UTEP 27, Incarnate Word 17: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_19026" align="alignleft" width="300"]Photo by Maria Concha Photo by Maria Concha[/caption] UTEP put together its second consecutive win with a 27-17 win over intrastate FCS foe Incarnate Word. What did we learn from this game? DCTF's Thomas Bingham breaks it down.Turnovers doom Cardinals For large portions of this game, Incarnate Word was the aggressor. The Cardinals outgained UTEP by 131 yards in the first half, but their mistakes kept UTEP around. Trent Brittain led the Cardinals on some lengthy drives, but he also had two interceptions and a costly fumble, and that proved to be critical — FCS teams on the road have to play a clean game to stay in it. Incarnate Word scored on its opening drive, a first this season, but the UTEP defense stepped forward on the second drive, as Kalon Beverly picked off Brittain and returned it for a Miners touchdown. This felt like the turning point in the game, as UTEP finally found an answer (and some points). The Miners got another break (and the Cardinals a punch in the gut) later in the half, when Brittain scrambled for what appeared to be a 62-yard touchdown run...only to fumble it out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. The turnovers helped to buoy a stagnant UTEP offense, whose lone three points came on Jay Mattox's 50-yard field goal. Metz, Miners: A Perfect Fit It didn’t matter that the Cardinals recovered an onside kick to start the half, or led 17-10 after a 90-yard score; the UTEP offense made the plays down the stretch. Quarterback Ryan Metz led the Miners on three scoring drives, including two in the decisive fourth quarter. In the third quarter, he directed a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive, and found Autrey Golden for the Miners’ first offensive touchdown. Metz, who finished with 275 passing yards on 20-of-28 passing, has provided exactly the kind of spark that UTEP has needed since star running back Aaron Jones went down. His 46-yard touchdown strike to Jaquan White sealed the game, but it was his poise and leadership that was most impressive in the win. There's plenty of room for improvement for the Miners, but Metz seems to have given UTEP a needed boost from the signal-caller spot.