Eleven sacks undo UTEP’s yardage advantage in 24-11 loss to San José State

UTEP gained 462 yards, collected 27 first downs and held the ball for more than 35 minutes. San José State still won 24-11, because the Miners' long possessions kept ending without touchdowns while the Spartans found two fast ways into the end zone after halftime.

Viliami Teu supplied both third-quarter touchdowns Saturday night at the Sun Bowl, scoring from two and 67 yards. San José State's defense recorded 11 sacks, preventing UTEP from turning its yardage advantage into a serious comeback.

The Miners fell to 1-6. San José State improved to 4-3, giving Daniel Rolovich a win in his first college start behind a career-best rushing performance from Teu.

The empty possessions add up

UTEP's first play from scrimmage produced a 64-yard completion from EJ Colson Jr. to Kam Thomas. The Miners were already at the Spartan 11. A penalty, a sack and a loss on a run followed, and Carlos Arreola missed a 37-yard field goal.

Rolovich answered with an 80-yard touchdown drive, finding Carson Clark for an 11-yard score. It was the game's only scoring possession before halftime.

The Mountain West's official game highlights show the matchup:

The third quarter made UTEP's missed opportunities more expensive. Clark's 63-yard catch set up Teu's short touchdown run on San José State's first possession after the break. UTEP responded with a 14-play drive that consumed 6 minutes, 20 seconds, but Solomone Langi blocked Arreola's 42-yard field-goal attempt.

Teu needed three plays to punish that failure, racing 67 yards for a 21-0 lead. He finished with 156 yards on 20 carries, his first college game above 100 rushing yards, according to San José State's postgame notes.

The late drive meets the same rush

UTEP finally scored on Arreola's 47-yard field goal, then added Nik Henry's eight-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Jaden Smith's conversion pass to Cash Cheeks cut the deficit to 24-11 with 10:52 left.

Another 56-yard march gave the Miners a chance to close further. They reached the Spartan 20, but the pass rush helped push them back before a fourth-down incompletion ended the drive.

Jayland McGlothen had 3.5 sacks, Dylan Lee and Justin Stearns two apiece. The pressure was spread widely enough that UTEP kept encountering it throughout the game.

Raymond Moore III completed 19 of 28 passes for 195 yards. Smith caught 12 passes for 90, while Thomas had 96 receiving yards. Those gains kept UTEP moving between scoring chances; the Miners finished with one touchdown on a night when San José State needed only 24 minutes, 43 seconds of possession to score three.