Boxscore

RUSTON ? UTEP quarterback Jordan Palmer passed for 259 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Miners (5-2, 3-1 WAC) to a 44-27 win over Louisiana Tech (4-4, 3-1 WAC) Saturday afternoon at Joe Aillet Stadium, spoiling the Bulldogs homecoming.
Despite the 17-point margin of victory, the game was much closer.
With UTEP holding onto a slim 30-27 lead with less than six minutes remaining, Palmer found wide receiver Chris Francis for a 13-yard touchdown pass on a third down and 12 play with 5:24 remaining in the game.
The extra point gave the Miners a 10-point lead.
?That was a killer,? Bicknell said. ?AT that point, I said if we hold them to a field goal, we?re only six points down. All we have to do is score a touchdown. Then all of a sudden they scored, and we?re down ten.?
UTEP?s defense sealed the win holding Tech on four straight plays on the next offensive possession as UTEP took over on the Bulldogs 18-yard line. A late Miners score on an 8-yard run by Jimmy Smith ended the day?s scoring.
After UTEP opened the scoring in the first quarter on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Palmer to tight end Jonas Crafts, Tech answered with 14 straight points.
Junior running back Ryan Moats, who ended the day with 99 yards on 21 carries despite being helped off the field numerous times throughout the game with various injuries, tied the game on a two-yard burst. The run came after a 66-yard completion from Matt Kubik to Erick Franklin, a career-best for the wide receiver.
The Bulldogs special teams struck next as Tramissian Davis blocked a UTEP punt and sophomore Chris Maddox picked up the loose ball and returned it two yards for a score, giving Tech a 14-7 lead at the end of the opening 15 minutes.
After UTEP cut the advantage to 14-10 on a Reagan Schneider 48-yard field goal with 12:55 remaining in the second quarter, the Bulldogs had their spark plug tailback taken away as Moats was taken to the Tech training room for an undisclosed injury.
Without Moats in the game, Tech failed to score during the second period.
?As a coach, you?re trying to figure out how hurt he is,? Bicknell said. ?You hate to take out a player, but I think it was evident he wasn?t 100 percent. He kept trying to come back because that is what type of player he is. He didn?t want to let his team down. He just never was the same though.?
UTEP entered the halftime locker room leading 20-14.
The Miners defense continued to fluster the Bulldogs in the second half with numerous zone blitzes and different looks. For the game, UTEP?s defense held Kubik to only 9-of-28 for 151 yards and three interceptions.
?Credit their coaching staff and their team for the win,? Kubik said. ?They gave us so many different looks on defense. They played hard and well. A couple of times they confused us.?
On two occasions in the second half, Tech cut the UTEP lead to three points, once at 20-17 and then again at 30-27. However, the Bulldogs were never able to take the lead as the Miners continuously answered the call.
?Getting a win in enemy territory is never easy, but our kids did a nice job and made the adjustments that we needed,? UTEP head coach Mike Price said. ?Other than the lack of discipline on some of the penalties, I?m very satisfied with the way we played.?
Despite giving up 44 points, the Tech defense played better than the scoreboard indicated. Five of UTEP?s scoring drives covered less than 20 yards thanks to Bulldog turnovers or big plays by the Miners special teams while a sixth scoring drive covered only 46 yards.
Linebacker Byron Santiago led Tech with 10 tackles, including six solo stops, while Corey Brazil added seven stops and Lee Johnson six.
Tech has a bye week and then returns to action Nov. 6 at Hawaii.