Photo: UTEP running back Marcus Thomas (8) rumbled down the sideline Saturday after making Texas Southern defenders miss at the Sun Bowl. By Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times
What, if anything, should be made of the UTEP football team's 52-12 demolition of overmatched Texas Southern Saturday is a valid question.
Then again, that's not a question the Miners really have to answer.
After two consecutive losses, what mattered to UTEP was that it put on a commanding performance against a team it was a whole bunch better than.
The defense dominated from the first snap, the offense finally produced a 100-yard rusher while moving the ball at will, and third-string quarterback Kyle Wright was sent in to mop up with four minutes still remaining in the second quarter.
The lead was 38-0 by then, giving a banged up Miner team a chance to rest its best players for the Conference USA opener against SMU next week.
They head into that game with a level 2-2 mark and in a good frame of mind following a night when they were as businesslike as the situation called for. The Miners made the layup.
If there were any doubts about how seriously UTEP would take a game against a winless 1-AA foe, they were put to rest quickly in a perfect first few minutes.
Jose Martinez sent the opening kickoff out of the end zone, the defense held Texas Southern without a yard on three plays, Quintin Demps nearly broke the punt return, and Marcus Thomas needed just three carries to take care of the 39 yards the Miners were left with.
Thomas' 11th and final carry of the night was a 27-yard touchdown run that pushed him to 105 yards for the night, snapping a 16-game streak without a 100-yard rusher.
UTEP was actually held to a field goal on its second possession, then Trevor Vittatoe hit Brandon Moturi for a 25-yard touchdown and a 17-0 lead at the 1:12 mark of the first quarter.
Nuuese Punimata returned an interception to the 7-yard line on the next Texas Southern series, and Lorne Sam carried the ball in a play later for a 24-0 lead on the final play of the first quarter.
At that point, Texas Southern had just two first downs, and one of those was on a late hit penalty.
The Tigers did start to do a few things as UTEP reserves trickled into the game in the second quarter, though the starters hung around long enough to tack two more touchdowns on the board.
In that span, Demps picked off the 14th pass of his career to move into a tie for first among active Division 1-A players, Moturi caught a second touchdown pass for his first multi-touchdown game of his career and Thomas reached his 100-yard milestone.
Texas Southern University Tigers--Ocean of Soul Marching Band
By halftime, about the only thing left for UTEP to play for was the shutout, but Texas Southern quickly dashed that with a 21-yard strike from Tino Edgecomb to William Osborne on its first possession of the third quarter.
In fact, the Tigers were able to play the second half on even terms against the Miner deep reserves, but on this night, that mattered little.
Photo: UTEP fans braved the rain to cheer on their Miners Saturday agaisnt Texas Southern at the Sun Bowl.
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