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UTEP football snaps 9-game losing streak with 30-21 win over FIU at Sun Bowl
Portrait of Bret BloomquistBret Bloomquist
El Paso Times


When Scotty Walden was hired 10 months ago to rebuild UTEP football, the promise was a high-flying offense that would light up scoreboards.

He got his first win, a 30-21 upset of Florida International Wednesday night in front of 11,373 people, behind a dominant four-interception defense and the entire Miner program will most happily take it.

An 84-yard interception return from Dorian Hopkins in the first quarter reversed the flow of the game and the rest of the night a Miner defense that had shown flashes of potential before getting worn down in the first six games, just got stronger.

UTEP's Lantz Russell (26) gestures to UTEP students as he celebrates his team taking possession of the ball in the second quarter during their game against FIU at the Sun Bowl on Oct. 16, 2024 in El Paso, Texas
That all added up to UTEP snapping the nation's second-longest losing streak after a nine-game slide, and the formula looked like one the Miners could duplicate.

The offense took advantage of short fields for three quarters. After an ugly interception gifted the Panthers a fourth-quarter lead, UTEP and relief quarterback Skyler Locklear went 76 yards in 10 plays to move back ahead with 11:29 to play.

The defense was superlative on third down (FIU was 3-of-13 on that down), and two of FIU's touchdowns were on a short field after the fourth-quarter interception and a first-quarter blocked punt.

More:'Let's give this cat a chance': Ezell Jolly's time arrives for UTEP football team

After UTEP went back ahead in a game it led for most of the second half, the defense made three more stops, including its third and fourth interceptions of the night, to close out the game.

For two months, Walden has preached that the Miners need to stay the course, and everything will get better. On this Wednesday night, the party line became a party.

UTEP leads 17-14 at half
Seemingly on the verge of falling behind two scores in the first quarter, an 84-yard interception return from Dorian Hopkins changed the complexion of the game and allowed the Miners to take a 17-14 halftime lead.

At that point, with 32 seconds to play in the first quarter, FIU led 7-3 and had the ball on the UTEP 12, but Hopkins jumped a route, picked off the ball, and had a big return before he stiff-armed the quarterback out of his way and kept rumbling to the 10.

UTEP's path to covering those final yards got easier when Locklear's helmet was ripped off on a facemask. A play later, he took a keeper 3 yards for UTEP's first lead since Week 3.

The Miners fell back behind 14-10, but in the final 2:06 of the first half, UTEP pinned the Panthers with a punt, who then had trouble with back-to-back shotgun snaps, and soon enough, the Miners forced a punt into the wind that gave them the ball back on the FIU 42.

Four plays later, Locklear found Jevon Jackson for a 22-yard touchdown pass for a rare lead.

It was earned, as the Miners won first-half yards 200-174 and Locklear was 11-of-15 passing for 134 yards.

Walden is a clown, but he did snap the losing streak.  So, there's that.  The local vatos are just looking for a winning football team for which to root.  Anyone that can pull that off at UTEP would be bigger than Sam Lucchese and Dusty Henson combined. 

Not Marty Rogers, though.

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these games look to be blowouts so far

and my pet peeve a player already lost their helmet in the GSU/M game.....I mean some of these guys could probably use a knock in the head, but it is just stupid they cannot use a chin strap properly and the coaches let them.....it needs to be changed to sitting out 3 plays or perhaps 3 plays for any subsequent players after any player on the team gets their first 1 play time out

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who had the idea to name an underwear company (tommy john) after a surgery on your pitching arm....I won't buy them because it makes me think I will sprain my dick (well there are a dozen other reasons too, but that is the first one)

and why does VT have these uniforms that look like Clemson

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2 minutes ago, ButtFumble said:

these games look to be blowouts so far

and my pet peeve a player already lost their helmet in the GSU/M game.....I mean some of these guys could probably use a knock in the head, but it is just stupid they cannot use a chin strap properly and the coaches let them.....it needs to be changed to sitting out 3 plays or perhaps 3 plays for any subsequent players after any player on the team gets their first 1 play time out

They wear helmets that are too big and loose because of their hair so it goes flying off.  Nothing will change until a player gets paralyzed or worse and they sue the school, the helmet company, the corch, etc.,.

  • Fuck Around and Find Out 1
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1 minute ago, TOR said:

They wear helmets that are too big and loose because of their hair so it goes flying off.  Nothing will change until a player gets paralyzed or worse and they sue the school, the helmet company, the corch, etc.,.

yea that is exactly the issue....it is all "cool" until someone gets the fuck knocked out of them and their brain is scrambled

and as said above "oops" BC.....looks like they just flubbed the snap

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Just now, Bevo&Pevo said:

Ya' ever notice how many players have a mouthpiece but don't put it in for the play?  Won't do much good dangling off the facemask. 

yea same deal....one day when there is a half a tongue and blood all over the place or some teeth laying on the field it will be "oMg!1!1!1!" who let them not wear the mouthpiece

way back in the day even in middle school that was a 100% penalty every single time

even dumber is the mouthpiece on the face mask was way out of style....until now it is back in style dangling there doing nothing

VT takes it to the house 83 yards.....this is already out of hand just when it looked like BC might get back in it

but GSU just put it in to get within 8 so maybe this will be a game

  • Hook 'Em 1
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