UTEP Loses a Rather Winnable Game to LA Tech [VIDEO]

The beauty of football is no matter how good a team may be coming into a contest, there are always vulnerabilities that they possess.  On any given Saturday a team like Louisiana Tech, a 24-point favorite coming into the Sun Bowl, can be beaten.

The Miners had many opportunities to knock off one of the tog dogs in the western division of C-USA, and possibly keep their bowl hopes alive, but it wasn't meant to be as they lost by the skin of their teeth to the Bulldogs, 17-15.  In a game where points came at a premium, the Miners were able to score just one touchdown when Kavika Johnson found Cole Freytag for an eleven yard score in the second quarter.

UTEP managed to get a safety in the third quarter and Jay Mattox made two field goals, but missed a crucial 32 yard attempt that would have given the Miners an 18-17 lead with 1:49 left in the game.  Without question, UTEP should have won this game for numerous reasons.  They had 21 first downs to LA Tech's 12, held the Bulldogs to their lowest point total of the season, had a spectacular game on the ground by gaining 226 yards, dominated the time of possession at 37:49 and held Kenneth Dixon, one of the top running backs in the nation to only 49 yards rushing.

Sometimes a team can learn quite a bit from a loss.  The Miners who are now 4-7, 2-5 in C-USA will simply have to wait until next season to see if they can regroup and make another run at a bowl game.  UTEP will conclude their 2015 campaign at North Texas on Nov. 28.