This is what the UTEP football team is supposed to look like.
The Miners forced a turnover on their first possession, turned it into a touchdown against Tennessee-Martin and turned that into a 42-17 victory in front of 31,122 fans Saturday night that was thorough in every phase.
The Miners hit an early touchdown bomb from Malachi Nelson, got a program-record 94-yard run from backup tailback Hahsean Wilson, secured the game by half and dealt superbly with a 43-minute weather delay in middle of the first quarter.
In a seven-minute stretch of the second quarter when they delivered a three-touchdown knockout flurry, they also had a goal-line stand when a Skyhawk first-and-goal from the 4 turned into Miner ball on the 4.
That set up Wilson, whose second-ever carry as a Miner went 94 yards, the longest play from scrimmage UTEP has ever had. The previous longest run was 91 yards by Aaron Jones in 2015.
UTEP was without starting tailback Kam Thomas for undisclosed but obviously injury reasons, and in his place new starter, freshman Ashten Emory, had a rushing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns.
After a Nelson fumble on a sack that spotted Martin its only first-half touchdown, UTEP was excellent when the game was being decided on both side of the ball and moved to 1-1 heading into next week’s game at Texas.
After Tennessee-Martin scored on a 33-yard field to tie the game at 7-7 with 14:53 left in the second quarter, the Miners answered with a 76-yard touchdown drive, highlighted with a 48-yard bomb from Nelson to Toric Goins Jr.. They got a three-and out, started the next drive with a 49-yard pass to Goins and soon enough were up 22-7.
UTEP then had its goalline stand before Wilson’s historic sprint.
The Miners didn’t let Tennessee-Martin back in the game in a dominant third quarter and now takes some momentum to an infinitely higher bar, No. 7 University of Texas in Austin next week.
Up next
UTEP gets its marquee non-conference game of the year when it travels for a big payday to take on the Texas Longhorns in Austin. The 2:15 p.m. MT kickoff (3:15 p.m. CT) will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
Tennessee-Martin plays its home opener against Southern Illinois at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN+.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP’s big plays bury Tennessee-Martin as Miners move to 1-1
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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