UTEP’s 2024 football opener can be summarized best in six words: There’s a new sheriff in town.
Although the Miners fell to the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a total score of 40-7, it would be unfair to grimace at head coach Scotty Walden’s FBS debut and UTEP’s trip to the farmlands.
Right off the bat, it looked like Nebraska’s road to destroying their group of five opponents would be quick. As in the early first quarter the Cornhuskers punched the ball in for a Touchdown.
Then came the Miners, and the first impression acquired from Walden’s tactics was shaky.
UTEP started with a group of multiple receivers bunched up to the far side on their first play, and because of how loud Memorial Stadium was, it was impossible to get every receiver to accurately motion, resulting in the Miners having to call a timeout in a drive that ultimately ended in a punt.
On Nebraska’s second possession, it looked like the Cornhuskers were comfortably moving down the field, but then Head Coach Matt Rhule decided to gamble on 4th and 5 from the UTEP 40, and despite the true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola’s complete pass to senior wide receiver Isaiah Neyor, the Cornhuskers did not get enough yardage to move the chains.
Fans finally got to see what Coach Walden and his staff have been working on all fall.
In three plays, sophomore quarterback Skylar Locklear drove the Miners down the field and capped off the drive with a 38-yard dart to junior Kam Thomas, who had the honor of playing a special position in what coach Walden calls the “Miner Back.”
After two back-to-back punt drives for both teams, Nebraska was once again gaining ground on the UTEP Miners, until disaster struck for the Cornhuskers.
A simple handoff up the gut to sophomore running back Dante Dowdell ended up in a fumble and recovery by UTEP graduate student linebacker Dorian Hopkins.
The Miners had life, but with being pinned at their own three– staring down a spine-chilling power conference school defensive line, UTEP’s offense had their work cut out for them.
Once Locklear was taken down in his own end zone for a safety to put the Cornhusker up 9-7, the game never turned back in favor for the Miners.
After a touchdown by Nebraska, Coach Walden brought junior quarterback Cade McConnell into the game. McConnell’s time ended after throwing an interception on his second drive, he wouldn’t see the field until the fourth quarter.
Nebraska would go on to score 33 unanswered points.
But Walden’s crew wasn’t stuck in their sorrows.
Before kickoff, FOX cameras captured the Miners’ sideline and Walden jamming to the beats of Memorial Stadium. The energy was kept the same after the crushing safety.
And despite the result, UTEP left the game with the same attitude when entering.
Next week UTEP comes back home and faces Southern Utah at 7 p.m. Saturday Sept. 7. The game is available to watch on ESPN+ or can be listened to on 95.5 KLAQ.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is a staff reporter for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected]
