The Miners ended a two game losing streak by defeating FAU 27-17 on Saturday night in their first-ever meeting.  Mack Leftwich, who hasn't played since Sept. 19 against NMSU when he sustained a concussion, performed efficiently by completing 20 of 39 passes for 271 yards and threw three touchdowns.  Two of his three TD passes were to Tyler Batson.

UTEP's ground game helped balance out their effective offensive performance, as Dowell and Laufasa accounted for 142 total rushing yards.  Defensively the Miners benefited by the return of their leading tackler Alvin Jones who had a game high eight stops and two tackles for losses.  Their defense stepped up in the second half by allowing the Owls to accumulate a mere 116 total yards of offense, after allowing 239 yards in the first half.

The Miners also stopped FAU in the red zone on three different occasions throughout the game, including a crucial third quarter interception by Nik Needham at the one yard line as the Owls were about to score.  With the victory, the Miners move to 3-4, 1-2 C-USA, and will travel to Hattiesburg, MS, to play Southern Miss on Halloween.

 

 

 

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