UTEP 50, New Mexico State 47: What We Learned

The 2015 edition of the Battle of I-10 between UTEP and New Mexico State is sure to become a classic in this rivalry. UTEP came out with the victory in overtime.  Despite not having star running back Aaron Jones, the UTEP Miners tallied 542 total offensive yards in the shootout. The Miners ground game pounded like always, registering 269 yards, led by junior fullback Darrin Laufasa’s 85 yards and one touchdown on eight carries. Freshman quarterback Ryan Metz took over in the third quarter for sophomore Mack Leftwich, who left the game with concussion-like symptoms after completing 7-of-11 passes for 52 yards. Metz finished the game 15-of-19 with 218 yards and three touchdowns. The Miner offense started slow, scoring just nine points in the first half. But UTEP showed its maturity and persistence in the second half to come back from a 30-16 deficit to force overtime at 44-44. It was unclear how the Miners would fare without Jones, but a number of offensive weapons stepped up. UTEP had fairly even success on the ground and in the air, and its offensive line had a solid performance. Defensively, UTEP needs to prevent big plays. New Mexico State’s sophomore running back Larry Rose III had his way with the Miners defense, rushing for 196 yards and a 9.8 yard per carry average. The Aggies fared well in the air, too, because UTEP’s secondary always seemed a step behind. The Miners' special teams looked solid. Junior wide receiver Jaquan White had a 64 yard punt return for a touchdown and kept New Mexico State’s kick and punt return averages below 15 yards. If UTEP’s defense can start to contain as well as its special teams, this team will be awfully dangerous because the offense can score. Getting this win speaks volumes about the resiliency of UTEP, particularly after the lumps its taken against Arkansas and Texas Tech.