Botsford finished with five punts for 250 yards (50.0 avg.) against UT Martin. He was the first Miner to average at least 50 yards per punt in a game since Joshua Sloan in 2020. Sloan had five punts for 251 yards (50.2 avg.) at UTSA on Nov. 14, 2020. Botsford, who was just named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, boomed a 66-yard punt, equaling his collegiate career long. It also marked the second straight week he's had a punt of at least 60 yards. He drilled a 64-yarder in the season opener at Utah State. Botsford ranks eighth in FBS and second in Conference USA, averaging 48.5 yards per punt.

UP NEXT
UTEP returns to the Sun City to host ULM on Sept. 20, in its final tune-up before league action. The Miners and Warhawks are set to kick off at 7 p.m. in Sun Bowl Stadium. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+, and can be heard on 95.5 KLAQ and the UTEP Miners app.

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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