Former Miners Roll Out Week 14 With Wins Across the Board
Can anyone recall the last time former Miners in Aaron Jones, Roy Robertson-Harris and Will Hernandez all won a game on the same day? Try three years ago, Nov. 28, 2015, when all three were still at UTEP and the Miners beat North Texas 20-17, as we were reminded by El Paso Times' Bret Bloomquist.
On Sunday, though, all three ex-Miners on their respective teams found a straight sweep of victories.
RB Aaron Jones - Green Bay Packers
A week after firing former head coach Mike McCarthy, the Packers (5-7-1) soared to the top with a 34-20 statement victory over the Falcons at home. The victory included some big moments for UTEP's all-time leading rusher Aaron Jones, who finished the game with 78 rushing yards, 28 receiving yards and a touchdown.
His 29-yard touchdown marked the eighth rushing touchdown by Jones this season. He's become a viable asset to the Packers offense and a scoring machine for the cheese-heads.
OL Will Hernandez - New York Giants
New York's season looked to be over in week eight of the NFL season, but after winning four of their last five games, including a monstrous 40-16 win over the Redskins yesterday, there is an outside shot for the Giants (5-8) to make a run before the season is over.
Adding to the team's overall improvement has been rookie offensive lineman Will Hernandez, the former Miners standout and the Giants' second pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Although the offensive line allowed two sacks yesterday, Hernandez helped rookie running back Saquon Barkley rush for 170 yards and score a touchdown in their divisional win on Sunday. It also marked the fourth straight week where Barkley rushed for over 100 yards.
Don't look now, the Giants are red-hot.
DL Roy Robertson-Harris - Chicago Bears
Last, and certainly not least, comes defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris and the Bears' 15-6 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Chicago (9-4) sits comfortably atop the NFC North Division and continues to impress the league as a viable contender in the NFC.
Robertson-Harris helped cap off last night's victory by hitting Jarred Goff on the Rams' last chance to score late in the fourth quarter last night and forced a turnover on downs. Chicago's defense intercepted four passes by Goff last night and held running back Todd Gurley to just 28 rushing yards.