2008 UTEP Miners football team
Encyclopedia
The 2008 UTEP Miners football team represented the University of Texas at El Paso
in the college football
season of 2008-2009. The team's head football coach is Mike Price
. The Miners play their home games at the Sun Bowl Stadium
in El Paso
, Texas
.
*** Denotes the largest crowd ever for the Sun Bowl Stadium.
, "The Eyes of Texas
". While Miners' fans make a symbol called the "Pickaxe", with pinkie and thumb extended from a closed fist, the Longhorns have the Hook 'em Horns
symbol.
After the Miners opened their season with a loss to the Buffalo Bulls
42–17, Miners coach Mike Price
said of the upcoming game against the Longhorns, "Man, I hope they're not as good as Buffalo."
The kickoff for the game was set for 8:00 pm local time (Mountain Time) which is an unusually late start and which translates to 9:00 pm in Austin. Sports analysts have speculated that the Miners' excitement for the game, the crowd noise, the distance traveled, and time may pose a problem for Texas. They have also compared the game to Texas' 2007 road trip to Central Florida, which was a very close win for Texas. Longhorn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp said of the time slot, "Doesn’t matter where we play, who we play or what time we play, Texas defense is gonna show up and play." The Dallas Morning News reported the game was one of the most anticipated games in UTEP history and "because season-ticket packages were available for $99, some Texas fans bought them in advance to avoid the hassle of a single-game purchase. The sales pushed UTEP to nearly 24,000 season tickets, a school record."
The morning of the game, Las Vegas sports books
favored Texas by 27 points. The weather forecast called for a gametime temperature of 83 °F (28.3 °C) and mostly clear skies. The attendance was 53,415, the largest crowd ever for the Sun Bowl Stadium.
UTEP got the ball to start the game and scored a field goal. Texas was not able to secure a first down and punted
back to Miners, who scored another field goal to take a 6–0 lead. On their second possession, Texas drove 80 yards for a touchdown on a McCoy pass to Quan Cosby. The extra point gave Texas a 7–6 lead which they still held at the end of the first quarter.
The Longhorns scored again ten seconds into the second quarter, as McCoy threw a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Dan Buckner. The Miners attempted a 65-yard field goal, but it fell short and Quan Cosby returned it 65 yards. Texas put John Chiles in as quarterback on the next series, and fullback Cody Johnson scored his second rushing touchdown of the season to make the score 21–6. With four minutes to go in the half, McCoy threw a touchdown pass to tight end Blaine Irby to make the score 28–6 with the extra point. UTEP scored a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the half, making the score 28–13 at half-time
.
Texas got the ball to start the second half and drove to the UTEP 14-yard line when McCoy threw an interception in the UTEP end zone
; it was his first interception of the season. Neither team scored in the third quarter.
The Horns faked a wide receiver screen and scored on a McCoy pass to Jordan Shipley to extend the lead to 35–13. On the next Miner possession, Emmanuel Acho
forced a fumble and Roddrick Muckelroy
returned it for a touchdown, making the score 42–13. UTEP missed a field goal to end their next possession. Texas punted on their next possession, and then took over on downs when UTEP was unable to score on their last possession. The Horns kept the ball on the ground and ran out the clock.
passed for 329 yards and five touchdowns to lead New Mexico State to a 34-33 win Saturday over UTEP.
Holbrook connected with wide receiver Marcus Anderson on three scores, including the go-ahead touchdown with 3:12 to go in the game. Anderson finished with five catches for 70 yards.
Holbrook has 1,269 passing yards in three games against the Miners (0-3).
With the win, NMSU (1-1) snapped a six-game losing streak, while UTEP extended its losing skid to nine games. It was the Aggies' first win in the Sun Bowl since 1994.
In the second quarter, NMSU went up 14-10 on a pair of passing scores from Holbrook to Anderson.
UTEP quarterback James Thomas II answered with a 44-yard scoring run, but NMSU went ahead 21-17 on a 27-yard touchdown reception by A.J. Harris.
UTEP's Jose Martinez kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it 21-20 with 3:05 remaining in the half.
The Aggies took a 28-27 lead into the fourth quarter, until Thomas stretched into the end zone from a yard out and put UTEP back up 33-28.
NMSU went ahead for good on Holbrook's final touchdown pass to Anderson. The Aggie defense forced a UTEP fumble, then stopped the Miners on a fourth-and-11 in the final minute.
UTEP' top two running backs were out with injuries and starting quarterback Trevor Vittatoe left the game for good with an ankle injury after the third series.
Thomas led UTEP with 142 yards rushing and two scores, becoming only the third Miner quarterback to eclipse the 100-yard mark since 1982.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282642638
threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns to lead UTEP to a 58-13 win over Central Florida
on Saturday night, halting a streak of nine consecutive losses.
Jose Martinez
kicked a 64-yard field goal for the Miners (1-3, 1-0 Conference USA
).
Cornelius Brown, who had two interceptions and blocked a punt, led the UTEP defense as it forced UCF (1-3, 0-1) into six turnovers, including two fumbles recovered for touchdowns.
Vittatoe's second-quarter scoring pass to Jamar Hunt gave UTEP a 17-point lead, and Martinez' 64-yarder gave the Miners a 27-7 lead at halftime.
Rob Calabrese, making his first start for UCF, threw for 167 yards and a touchdown.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282712638
threw four touchdown passes, including the game winner in double overtime, as UTEP defeated Southern Mississippi 40-37 on Saturday night.
Vittatoe hit Chris Adams on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime, after Southern Miss' Britt Barefoot gave the Golden Eagles a 37-34 lead with a 28-yard field goal.
It was the second consecutive victory for UTEP (2-3, 2-0 Conference USA) and the second straight loss for the Golden Eagles (2-3, 0-2).
Southern Miss is 0-2 in league play for the first time in the 13-year history of Conference USA.
The loss overshadowed a career-high effort by Damion Fletcher
, who had 34 carries for 260 yards, becoming the program's all-time leading rusher in the third quarter. He has 3,654 career yards, passing Ben Garry, who finished with 3,595.
The 260-yard effort was also the second highest single-game mark in school history.
Vittatoe was 24 of 41 for 263 yards and four scores.
The Miners led 17-14 at halftime, thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Jose Martinez with 1:25 to go in the second quarter.
Fletcher gave USM an early lead on a 1-yard scoring run five minutes into the game.
Justin Estes missed a pair of short field goals for the Golden Eagles in the first half, one after Fletcher ran 56 yards to the Miners' 13.
Tory Harrison also had a 1-yard scoring run for USM in the second quarter.
The Miners responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Adams and an 11-yard touchdown run by Donald Buckram in the first half.
Martinez made the score 20-14 with a 34-yard field goal at the 11:33 mark of the third quarter.
UTEP tried an onside kick that USM recovered at midfield. The Golden Eagles took advantage of it to take the lead with a 10-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to Shawn Nelson.
The Miners came back with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Tufick Shadrawy on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 27-21 lead.
But Barefoot replaced Estes in the second half, and despite missing his first attempt, kicked a pair of short field goals in the fourth quarter. The second, from 22 yards out on the final play of regulation, sent the game into overtime.
The teams traded 4-yard scoring passes in the first overtime, as Vittatoe hit Terrell Jackson and USM's Austin Davis found DeAndre Brown.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282782572
threw three touchdown passes as UTEP came back for a 24-21 win over Tulane on Saturday night.
Vittatoe finished 21-of-32 passing for 296 yards.
The Miners (3-3, 3-0 Conference USA) reached .500 after an 0-3 start for the first time in school history.
Andre Anderson, who entered the game as the nation's ninth-leading rusher, carried the ball 29 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns for Tulane (2-4, 1-2).
UTEP took an early 7-0 lead, scoring on its opening possession for the first time this season.
Following rushing scores of 72 and 28 yards by Anderson, UTEP tied it 14-14 in the second quarter after Daniel Palmer hauled in a low pass and scurried 8 yards to the end zone.
Down 21-14 at halftime, UTEP inched back on a 28-yard field goal from Jose Martinez
in the third quarter, then took the lead for good on a 68-yard bomb to Jeff Moturi with 4:22 remaining in the game.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282852638
threw for 434 yards and five touchdowns to help lead Tulsa to a record-setting performance and a 77-35 blowout of UTEP.
Brennan Marion had six catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night, setting a Conference USA
record for yards per catch in a game (38.8), as Tulsa (7-0, 4-0 CUSA) strengthened its case to move into the national rankings. The Golden Hurricane hovered just outside the Associated Press poll this week.
Tulsa amassed 791 total yards, including 321 rushing.
UTEP (3-4, 3-1 CUSA) kept pace with Tulsa early and the game was tied 28-28 in the first quarter.
David Johnson connected with Marion on passes of 97 and 51 yards; Damaris Johnson
returned a kickoff 94 yards for a score and A.J. Whitmore caught a 24-yard strike from David Johnson, who finished 21-for-27 with one interception.
UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe
hit Jeff Moturi with a 6-yard pass, Kris Adams with a 22-yard strike and a 1-yarder to Jamar Hunt for a score. He finished 21 of 34 for 321 yards and four touchdowns.
By the second quarter, Tulsa had turned up the heat, rattling Vittatoe with a variety of blitzes and holding the Miners scoreless, while the Golden Hurricane scored 28 consecutive points.
Tarrion Adams, who finished with 115 yards, scored two touchdown in the third quarter that gave Tulsa a 63-35 advantage and UTEP lost all fight after that.
Marion added a 40-yard touchdown before the quarter ended to make it 70-35.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282920202
threw for 372 yards and accounted for six TDs,
and Rice matched its best conference record in nearly a half-century with
a 49-44 win over Texas-El Paso on Saturday night.
Clement threw five TD passes and ran for a 3-yard score that gave Rice
the lead for good in the second quarter. UTEP kept close, and a third touchdown
pass from Trevor Vittatoe to Jeff Moturi with 1:23 left gave the Miners hope
before their onside kick attempt failed.
Rice (6-3, 5-1 Conference USA) clinched bowl eligibility for the second
time in three seasons. Not since 1960 have the Owls been 5-1 in conference play.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=283062638
Gerren Blount initercepted Vittatoe and returned it 55 yards for the opening score, but UTEP answered with 1:51 left in the first quarter on Jeff Moturi's fifth touchdown reception in the last three games. It came from 16 yards out. Moturi's 20th career touchdown catch put him all alone in third on UTEP's all-time list.
By Halftime, The UTEP defense played perhaps its best half of the season, holding the Louisiana-Lafayette to three offensive points and the Miners led 16-10 at the intermission. In the Second Quarter, Trevor Vittatoe threw touchdown passes to Tufick Shadrawy and Jeff Moturi, but also threw one to the Rajin' Cajuns' Gerren Blount to open the scoring. UTEP answered with 1:51 left in the first quarter on Jeff Moturi's fifth touchdown reception in the last three games. It came from 16 yards out. Moturi's 20th career touchdown catch put him all alone in third on UTEP's all-time list. The Miners also made a goal-line stand shortly before their final touchdown of the half, which came witih 51 seconds left on a 32-yard field goal.
Miners defeat Louisiana-Lafayette LAFAYETTE, La. - The UTEP football team picked up its second road win of the year on Saturday with a 37-24 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette at Cajun Field. The Miners improved to 4-5 overall with the win in the non-conference game. UTEP is 3-2 in Conference USA going into next week's Conference USA home game against SMU. The Ragin' Cajuns fell to 5-4 on the season and saw a four-game win streak come to an end. However, the loss didn't affect the team's Sun Belt Conference mark, which remained at 4-0. The win allowed UTEP to keep alive hopes of qualifying for a bowl game this season. UTEP needs two more wins in its final three games to qualify for one. After hosting SMU next week, the Miners finish the season with road trips to Houston and East Carolina.
Vittatoe completed 21-of-31 passes, finishing his evening after just three quarters. Adams caught five of those passes for 145 yards and the three touchdowns. It was a career high for Vittatoe and Adams, both sophomores.
Vittatoe connected with Adams for an 85-yard touchdown pass on UTEP's first play from scrimmage. The Miners (5-5, 4-2 Conference USA) rolled up 544 total yards and never trailed, leading 10-3 after one quarter and 26-3 at the half.
Jose Martinez kicked five field goals in the game, connecting from 34, 48, 26, 31 and 23 yards.
SMU (1-10, 0-7) scored its lone touchdown in the fourth quarter after trailing 36-3. Logan Turner hit Bradley Haynes with a 27-yard pass for the touchdown.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=283202638
Although meeting for the first time during the Cougars' inaugural season in 1946, the UTEP Miners had only met with the Cougars five times in history.[40] As Conference USA foes, the Cougars held a 2-3 all-time record against the Miners, whereas both wins came consecutively during the 2006 and 2007 meetings of the teams. Mike Price returned as the Miners' head coach this season. After a close game, where Houston lagged behind, the Cougars made a fourth quarter comeback to win the game.
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
in the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season of 2008-2009. The team's head football coach is Mike Price
Mike Price
Mike Price is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso , a position he has held since 2004...
. The Miners play their home games at the Sun Bowl Stadium
Sun Bowl Stadium
The Sun Bowl is an outdoor football stadium, on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso. It is home to the UTEP Miners of Conference USA , and the late December college football bowl game, the Hyundai Sun Bowl...
in El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Schedule
Buffalo
In their first trip to the state of New York, UTEP rolled up 266 yards but had three turnovers while the Bulls' Drew Willy threw four touchdown passes to help Buffalo to a 42–17 victory over the Minders. Willy complete 10-of-16 passing attempts for 221 passing yards and no interceptions. His first completion of the game broke Cliff Scott's school record for career completions. The UTEP defense surrendered 484 total yards.Texas
This game marks the first time for the Miners to play the Texas Longhorns. Texas holds a 2–0 record against the Miners, with the most recent game occurring in 1933 when the school was known as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy. Besides both being in The University of Texas System the two schools also share the same alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, "The Eyes of Texas
The Eyes of Texas
"The Eyes of Texas" is the alma mater of the University of Texas at Austin. It is set to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University sing the song at Longhorn sports games and other events....
". While Miners' fans make a symbol called the "Pickaxe", with pinkie and thumb extended from a closed fist, the Longhorns have the Hook 'em Horns
Hook 'em Horns
Hook 'em Horns is the slogan and hand signal of The University of Texas at Austin. Students and alumni of the university employ a greeting consisting of the phrase "Hook 'em" or "Hook 'em Horns" and also use the phrase as a parting good-bye or as the closing line in a letter or story.The gesture is...
symbol.
After the Miners opened their season with a loss to the Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo Bulls
The Buffalo Bulls are the athletic teams representing the University at Buffalo in intercollegiate athletics. The Bulls currently play in Division I , and are a member of the Mid-American Conference for all sports except women's rowing who is in the Cononial Athletic Assocition . They have been a...
42–17, Miners coach Mike Price
Mike Price
Mike Price is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso , a position he has held since 2004...
said of the upcoming game against the Longhorns, "Man, I hope they're not as good as Buffalo."
The kickoff for the game was set for 8:00 pm local time (Mountain Time) which is an unusually late start and which translates to 9:00 pm in Austin. Sports analysts have speculated that the Miners' excitement for the game, the crowd noise, the distance traveled, and time may pose a problem for Texas. They have also compared the game to Texas' 2007 road trip to Central Florida, which was a very close win for Texas. Longhorn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp said of the time slot, "Doesn’t matter where we play, who we play or what time we play, Texas defense is gonna show up and play." The Dallas Morning News reported the game was one of the most anticipated games in UTEP history and "because season-ticket packages were available for $99, some Texas fans bought them in advance to avoid the hassle of a single-game purchase. The sales pushed UTEP to nearly 24,000 season tickets, a school record."
The morning of the game, Las Vegas sports books
Sports betting
Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome.-United States of America:Aside from simple wagers such as betting a friend that one's favorite baseball team will win its division or buying a football "square" for the Super Bowl, sports betting is...
favored Texas by 27 points. The weather forecast called for a gametime temperature of 83 °F (28.3 °C) and mostly clear skies. The attendance was 53,415, the largest crowd ever for the Sun Bowl Stadium.
UTEP got the ball to start the game and scored a field goal. Texas was not able to secure a first down and punted
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
back to Miners, who scored another field goal to take a 6–0 lead. On their second possession, Texas drove 80 yards for a touchdown on a McCoy pass to Quan Cosby. The extra point gave Texas a 7–6 lead which they still held at the end of the first quarter.
The Longhorns scored again ten seconds into the second quarter, as McCoy threw a 12-yard touchdown to wide receiver Dan Buckner. The Miners attempted a 65-yard field goal, but it fell short and Quan Cosby returned it 65 yards. Texas put John Chiles in as quarterback on the next series, and fullback Cody Johnson scored his second rushing touchdown of the season to make the score 21–6. With four minutes to go in the half, McCoy threw a touchdown pass to tight end Blaine Irby to make the score 28–6 with the extra point. UTEP scored a touchdown with 18 seconds remaining in the half, making the score 28–13 at half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
.
Texas got the ball to start the second half and drove to the UTEP 14-yard line when McCoy threw an interception in the UTEP end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
; it was his first interception of the season. Neither team scored in the third quarter.
The Horns faked a wide receiver screen and scored on a McCoy pass to Jordan Shipley to extend the lead to 35–13. On the next Miner possession, Emmanuel Acho
Emmanuel Acho
Emmanuel Cinedum Acho is an American football linebacker for the Texas Longhorns.-Early years:Acho attended St. Mark's School in Dallas, Texas. As a senior, he had 15 sacks in addition to 107 tackles...
forced a fumble and Roddrick Muckelroy
Roddrick Muckelroy
Roddrick Muckelroy is an American football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals. Mucklelroy attended Hallsville High School. He graduated in December 2008 with a degree in corporate communications. He is cousin of former NFL player Joe King...
returned it for a touchdown, making the score 42–13. UTEP missed a field goal to end their next possession. Texas punted on their next possession, and then took over on downs when UTEP was unable to score on their last possession. The Horns kept the ball on the ground and ran out the clock.
NMSU
Chase HolbrookChase Holbrook
Chase Andrew Holbrook is a former starting quarterback for New Mexico State University from 2006 to 2008. Holbook played his freshman collegiate year at Southeastern Louisiana as a backup quarterback in 2004. Holbrook attended L. D...
passed for 329 yards and five touchdowns to lead New Mexico State to a 34-33 win Saturday over UTEP.
Holbrook connected with wide receiver Marcus Anderson on three scores, including the go-ahead touchdown with 3:12 to go in the game. Anderson finished with five catches for 70 yards.
Holbrook has 1,269 passing yards in three games against the Miners (0-3).
With the win, NMSU (1-1) snapped a six-game losing streak, while UTEP extended its losing skid to nine games. It was the Aggies' first win in the Sun Bowl since 1994.
In the second quarter, NMSU went up 14-10 on a pair of passing scores from Holbrook to Anderson.
UTEP quarterback James Thomas II answered with a 44-yard scoring run, but NMSU went ahead 21-17 on a 27-yard touchdown reception by A.J. Harris.
UTEP's Jose Martinez kicked a 36-yard field goal to make it 21-20 with 3:05 remaining in the half.
The Aggies took a 28-27 lead into the fourth quarter, until Thomas stretched into the end zone from a yard out and put UTEP back up 33-28.
NMSU went ahead for good on Holbrook's final touchdown pass to Anderson. The Aggie defense forced a UTEP fumble, then stopped the Miners on a fourth-and-11 in the final minute.
UTEP' top two running backs were out with injuries and starting quarterback Trevor Vittatoe left the game for good with an ankle injury after the third series.
Thomas led UTEP with 142 yards rushing and two scores, becoming only the third Miner quarterback to eclipse the 100-yard mark since 1982.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282642638
UCF
Trevor VittatoeTrevor Vittatoe
Trevor Vittatoe is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns to lead UTEP to a 58-13 win over Central Florida
Central Florida
Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
on Saturday night, halting a streak of nine consecutive losses.
Jose Martinez
Jose Martinez
Jose Martinez may refer to:* Antonio José Martínez , New Mexico Catholic priest* Jose E. Martinez , American lawyer and judge* José Martínez Ruiz , Spanish poet and writer...
kicked a 64-yard field goal for the Miners (1-3, 1-0 Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
).
Cornelius Brown, who had two interceptions and blocked a punt, led the UTEP defense as it forced UCF (1-3, 0-1) into six turnovers, including two fumbles recovered for touchdowns.
Vittatoe's second-quarter scoring pass to Jamar Hunt gave UTEP a 17-point lead, and Martinez' 64-yarder gave the Miners a 27-7 lead at halftime.
Rob Calabrese, making his first start for UCF, threw for 167 yards and a touchdown.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282712638
Southern Miss
Trevor VittatoeTrevor Vittatoe
Trevor Vittatoe is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
threw four touchdown passes, including the game winner in double overtime, as UTEP defeated Southern Mississippi 40-37 on Saturday night.
Vittatoe hit Chris Adams on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime, after Southern Miss' Britt Barefoot gave the Golden Eagles a 37-34 lead with a 28-yard field goal.
It was the second consecutive victory for UTEP (2-3, 2-0 Conference USA) and the second straight loss for the Golden Eagles (2-3, 0-2).
Southern Miss is 0-2 in league play for the first time in the 13-year history of Conference USA.
The loss overshadowed a career-high effort by Damion Fletcher
Damion Fletcher
Damion Fletcher is an American football running back at Southern Mississippi.-High school career:...
, who had 34 carries for 260 yards, becoming the program's all-time leading rusher in the third quarter. He has 3,654 career yards, passing Ben Garry, who finished with 3,595.
The 260-yard effort was also the second highest single-game mark in school history.
Vittatoe was 24 of 41 for 263 yards and four scores.
The Miners led 17-14 at halftime, thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Jose Martinez with 1:25 to go in the second quarter.
Fletcher gave USM an early lead on a 1-yard scoring run five minutes into the game.
Justin Estes missed a pair of short field goals for the Golden Eagles in the first half, one after Fletcher ran 56 yards to the Miners' 13.
Tory Harrison also had a 1-yard scoring run for USM in the second quarter.
The Miners responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Adams and an 11-yard touchdown run by Donald Buckram in the first half.
Martinez made the score 20-14 with a 34-yard field goal at the 11:33 mark of the third quarter.
UTEP tried an onside kick that USM recovered at midfield. The Golden Eagles took advantage of it to take the lead with a 10-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to Shawn Nelson.
The Miners came back with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Tufick Shadrawy on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 27-21 lead.
But Barefoot replaced Estes in the second half, and despite missing his first attempt, kicked a pair of short field goals in the fourth quarter. The second, from 22 yards out on the final play of regulation, sent the game into overtime.
The teams traded 4-yard scoring passes in the first overtime, as Vittatoe hit Terrell Jackson and USM's Austin Davis found DeAndre Brown.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282782572
Tulane
Trevor VittatoeTrevor Vittatoe
Trevor Vittatoe is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
threw three touchdown passes as UTEP came back for a 24-21 win over Tulane on Saturday night.
Vittatoe finished 21-of-32 passing for 296 yards.
The Miners (3-3, 3-0 Conference USA) reached .500 after an 0-3 start for the first time in school history.
Andre Anderson, who entered the game as the nation's ninth-leading rusher, carried the ball 29 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns for Tulane (2-4, 1-2).
UTEP took an early 7-0 lead, scoring on its opening possession for the first time this season.
Following rushing scores of 72 and 28 yards by Anderson, UTEP tied it 14-14 in the second quarter after Daniel Palmer hauled in a low pass and scurried 8 yards to the end zone.
Down 21-14 at halftime, UTEP inched back on a 28-yard field goal from Jose Martinez
Jose Martinez
Jose Martinez may refer to:* Antonio José Martínez , New Mexico Catholic priest* Jose E. Martinez , American lawyer and judge* José Martínez Ruiz , Spanish poet and writer...
in the third quarter, then took the lead for good on a 68-yard bomb to Jeff Moturi with 4:22 remaining in the game.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282852638
Tulsa
David JohnsonDavid Johnson (American football)
David Johnson is an American former college football quarterback. He played for the Golden Hurricane at the University of Tulsa, where he was the starting quarterback for the 2008 season, after several years as a backup. Johnson finished his senior season as the second-most efficient passer in the...
threw for 434 yards and five touchdowns to help lead Tulsa to a record-setting performance and a 77-35 blowout of UTEP.
Brennan Marion had six catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night, setting a Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
record for yards per catch in a game (38.8), as Tulsa (7-0, 4-0 CUSA) strengthened its case to move into the national rankings. The Golden Hurricane hovered just outside the Associated Press poll this week.
Tulsa amassed 791 total yards, including 321 rushing.
UTEP (3-4, 3-1 CUSA) kept pace with Tulsa early and the game was tied 28-28 in the first quarter.
David Johnson connected with Marion on passes of 97 and 51 yards; Damaris Johnson
Damaris Johnson
Damaris Johnson is an American college football player. He is currently a wide receiver and return specialist for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the University of Tulsa.-Early years:...
returned a kickoff 94 yards for a score and A.J. Whitmore caught a 24-yard strike from David Johnson, who finished 21-for-27 with one interception.
UTEP quarterback Trevor Vittatoe
Trevor Vittatoe
Trevor Vittatoe is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
hit Jeff Moturi with a 6-yard pass, Kris Adams with a 22-yard strike and a 1-yarder to Jamar Hunt for a score. He finished 21 of 34 for 321 yards and four touchdowns.
By the second quarter, Tulsa had turned up the heat, rattling Vittatoe with a variety of blitzes and holding the Miners scoreless, while the Golden Hurricane scored 28 consecutive points.
Tarrion Adams, who finished with 115 yards, scored two touchdown in the third quarter that gave Tulsa a 63-35 advantage and UTEP lost all fight after that.
Marion added a 40-yard touchdown before the quarter ended to make it 70-35.
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Rice
Chase ClementChase Clement
Chase Austin Clement is a professional American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He played college football for Rice.-College career:...
threw for 372 yards and accounted for six TDs,
and Rice matched its best conference record in nearly a half-century with
a 49-44 win over Texas-El Paso on Saturday night.
Clement threw five TD passes and ran for a 3-yard score that gave Rice
the lead for good in the second quarter. UTEP kept close, and a third touchdown
pass from Trevor Vittatoe to Jeff Moturi with 1:23 left gave the Miners hope
before their onside kick attempt failed.
Rice (6-3, 5-1 Conference USA) clinched bowl eligibility for the second
time in three seasons. Not since 1960 have the Owls been 5-1 in conference play.
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Louisiana-Lafayette
Trevor Vittatoe threw touchdown passes to each team as UTEP finished the first quarter tied 7-7 with Louisiana-Lafayette.Gerren Blount initercepted Vittatoe and returned it 55 yards for the opening score, but UTEP answered with 1:51 left in the first quarter on Jeff Moturi's fifth touchdown reception in the last three games. It came from 16 yards out. Moturi's 20th career touchdown catch put him all alone in third on UTEP's all-time list.
By Halftime, The UTEP defense played perhaps its best half of the season, holding the Louisiana-Lafayette to three offensive points and the Miners led 16-10 at the intermission. In the Second Quarter, Trevor Vittatoe threw touchdown passes to Tufick Shadrawy and Jeff Moturi, but also threw one to the Rajin' Cajuns' Gerren Blount to open the scoring. UTEP answered with 1:51 left in the first quarter on Jeff Moturi's fifth touchdown reception in the last three games. It came from 16 yards out. Moturi's 20th career touchdown catch put him all alone in third on UTEP's all-time list. The Miners also made a goal-line stand shortly before their final touchdown of the half, which came witih 51 seconds left on a 32-yard field goal.
Miners defeat Louisiana-Lafayette LAFAYETTE, La. - The UTEP football team picked up its second road win of the year on Saturday with a 37-24 victory against Louisiana-Lafayette at Cajun Field. The Miners improved to 4-5 overall with the win in the non-conference game. UTEP is 3-2 in Conference USA going into next week's Conference USA home game against SMU. The Ragin' Cajuns fell to 5-4 on the season and saw a four-game win streak come to an end. However, the loss didn't affect the team's Sun Belt Conference mark, which remained at 4-0. The win allowed UTEP to keep alive hopes of qualifying for a bowl game this season. UTEP needs two more wins in its final three games to qualify for one. After hosting SMU next week, the Miners finish the season with road trips to Houston and East Carolina.
SMU
Trevor Vittatoe threw for 410 yards and connected with Kris Adams for three touchdowns to lead UTEP to a 36-10 victory over SMU on Saturday night.Vittatoe completed 21-of-31 passes, finishing his evening after just three quarters. Adams caught five of those passes for 145 yards and the three touchdowns. It was a career high for Vittatoe and Adams, both sophomores.
Vittatoe connected with Adams for an 85-yard touchdown pass on UTEP's first play from scrimmage. The Miners (5-5, 4-2 Conference USA) rolled up 544 total yards and never trailed, leading 10-3 after one quarter and 26-3 at the half.
Jose Martinez kicked five field goals in the game, connecting from 34, 48, 26, 31 and 23 yards.
SMU (1-10, 0-7) scored its lone touchdown in the fourth quarter after trailing 36-3. Logan Turner hit Bradley Haynes with a 27-yard pass for the touchdown.http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=283202638
Houston