Sophomore quarterback Gavin Hardison played his first game as a Miner this season throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown but UTEP (1-9, 0-7) was unable to earn their second win of the season falling to the Blazers (7-3, 4-2) 37-10.
Hardison replaced senior quarterback Kai Locksley in the final drive of the first quarter after Locksley started the game throwing an interception and four incompletions in the first three drives for the Miners against the nation’s sixth-ranked defense.
Hardison’s 37 passing attempts for the game were the most by a UTEP quarterback since Zac Greenlee had 39 attempts against Florida International University on Oct. 8, 2016.
UTEP was unable to overcome the two-headed rushing attack of UAB quarterback Dylan Hopkins and running back Jermaine Brown Jr. Both players combined for 284 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
UAB would outscore the Miners 14-3 in the second half and outrushed the Miners 353-93 for the game. UTEP would struggle converting on third downs only converting twice out of its 13 attempts.
The Blazers got off to a 17-0 lead and never looked back as UTEP’s only scores for the game came off an eight-yard touchdown reception to senior wide receiver Alan Busey, for Busey’s first career touchdown as a Miner, and off a 41-yard field goal by kicker Gavin Baechle.
UTEP’s receiving core was led by freshman wide receiver Jacob Cowing’s 85 receiving yards and five receptions. Cowing is averaging 79 yards receiving over his last four games.
A crazy statistic from the Miners matchup was Senior punter Mitchell Crawford who ran for 26 yards off a fake punt thus tying a team high for rushing yards versus the Blazers along with senior running back Treyvon Hughes’s 26 rushing yards for the game.
This is the eight game this season in which the Miners have allowed 30 or more points.
A big positive moving forward for UTEP came from senior linebacker Stephen Forester who made his first career start at linebacker and collected a career high 11 tackles and a sack versus the Blazers.
The Miners next matchup will be a rivalry game against New Mexico State as UTEP will look to win for the first time since Sep.3, 2016 versus the Aggies.
UTEP battles New Mexico State at 2 p.m. Nov. 23 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Isaiah Ramirez can be reached at [email protected]
