UTEP fumbles away loss to the Owls

UTEP Miners 2009 ......... Head Coach: Mike Price

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 4-8
2009 Record: 3-8

9/5 Buffalo L 23-17
9/12 Kansas L 334-7
9/19 at NMSU W 38-12
9/26 at Texas L 64-7
10/3 Houston W 58-41
10/10 at Memphis L 35-20
10/17 OPEN DATE
10/21 Tulsa W 28-24
10/31 UAB L 38-33
11/7 at Tulane L 45-38 OT
11/14 at SMU L 35-31
11/21 at Rice L 30-29
11/28 Marshall

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2008 Record: 5-7

8/28 at Buffalo W 42-17
9/6 Texas L 42-13
9/13 OPEN DATE
9/20 New Mexico St L 34-33
9/27 UCF W 58-13
10/4 at So. Miss W 40-37 2OT
10/11 Tulane W 24-21
10/18 at Tulsa L 77-35
10/25 OPEN DATE
11/1 Rice L 49-44
11/8 at UL Lafayette W 37-24
11/15 SMU W 36-10
11/22 at Houston L 42-37
11/29 at East Carolina L 53-21

UTEP Miners

Nov. 21
at Rice 30 … UTEP 29
Rice got three touchdowns from Charles Ross, including two short ones in the fourth quarter, and the defense held on for dear life. UTEP turned it over six times hurt mostly by two late Donald Buckram fumbles, including one on the goal line, to overshadow a brilliant day with three first half touchdown runs. Trevor Vittatoe connected with Donavon Kemp for a 40-yard touchdown in the fourth, but turnovers proved to be too costly.
Player of the Game: Rice LB Travis Bradshaw made 13 tackles and a tackle for loss and forced two fumbles
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 17-26, 244 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 34-147, 3 TD, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 3-57
Rice: Passing: Nick Fanuzzi, 8-17, 55 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Tyler Smith, 23-127, 1 TD, Receiving: Charles Ross, 3-34
What It All Means: UTEP can’t stop screwing up. It dominated Rice at times, holding the Owls to just 227 yards of total offense, but six turnovers and 12 penalties kept the typical late season Miner swoon rolling. Now on a four-game losing streak after being deep in the hunt for the Conference USA title, this has been a heartbreaking slide with all four games coming by seven points or fewer. The season will close out with Marshall coming to town. 

Nov. 14
at SMU 35 … UTEP 31
Kyle Padron threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores to overcome 627 yards of total UTEP offense and a monster day from RB Donald Buckram. Buckram scored on a 14-yard touchdown run and took a pass 30 yards for a score on the way to a 31-28 lead midway through the fourth, but SMU’s Emmanuel Sanders caught his second touchdown pass of the game coming from 37 yards out with 4:34 to play. Shawnbrey McNeal added a 58-yard touchdown run for the Mustangs in the second quarter.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, UTEP RB Donald Buckram ran 33 time for 241 yards and a score, and he caught five passes for 66 yards and a score.
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 23-40, 396 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 33-241, 1 TD, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 5-153, 1 TD
SMU: Passing: Kyle Padron, 17-24, 244 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Shawnbrey McNeal, 18-169, 1 TD, Receiving: Emmanuel Sanders, 7-134, 2 TD 
What It All Means: It’s November, so UTEP is going into the tank, but at least it’s fun. The offense and Donald Buckram has been terrific, putting up yards and points in bunches to get to second in the league in total offense, but with four losses all by a touchdown or less, it’s going to be hard to play out the string. However, if the attack keeps putting up numbers like it did against SMU, there shouldn’t be a problem beating Rice and Marshall. As disappointing as the season has turned out to be, 5-7 wouldn’t look bad at this point.

Nov. 7
at Tulane 45 … UTEP 38 OT
Andre Anderson caught an 11-yard touchdown pass with one second to play to force overtime, and he won the game on a seven-yard run on Tulane’s possession. UTEP’s chance got stuffed with Trevor Vittatoe getting sacked. Donald Buckram ran for three touchdowns for the Miners scoring from 28, 36, and ten yards out in the second half, but Tulane kept pace with three touchdown passes from Ryan Griffin along with a one-yard scoring run.
Player of the Game: Tulane QB Ryan Griffin completed 24-of-36 passes for 278 yards and three scores and ran five times for 16 yards and a score.
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 12-26, 226 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 34-234, 3 TD, Receiving: Donald Buckram, 3-109, 1 TD
Tulane: Passing: Ryan Griffin, 24-36, 278 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Andre Anderson, 29-105, 1 TD, Receiving: Jeremy Williams, 10-139 
What It All Means: If it’s November, it’s UTEP losing. Just when it seemed like it was time to get excited about the Miners and a possible bowl bid and a run in the Conference USA title race, they lose at home to UAB and they can’t hold in a disastrous loss to Tulane. Donald Buckram and the ground game keep on rolling, but the defense is miserable and there’s no pass rush and no production from the secondary. That’s a problem with SMU up next, but if UTEP can pull off the win, it has a shot at six wins with Rice and Marshall to close.

Oct. 31
UAB 38 … at UTEP 33
Joe Webb threw two touchdown passes, ran for a 53-yard score, and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass as UAB overcame 607 yards of UTEP offense for the win. The Blazers forced three turnovers Marquis Coleman taking an interception 99 yards for the first score of the game, but that was about all the D did right. UTEP’s Donald Buckram scored on a 26-yard run and a 30-yard catch in the second quarter and pulled the Miners within five on a two-yard run with 1:12 to play, but the Miners held on.
Player of the Game: UAB QB Joe Webb completed 8-of-15 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 20 times for 163 yards and a score. He also caught a touchdown pass.
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 23-44, 397 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 28-164, 2 TD, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 7-161
UAB: Passing: Joe Webb, 8-15, 127 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Joe Webb, 20-163, 1 TD, Receiving: Mark Ferrell, 2-52
What It All Means: UTEP cranked out yards in bunches and held UAB to a reasonably average 375 yards and lost. The turnovers were a problem, but there simply weren’t enough scores to come from all the long drives. The defense got 16 tackles from Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith, but it was too poor in the first half and the offense couldn’t pull itself out of the hole. Every time the Miners try to get in to the conference title race, it blows it. Now there are three straight road games, but two of them are winnable at Tulane and Rice. The SMU game will be a battle. 

Oct. 21
at UTEP 28 … Tulsa 24
UTEP’s Donald Buckram ran for two touchdowns in the final 6:25 including a three-yarder with just 29 seconds to play for the win. Down 13-0, Tulsa came back with a 24-point run helped by one-yard touchdown runs from G.J. Kinne and Charles Clay, and a 19-yard A.J. Whitmore touchdown run, but that Miners owned the fourth quarter. UTEP’s Trevor VIttatoe connected with Donavon Kemp on an 80-yard touchdown in the first quarter and hit Tufick Shadrawy for a key two-point conversion after Buckram’s eight-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
Player of the Game: UTEP RB Donald Buckram ran 26 times for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
Tulsa: Passing: G.J. Kinne, 11-23, 192 yds
Rushing: Charles Clay, 16-84, 1 TD, Receiving: Slick Shelley, 5-98
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 17-38, 271 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 26-125, 2 TD, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 4-37
What It All Means: How does UTEP get Donald Buckram going in every game? He dominated Houston and the Miners came up with the big win, and he controlled the game against Tulsa in another win. This hasn’t been the most consistent team, and the loss to Memphis two weeks ago will by an anchor all season long, but there’s hope for a bowl now with UAB, Tulane and Rice three winnable games left to play (to go along with dates with SMU and Marshall).

Oct. 10
at Memphis 35 … UTEP 20
Curtis Steele ran for 240 yards and two touchdowns and Will Hudgens threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Rucker and a six-yarder to Duke Calhoun on the way to a key win. The Miners stayed alive on a 56-yard Jeff Moturi touchdown catch late in the second quarter and pulled within eight on the 21-yard Kris Adams catch, but Steele put it away on a nine-yard scoring run.
Player of the Game: Memphis RB Curtis Steele ran 39 times for 240 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught two passes for ten yards and a score.
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 21-40, 319 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 18-58, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 5-118, 1 TD
Memphis: Passing: Will Hudgens, 19-33, 216 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Steele, 39-240, 2 TD, Receiving: Carlos Singleton, 5-105
What It All Means: A week after ripping up Houston, UTEP went back to being UTEP with an uneven effort with no run defense and no pass rush whatsoever. Trevor Vittatoe had a nice day, even though he barely completed half of his passes, but Donald Buckram was held to just 58 yards and never got going. Unfortunately, Tulsa is up next and the defense will be in for a nightmare of a time. Vittatoe has to get bombing and he has to be more efficient to give the Miners a chance.

Oct. 3
at UTEP 58 … Houston 41
In a wild game with 1,245 yards of total offense, Donald Buckram ran for 262 yards and four touchdowns, with all four of his scores coming in the second half, and Jeff Moturi took a pass 74 yards as UTEP broke open a 17-17 tie with a 41-point second half. But Houston didn’t go away as Case Keenum threw for a career-high 536 yards with five touchdown passes including two to James Cleveland in the second half. Buckram’s final touchdown run, a 27-yarder, gave the Miners a 17-point lead late, and the defense put the game away as Roddray Walker returned a fumble 70-yard for a score. Houston came up with 42 first downs to UTEP’s 26.
Player of the Game: UTEP RB Donald Buckram ran 32 times for 262 yards and four touchdowns, and in a losing cause, Houston QB Case Keenum completed 51-of-76 passes for 536 yards and five scores.
Houston: Passing: Case Keenum, 51-76, 536 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Bryce Beall, 14-68, Receiving: James Cleveland, 14-147, 2TD
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 19-30, 276 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 32-262, 4 TD, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 6-127, 1 TD
What It All Means: Where was this UTEP rushing attack over the first four games? The Miners ran for 308 yards in the first four games and 305 against Houston as Donald Buckram had big run after big run. His longest dash was just 32 yards, but he cranked out yards in chunks. The secondary went bye-bye, but after playing against Kansas’s Todd Reesing, Texas’s Colt McCoy, and now Houston’s Case Keenum, the rest of the quarterbacks and passing games on the slate will seem pedestrian. If UTEP could score at will on Houston, it should be able to rip up everyone in the last seven games. The Tulsa game is at home, and the Miners should be the favorites the rest of the way. Now they can’t go back to playing like they did over the first four weeks. 

Sept. 26
at Texas 64 … at UTEP 7
Texas rolled at will as the offense cranked out 639 yards of total offense and the D allowed just 53 yards in the dismantling. Colt McCoy threw three touchdown passes, but he also threw an interception that was returned by Melvin Stephenson for a touchdown. The Longhorns made up for the error with a D.J. Monroe return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff. Eight different Longhorns scored touchdowns and Hunter Lawrence kicked three field goals.
Player of the Game: Texas QB Colt McCoy completed 28-of-35 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 7-21, 38 yds, 4 INT
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 9-46, Receiving: Donald Buckram, 3-19
Texas: Passing: Colt McCoy, 38-35, 286 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Vondrell McGee, 8-104, 1 TD, Receiving: Jordan Shipley, 10-122, 1 TD 
What It All Means: It’s Texas, but it’s still embarrassing. UTEP not only didn’t belong on the same field as the Longhorns, but it didn’t look like it knew what it was doing even when it had a few opportunities. The offensive line and the pass protection were disastrous, while the defense wasn’t even close as UT did whatever it wanted to move the ball. Coming off the win over New Mexico State, the Miners should’ve been able to do something, and now comes another nightmare waiting to happen when Houston comes to town. UTEP has to show come offense to keep up the pace early on.

Sept. 19
UTEP 38 … at New Mexico State 12
The game was delayed for a few hours through a lightning storm, but it didn’t affect UTEP as it ran out to a 31-0 lead going into the third quarter with two short Donald Buckram touchdown runs and short scores from Jason Williams and Vernon Frazier. NMSU finally got on the board with a one-yard Marquell Colston run, but the game was never in question.
Player of the Game: UTEP RB Donald Buckram ran 14 times for 113 yards and two scores, and he caught a pass for 36 yards
New Mexico State: Passing: Jeff Fleming, 6-13, 74 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Seth Smith, 13-99, Receiving: Todd Lee, 3-40
UTEP: Passing: Trevir Vittatoe, 15-32, 182 yds
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 14-113, 2 TD, Receiving: Jeff Moturi, 4-54 
What It All Means: It might have been a blowout win, but the Miners had a few issues. The offense took advantage of turnovers and came up with the scores needed to make it ugly, but Trevor Vittatoe only completed 15-of-32 passes and wasn’t nearly sharp enough. Even so, for a struggling team, an easy blowout win is going to be taken no matter what, but now comes a harsh dose of reality with a trip to Texas before facing Houston.

Sept. 12
Kansas 34 ... at UTEP 7
Jake Sharp scored three times, running it in from one and three yards out, and catching a five-yard touchdown pass, and Jacob Branstetter kicked two field goals on the way to a 34-0 lead. UTEP didn't get on the board until the outcome had been decided with Donavon Kemp taking a catch 75 yards for a score. KU outgained UTEP 576 yards to 208.
Player of the Game: Kansas RB Jake Sharp ran 16 times for 104 yards and two scores, and he caught six passes for 29 yard and a score.
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 14-35, 187 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 9-31, Receiving: Donavon Kemp, 3-85, 1 TD
Kansas: Passing: Todd Reesing, 25-41, 260 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 16-104, 2 TD, Receiving: Dezmon Briscoe, 8-154
What It All Means: UTEP isn't playing well. This wasn't supposed to be a big season, but to be this bad this early is a problem. While Kansas is a far better team, UTEP didn't provide any sort of a push with no protection for QB Trevor Vittatoe, 13 penalties, and four net yards rushing. With New Mexico State coming up next, this needs to be when the team finds itself and starts to hum, or it might be time to pack it in.

Sept. 5
Buffalo 23 ... at UTEP 17
UTEP appeared to have pulled out the comeback win with a late touchdown pass, but it was nullified by a holding call to ruin a great rally. Buffalo went on a 23-point run highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown catch from Naaman Roosevelt, but UTEP came back with a 17-yard James Thomas scoring dash and, with just under six minutes to play, a 31-yard Logan Barrett field goal to pull within six. The two teams combined for 22 penalties.
Player of the Game: Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt caught five passes for 91 yards and a score.
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 12-19, 159 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 25-79, 1 TD, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 5-91, 1 TD
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 27-45, 233 yds
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 14-108, Receiving: Kris Adams, 9-98
What It All Means: Where's the high-octane UTEP passing game? If nothing else, the team is supposed to be able to chuck it around and make life tough for opposing secondaries, but Trevor Vittatoe had a mere 233 yards and no touchdowns to show for his 45 attempts. He did a good job of rallying the team late, but there wasn't nearly enough consistency at home early on and it allowed UB to take control of the game. The defense did a good job, but the penalties have to stop on both tides of the ball and Vittatoe has to start throwing like a veteran who knows how to push the ball down the field.