Miners defeat Golden Eagles 40-37 in second overtime
UTEP may have been winless during their non-conference schedule, but the Miners are rolling at the start of Conference USA play.
Trevor Vittatoe threw a 7-yard pass to sophomore receiver Kris Adams in the second overtime, propelling the Miners to a 40-37 win against Southern Miss. in Hattiesburg, Miss.
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Vittatoe, a redshirt sophomore, ended the game, throwing for 266 yards and four touchdowns on 25-of-43 passing. None of the passes were more important than the game winner he threw to Adams.
The play brought back memories of UTEP's previous 48-45 overtime win against SMU last season, in which the team came back from being 21 points down in the second quarter.
But there was a major difference.
The Miners (2-3) did not have the leading rusher (Marcus Thomas), rather it was Southern Miss. junior running back Damion Fletcher who carried the ball 34 times for 260 yards and a touchdown.
Teammate and redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Davis was 21-for-37, throwing 264 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The interception was caught by UTEP junior defensive back Clarence Ward, his first of the season. The one-handed grab could have sealed the Miners win with less than six minutes remaining, but the Miners were stopped at the 2-yard line when senior tailback Terrell Jackson could not reach the endzone.
Jackson, and sophomores Donald Buckram and Daniel Palmer, combined for 101 yards on 25 carries.
Southern Miss. (2-3) will host undefeated Boise State (4-0), while the Miners head to El Paso to play against Tulane (2-3) in their annual homecoming game Oct. 11 at the Sun Bowl.
Carlos M. Silva Jr. is the publisher for MinerDigs.net. He can be reached by clicking here.