UTEP football falls at Rice, 44-24

UTEP scored the game’s first three points on a Jay Mattox 37-yard field goal. But Rice followed with 34 unanswered points in the first half on its way to a 44-24 victory at Rice Stadium on a brisk Saturday afternoon.

The Owls [3-8, 2-6 Conference USA] outgained the Miners [3-8, 1-6 C-USA], 482 yards to 232 during the dominant afternoon, as UTEP had only gained 42 yards in the first half.

It started well for UTEP, as Mattox gave the Miners 3-0 lead on the field goal at the 9:10 mark of the first quarter. The points followed after a Gene Hopkins sack-and-strip of backup quarterback Jackson Tyner on Rice’s first offensive series. The fumble was recovered by Sky Logan and returned 26 yards to the Rice 25-yard line.

But the Owls answered with five scoring drives in the first half, including an 84-yard push on four plays that resulted in a Tyner scoring reception from wide receiver Temi Alaka.

UTEP will close out the 2016 season when it hosts North Texas on Nov. 26. The Miners and Mean Green will kickoff at 2 p.m. in the Sun Bowl. Last season, UTEP edged North Texas 20-17 in Denton to conclude the 2015 campaign