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Carver Cheeks
17
UTEP TEP 1-2 , 0-0
52
Winner Michigan U-M 3-0 , 0-0
UTEP TEP
1-2 , 0-0
17
Final
52
Michigan U-M
3-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
TEP UTEP 7 7 0 3 17
U-M Michigan 0 17 28 7 52

Game Recap: Football |

Miners Match Mighty Michigan in First Half; No. 19 Wolverines Pull Away Over Final 30 Minutes

GAME BOOK | POSTGAME NOTES

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — An opportunistic UTEP offense converted two Michigan turnovers into touchdowns in the first half, leaving the Miners within striking distance of the nation's 19th-ranked team at halftime. But the Wolverines flexed their muscle in the final 30 minutes, running out to a 52-17 victory before 110,668 fans on a cool and rainy afternoon at Michigan Stadium. It was the largest crowd ever to witness a game involving the Miners.
 
UTEP led 7-0 and 14-7, and trailed 17-14 at halftime before the Wolverines opened the second half with 28 unanswered points.
 
The Miners had Michigan on its heels early. After Wolverine quarterback Bryce Underwood was sacked by Elijah Fields at the UTEP 27-yard line, Garrett Hawkins pounced on the football. The Miner offense moved to midfield, where EJ Colson connected with Carver Cheeks on a deep pass down the middle for 45 yards and a touchdown with 6:51 remaining in the opening quarter.
 
"I'm disappointed with the outcome, but I think looking at our football team from game one to now, I love the progression that I've seen," third-year UTEP head coach Scotty Walden said. "We came out with much more intensity and much more fight. In the first half and the last four minutes of the first half, we started to falter with field position."
 
The Wolverines knotted it up on a six-yard rushing score by Savion Hiter with 10:34 left in the second period.
 
Once again, the UTEP defense forced a turnover, which the offense turned into a touchdown. Savion fumbled at the Michigan 17 (fumble forced by Darnell Williams) and Decorian Thompson recovered. On the next play, Colson threw over the defense to a streaking Lamar Sperling down the left sideline for an 18-yard TD.
 
"We had two critical takebacks by our defense, which we were able to capitalize on offense," Walden said. "I'm super proud because of our growth, not because of the result. There are no moral victories, but for a team that's growing and getting better, we have to recognize the areas in which we've improved from Oklahoma to now. We played a really good football team in a hostile environment. For a half, we proved that we belonged." 
 
Momentum swung late in the first half. Michigan tied it up, 14-14, shortly before halftime on a seven-yard TD pass from Underwood to JJ Buchanan. The Wolverines took their first lead, 17-14, when Trey Butkowski nailed a 49-yard field goal as time expired in the half.
 
Michigan blew the game open with a 28-point third quarter, including TD runs by Jordan Marshall (six yards) and Hiter (eight yards), and a 34-yard scoring pass from Underwood to Andrew Marsh.
 
The Miners put a stop to the run when Carlos Arreola kicked a season-long 39-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter.  
 
UTEP was limited to 150 yards by the vaunted Wolverine defense, but the 17 points were the most scored on Michigan this season. Colson completed 7-of-9 passes for 86 yards and Raymond Moore III, in relief duty, finished 3-for-6 for seven yards.
 
Underwood finished 19-for-25 passing for 223 yards. Marsh collected 10 catches for 105 yards, and Buchanan added seven receptions for 92 yards. Hiter (62 yards) and Marshall (59 yards) were responsible for 121 of the Wolverines' 185 rushing yards.
 
Xavier Smith (career-high 11 tackles) and Justin Content (10) had big games for the UTEP defense. Fields had two tackles for losses and a sack. The Wolverines had four sacks and 11 tackles for losses, with Tariq Boney and Benny Patterson leading the way with 1.5 tackles for losses each. Michigan stifled the Miners on third down, holding them to a 16.7 percent (2-for-12) success rate.  
 
UP NEXT
UTEP hosts Pac-12 opponent Oregon State in its 94th Homecoming game next Saturday (Sept. 26) at 7 pm, sponsored by El Paso Children's Hospital.  Fans can tailgate in Paydirt Pete's Pregame Party Zone Presented by Bud Light, opening at 4 pm on Glory Field.  Postgame will feature a dazzling drone show.
 
Tickets are available starting at $20 by visiting www.utepminers.com/tickets, by calling 915.747.UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu or by visiting the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office (500 W. University Ave., 79968).  The football game can also be heard on 600 AM ESPN and will be streamed on MW+ (to sign up, visit https://watch.themw.com/utep/).  
 
 
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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