EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — UTEP football suffered a 30-27 loss to Jacksonville State in a Conference USA game at the Sun Bowl on Saturday.
UTEP battled the CUSA leader, tying the game 27-27 with 2:15 left in the 4th, but couldn’t pull out the win.
UTEP took a major hit in the first half when a trick-play pass from Skyler Locklear was intercepted by Caleb Nix, who returned it 93 yards for a touchdown, giving Jacksonville State a 17-7 lead with 8:12 remaining in the second quarter.
The Miners trailed 20-13 at halftime but stormed back in the second half. Quarterback Skyler Locklear scored on a 10-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game 20-20 with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter.
The Gamecocks answered early in the fourth, as Cam Cook punched in a 1-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville State a 27-20 lead with 10:01 left. UTEP wasn’t done yet. Locklear found Eric Willis III on a 19-yard touchdown pass to tie the game 27-27 with 2:15 left in regulation.
Jacksonville State responded immediately, marching down to UTEP’s 29-yard line before settling for a 45-yard field goal by Garrison Rippa, taking a 30-27 lead with 53 seconds remaining.
The Miners had one final chance but gained only five yards on their drive. Locklear’s deep pass to Willis on 4th-and-5 was broken up by Trevor Woods, sealing the win for Jacksonville State.
UTEP unable to come up in the clutch moments late in the contest.
“Those guys have beat Sam Houston in the last second on the road, Middle Tennessee, and now us,” UTEP football head coach Scotty Walden said postgame. “I think they’ve got a group of very confident, and somewhat veteran players that they are doing a great job. We just we just got to have that self-confidence down the stretch to know that we’re going to make those clutch plays.”
“There’s a lot of factors that go into it. Executing play calls, going off their personnel, things of that nature when the play comes to you, you got to make it, but we also got to set ourselves up to be in a position to make that play. Tough loss. Some things we got to clean up for sure.” UTEP football redshirt senior linebacker Micah Davey said postgame.
Jax State running back Cam Cook, the nation’s leading rusher, rushed for 127 yards on 19 carries and scored a touchdown.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Wondame Davis Jr. led UTEP with five catches for 166 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
With the win, Jacksonville State improved to 6-3 overall and 5-0 in C-USA, securing a bowl game berth for the third straight year. The Gamecocks, who began competing at the FBS level in 2023, have made a bowl game each season since the move.
UTEP fell to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in CUSA, missing out on a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season.
“Our mindset is to definitely come out Monday ready to work. Even though this maybe have knocked us out of a bowl game, we just want to really finish out the season for the seniors, especially for guys like Micah Davey, Neil Campbell, who have been working hard all year.” Davis Jr. said postgame.
Up next, UTEP will take on Missouri State on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
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