UTEP Cooks Rice, 24-21

Jay Mattox converted a 24-yard field goal with 48 seconds left, as UTEP kept its bowl hopes alive with a 24-21 win over Rice on Friday night in the Sun Bowl.

“This is probably my most satisfying win as a head coach just because I know where our team is at, and how hard they fought,” UTEP coach Sean Kugler said. “Very rewarding.”

Jeremiah Laufasa rushed for 79 of his 92 yards in the second half, including 52 on the game-winning drive, as the Miners (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) beat the Owls (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) for the first time since 2010.

After Nick Usher blocked Hayden Tobola’s 38-yard field goal attempt that could’ve put Rice into the lead, the Miners took possession with 8:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. They proceeded to milk 7:25 off the clock with a 16-play, 73-yard scoring drive. Mack Leftwich handed the ball off to Laufasa 10 times on the series. At one point Laufasa got the call on seven straight plays, gaining 51 yards while picking up three first downs.

“Anytime you get a field goal block, it’s huge,” Kugler said. “We knew if we could get them in field goal situations, their kicker was a little erratic. We have been doing a great job. That’s our fourth blocked field goal this year. It was a huge momentum swing. I think it energized the sidelines and the offense took control of the game.

“Really, at the end of the game that was Miner football. The line was pounding it, we were running basically the same play over and over again to a senior back that was running extremely hard, and he was injured. There were a couple of guys, [Hayden] Plinke and [Sterling] Napier, out there hobbling. One of our linemen went down hobbling and they just sucked it up. Nobody came off the field. We burned a timeout at one point because I saw about eight guys out there limping. I said we’ve got to get our breath right here and try to finish this drive.”

Rice’s last-ditch comeback attempt was foiled as time expired when Fisher Jr. broke up Driphus Jackson’s pass to Zach Wright in the end zone.

“I just told the team in the locker room how proud I am of them,” Kugler said. “We had some guys go down tonight. They just keep fighting. It was just a great effort against a very good team, a very well-coached team in Rice. It was a great college football game to watch. I thought our fans were outstanding, they were vocal.”

The Miners responded in the second half when leading rusher and special teams ace LaQuintus Dowell left the game with an injury.

“When LA went down, I just saw the team kind of rally around him,” Kugler said. “We have lost our best offensive player, our best defensive player and now our best special teams player, and they just kept fighting. From a head coach’s standpoint, I couldn’t be prouder.”

The teams played to a 14-14 draw at halftime. Jaquan White had a big first half for the Miners, reeling in three catches for 75 yards and two scores. His 58-yard reception knotted the game at 7, and his two-yard catch right before the break deadlocked the contest at 14.

White collected 90 yards on four catches.

The Miners put together a nice drive to start the third quarter and took their first lead when Laufasa barreled up the middle for a two-yard touchdown. The drive consumed 75 yards on 13 plays over six minutes and 36 seconds.

Rice knotted the score once again at the end of the third quarter when Jackson connected with Luke Turner for a 23-yard TD.

The Miners gained 392 yards as Leftwich completed 18-of-36 passes for 231 yards. They also rushed for 161 yards on 34 carries.

“The formula that we’re doing is try to control the clock but also take shots down the field,” Kugler said. “Mack, I think for the third straight week, didn’t turn the ball over. He has been playing outstanding. He is efficient. He missed a couple of throws early but he really settled in nice. What Mack does a great job of is run checks that can turn into play action passes and quick throws. He is almost automatic on those. This kid is very smart and he’s just got that leader mentality. I think the players are really starting to realize what they have in Mack. I have known it all along. He is really starting to flourish. He hasn’t lost a game in the Sun Bowl yet. Let’s keep that trend going.”

Rice accumulated 326 yards led by Jackson, who completed 14-of-26 attempts for 230 yards, and Wright, who had 116 yards on six receptions.

The 326 yards were a season-low by a UTEP opponent. Standouts for the Miners on defense included Alvin Jones (11 tackles), Jimmy Musgrave (six tackles/one tackle for loss) and Roy Robertson-Harris (four tackles/one sack/1.5 tackles for loss).

UTEP will pursue its first-ever win in the Eastern time zone next week when it plays at Old Dominion. Kickoff is set for 10:05 a.m. mountain time on Nov. 14, and the game will be televised on FSN.

“We’re not dead yet and our kids know that,” Kugler said. “They want to go to a bowl game. We’ve got to get two of these next three to be bowl eligible and our kids are going to fight to go do that.”