Via UTEP Athletics: Bryton Thompson scored two defensive touchdowns, Kam Thomas returned a punt 93 yards for a score and Jevon Jackson had a pair of rushing TDs as UTEP (3-9, 3-5 Conference USA) rallied from 17 points down to blitz NM State (3-9, 2-6 CUSA), 42-35, in the 101st Battle of I-10 in Aggie Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

“I’m just so proud of these guys and proud of our football team,” first-year UTEP Head Coach Scotty Walden said. “We’ve been through a lot of adversity this year and we wanted this one bad, really bad. We talked about the Battle of I-10 and the importance of that in fall camp. Our senior leadership did a really great job of stepping up during our ‘Battle of I-10’ practice periods. When you have the transfer portal era and when you have so many freshmen on the team, some of those guys don’t understand the magnitude of this game. I thought it was an intense and super competitive game and really fun environment.”

The UTEP defense added a season-high eight sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception and 10 tackles for loss. Thompson is the first Miner to score two defensive touchdowns in the same game in the modern era of football, while he became the first Miner since Quinten Demps (2007) to score a pair of defensive touchdowns in the same season.

Back to the sacks, Maurice Westmoreland and Kyran Duhon each led the way with two apiece, while Sione Tonga’uiha recorded a career-best 1.5, KD Johnson had one, and Hunter Rapolla added a half sack. Overall, the Miners recorded 36 sacks in 2024, the most in 20 seasons. Westmoreland finished with a team-best 7.5 sacks while he concluded his UTEP career with 15.0 sacks, ranking tied for sixth on the program’s all-time list. Duhon’s 7.0 sacks were second best on the team and the most by a UTEP freshman since 1990 (Gonzalo Floyd).

Kory Chapman added his second pick of the season, bringing UTEP’s 2024 total to 11 interceptions, the most since 2014.

Thomas’s 93-yard punt return for a touchdown tied a school record (Reggie Matthews in 1966 vs. San Jose State, 1967 vs. UCSB). Thomas’s TD extended UTEP’s lead to 11 points early in the fourth quarter. It was also the first touchdown scored on a punt return since 2023 (Torrance Burgess at Middle Tennessee).

Thomas made the most of his return to the gridiron after missing the previous three games due to an unspecified non-football-related injury. On top of his wefense TD return, Thomas – after dropping three balls early in the contest – led the Miners with 90 yards on four receptions, including a collegiate career-long 69-yard catch.

Despite allowing 543 yards on 107 plays, the Miners outscored the Aggies 35-11 after being down 24-7 at halftime. UTEP improved to 60-39-2 overall and 21-21-1 all-time in Las Cruces.

“This was a program-defining victory and we talked about this in our shop and culture, we want to make winning the Battle of I-10 something extremely important in our program,” Walden added. “It’s not something we take lightly and it’s always a big deal when you beat your rival. Today was all about these guys and the will to win.”

Jackson led the rushing attack with 79 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. The first was a two-yard plunge that started UTEP’s scoring run at the 10:13 mark of the second quarter to make the score 24-14, while the second TD was on a three-yard dash that got the Miners within three points (24-21) at the 10:41 mark of the third quarter. Jackson finished the season with a team-high 754 rushing yards and six total touchdowns (four rush, two rec.). Jackson had 853 all-purpose yards, the third most on the team.

Kenny Odom finished with 29 yards on two receptions, but his second catch was a 30-yard touchdown reception that gave the Miners the go-ahead 28-24 lead late in the third. It was Odom’s eighth touchdown reception this season, the most receiving scores by a UTEP player in eight seasons (TE Hayden Plinke had eight in 2016). Odom concluded his season with a team-best 741 yards on 46 receptions.

The “Orange Swarm” defense got the Miners on the board first when Westmoreland’s blind-side sack that forced a Parker Awad fumble and followed by a Thompson scoop-and-score returned 33 yards to the house to take a 7-0 lead following Buzz Flabiano’s PAT at the 11:45 mark of the first quarter. Flabiano finished with a career-high six made PATs.

The Aggies responded with a school-record 59-yard field goal made by Abraham Montaño at the 8:09 mark.

Following a UTEP punt, NM State scored on a 21-yard Seth McGowan reception from Awad to take a 10-7 edge at the 6:02 mark. The Aggies only used two plays to go 75 yards. Awad completed a 54-yard pass to PJ Johnson III to help set up the score.

The Aggies built their lead to 17-7 on a Mike Washington nine-yard touchdown rush with 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

NM State took a 24-7 advantage following a TJ Pride 35-yard touchdown reception from Awad at the 12:36 mark of the second.

The Miners finally got the “Blue Offense” going when it drove 75 yards on eight plays resulting in a Jackson two-yard touchdown rush to help cut the deficit to 10 points (24-14).

Late in the second quarter, Chapman picked off his second pass of the season and returned it to the NMSU 45, but fumbled and gave the ball back to the Aggies. Montaño ended the half with a missed 57-yard FG attempt to conclude the first half.

Following another missed NM State field goal attempt, the Miners used four plays to go 72 yards to get within three points (24-21). Thomas used a career-long 69-yard reception to the NMSU 3 that helped set up Jackson’s second rushing TD of the day at the 10:41 mark of the third.

The Miners got the ball back midway through the third quarter after the Aggies didn’t convert a fourth-and-7 at the UTEP 34. UTEP took advantage and took a 28-24 lead following Skyler Locklear’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Odom with 5:45 left in the quarter.

UTEP broke the game open when Thomas took a punt 93 yards to pay dirt to take a 35-24 advantage with 13:23 left in the contest.

The Miners got another defensive touchdown from Thompson who scored his second touchdown on a five-yard scoop-and-score at the 13:12 mark to make the count 42-24.

The Aggies got within 10 points after scoring on a 59-yard, three-play drive that ended with a Johnson III 30-yard touchdown reception followed by Washington’s two-point conversion with 7:22 left in the game.

NM State got within seven points when Montaño hit his second FG of the day, a 23-yarder with 24 seconds remaining in the game. The Aggies’ onside kick was unsuccessful.

Trey Goodman ended the game with 44 yards on four receptions and tied Thomas for the team lead with 47 catches in 2024. Thomas concluded the season with 532 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Locklear finished with 177 passing yards and a TD.

Xavier Smith led the defense with nine tackles and tied his career best with two pass breakups. Lantz Russell tallied eight tackles.

Adam Jacklin averaged 43.4 yards on five punts (217 yards) including a long of 52 yards and one inside the 20.

Washington finished with a game-high 130 yards as the Aggies hit 203 for the game. Awad finished 22-of-51 for 340 yards and three TD passes with an INT. Pride tallied 81 yards on six receptions. Montaño finished the game 2-of-5 on FG attempts. Da’Marcus Crosby led NM State with nine tackles while Noah Arinze tallied a sack.