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2023 UTEP Miners football team

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2023 UTEP Miners football
ConferenceConference USA
Record3–9 (2–6 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorScotty Ohara (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorBradley Dale Peveto (3rd season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumSun Bowl
Seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Conference USA football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 25 Liberty y$   8 – 0     13 – 1  
New Mexico State y   7 – 1     10 – 5  
Jacksonville State*   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Western Kentucky   5 – 3     8 – 5  
Middle Tennessee   3 – 5     4 – 8  
UTEP   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Sam Houston*   2 – 6     3 – 9  
Louisiana Tech   2 – 6     3 – 9  
FIU   1 – 7     4 – 8  
Championship: Liberty 49, New Mexico State 35
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 UTEP Miners football team represented the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) as a member of Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by Dana Dimel in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Miners compiled an overall record of 3–9 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for sixth in C-USA. The team played home games at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

Schedule

[edit]

UTEP and Conference USA announced the 2023 football schedule on January 10, 2023.[1][2]

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 263:30 p.m.at Jacksonville State
CBSSNL 14–1717,982
September 27:00 p.m.No. 7 (FCS) Incarnate Word*
ESPN+W 28–1430,738
September 91:30 p.m.at Northwestern*
BTNL 7–3814,851
September 169:00 p.m.at Arizona*
P12NL 10–3144,182
September 237:00 p.m.UNLV*
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
ESPN+L 28–4528,042
September 297:00 p.m.Louisiana Tech
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
CBSSNL 10–249,101
October 115:30 p.m.at FIU
ESPN2W 27–1414,872
October 187:00 p.m.New Mexico State
ESPN2L 7–2819,727
October 256:00 p.m.at Sam Houston
ESPN2W 37–346,889
November 47:00 p.m.Western Kentuckydagger
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
ESPN+L 13–2111,111
November 1812:00 p.m.at Middle Tennessee
ESPN+L 30–349,122
November 251:30 p.m.No. 25 Liberty
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
CBSSNL 28–4210,240

[3][4][5]

Game summaries

[edit]

vs Jacksonville State

[edit]
See also: 2023 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team
UTEP Miners (0-0) vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks (0-0)
Team 1 234Total
Miners 0 707 14
• Gamecocks 3 770 17
  • Sources:
Scoring summary
1st4:57JSUAlen Karajic 41-yard field goalJSU 3–0
2nd13:26JSURon Wiggins 4-yard run (Alen Karajic kick)JSU 10–0
2nd0:00UTEPDeion Hankins 1-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick)JSU 10–7
3rd7:47JSUMalik Jackson 7-yard run (Alen Karajic kick)JSU 17–7
4th12:19UTEPKelly Akharaiyi 32-yard pass from Gavin Hardison (Buzz Flabiano kick)JSU 17–14
Statistics UTEP Jacksonville State
First downs 22 15
Plays–yards 72–364 62–277
Rushes–yards 156 210
Passing yards 208 67
Passing: comp–att–int 17–29–2 10–20–0
Time of possession 34:38 25:22
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 17/29, 208 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Torrance Burgess Jr. 12 carries, 58 yards
Receiving Kelly Akharaiyi 4 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD
Jacksonville State Passing Zion Webb 10/20, 67 yards
Rushing Malik Jackson 13 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Ron Wiggins 2 receptions, 24 yards

No. 7 (FCS) Incarnate Word

[edit]
See also: 2023 Incarnate Word Cardinals football team
Incarnate Word Cardinals at UTEP Miners
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 7 Cardinals 7 7 0014
Miners 7 7 7728

at Sun Bowl (stadium), El Paso, TX

  • Date: September 2
  • Game time: 8:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Temperature: 92 • Wind: SW 3 mph • Weather: Sunny
  • Game attendance: 30,738
  • Referee: Ed Ardito
  • TV: ESPN+
  • Box Score Pregame line: UTEP −7.0
Game information
First Quarter
  • UIW – 10:46 Brandon Porter 34 yard pass from Zach Calzada, Mason Lawler kick
    UIW 7–0 Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 1:24
  • UTEP – 6:52 Torrance Burgess Jr. 40 yard run, Buzz Flabiano kick
    Tied 7–7 Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:54
Second Quarter
  • UIW – 10:42 Tre Siggers 5 yard run, Mason Lawler kick
    UIW 14–7 Drive: 7 plays, 92 yards, 2:29
  • UTEP – 4:52 Jostein Clarke 13 yard pass from Gavin Hardison, Buzz Flabiano kick
    Tied 14–14 Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 5:43
Third Quarter
  • UTEP – 6:40 Tyrin Smith 24 yard pass from Gavin Hardison, Buzz Flabiano kick
    UTEP 21–14 Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 8:20
Fourth Quarter
  • UTEP – 8:47 Mike Franklin 3 yard run, Buzz Flabiano kick
    UTEP 28–14 Drive: 12 plays, 96 yards, 7:08
Statistics UIW UTEP
First downs 19 25
Plays–yards 58–308 63–423
Rushes–yards 27–63 50–329
Passing yards 245 94
Passing: comp–att–int 18–31–1 10–13–0
Time of possession 24:28 35:32
Team Category Player Statistics
Incarnate Word Passing Zach Calzada 18/31, 245 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Tre Siggers 12 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Brandon Porter 6 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 10/13, 94 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Deion Hankins 24 carries, 174 yards
Receiving Tyrin Smith 4 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD

at Northwestern

[edit]
See also: 2023 Northwestern Wildcats football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Miners 7 0 0 0 7
Wildcats 7 0 21 10 38
Statistics UTEP NU
First downs 18 17
Total yards 319 391
Rushing yards 104 184
Passing yards 215 207
Turnovers 3 0
Time of possession 31:21 28:39
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 17/25, 192 yards, TD, 2 INT
Rushing Torrance Burgess Jr. 7 rushes, 34 yards
Receiving Jeremiah Ballard 4 receptions, 92 yards
Northwestern Passing Ben Bryant 11/17, 116 yards, TD
Rushing Cam Porter 17 rushes, 90 yards
Receiving Joseph Himon II 1 reception, 85 yards, TD

at Arizona

[edit]
See also: 2023 Arizona Wildcats football team
UTEP Miners (1–2) vs Arizona Wildcats (1–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Miners 0 3 0710
Wildcats 0 14 10731

at Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ

  • Date: September 16, 2023
  • Game time: 8:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
  • Game attendance: 44,182
  • Referee: Mark Duddy
  • TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Bob Davie (analyst)
Game information
First quarter

None

Second quarter
  • (14:53) ARIZ – Tetairoa McMillan 18-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Tyler Loop kick (Drive: 7 plays, 92 yards, 2:38; Arizona 7–0)
  • (5:13) UTEP – Buzz Flabiano 25-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:40; Arizona 7–3)
  • (1:23) ARIZ – Michael Wiley 3-yard run, Tyler Loop kick (Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 3:44; Arizona 14–3)
Third quarter
  • (8:59) ARIZ – Tyler Loop 38-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 4:33; Arizona 17–3)
  • (2:42) ARIZ – Jacob Cowing 2-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Tyler Loop kick (Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards, 3:13; Arizona 24–3)
Fourth quarter
  • (9:19) ARIZ – Montana Lemonious-Craig 4-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Tyler Loop kick (Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 1:26; Arizona 31–3)
  • (1:32) UTEP – Javoni Gardere 25-yard pass from Kevin Hurley, Buzz Flabiano kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:12; Arizona 31–10)
Statistics UTEP ARIZ
First downs 13 26
Total yards 332 544
Rushing yards 26–49 32–244
Passing yards 283 300
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 18–35–0 25–32–0
Time of possession 29:43 30:17
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 15/31, 228 yards
Rushing Deion Hankins 9 carries, 34 yards
Receiving Torrance Burgess Jr. 3 receptions, 78 yards
Arizona Passing Jayden de Laura 23/29, 285 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Michael Wiley 17 carries, 87 yards, TD
Receiving Tetairoa McMillan 6 receptions, 89 yards, TD

UNLV

[edit]
See also: 2023 UNLV Rebels football team
UNLV Rebels (2–1) at UTEP Miners (1–4) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rebels 14 14 01745
Miners 7 7 7728

at Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX

  • Date: September 23, 2023
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 92 °F (33 °C)
  • Game attendance: 28,042
  • Referee: Ron Hudson
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Duke Keith, Jacob Boggs
Game information
First quarter
  • (9:27) UNLV – Jai'Den Thomas 12-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 1 play, 12 yards, 0:07; UNLV 7–0)
  • (3:20) UTEP – Gavin Hardison 1-yard run, Buzz Flabiano kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:07; Tied 7–7)
  • (2:14) UNLV – Jai'Den Thomas 17-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:06; UNLV 14–7)
Second quarter
  • (5:11) UTEP – Gavin Hardison 1-yard run, Buzz Flabiano kick (Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 5:35; Tied 14–14)
  • (3:18) UNLV – Lester Donavyn 1-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:53; UNLV 21–14)
  • (1:01) UNLV – Jai'Den Thomas 5-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 6 plays, 32 yards, 1:17; UNLV 28–14)
Third quarter
  • (11:12) UTEP – Torrance Burgess Jr. 11-yard run, Buzz Flabiano kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:48; UNLV 28–21)
Fourth quarter
  • (14:30) UNLV – Jai'Den Thomas 1-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 1:47; UNLV 35–21)
  • (5:28) UTEP – Jeremiah Ballard 27-yard pass from Gavin Hardison, Buzz Flabiano kick (Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 3:16; UNLV 35–28)
  • (7:39) UNLV – Courtney Reese 32-yard run, Jose Pizano kick (Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 3:22; UNLV 42–28)
  • (1:56) UNLV – Jose Pizano 30-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards, 2:24; UNLV 45–28)
Statistics UNLV UTEP
First downs 23 21
Total yards 497 316
Rushing yards 48–307 34–91
Passing yards 190 225
Passing: Comp–Att–Int 15–27–1 14–31–3
Time of possession 29:51 30:09
Team Category Player Statistics
UNLV Passing Jayden Maiava 15/27, 190 yards, INT
Rushing Jai'Den Thomas 13 carries, 100 yards, 4 TD
Receiving Ricky White 2 receptions, 62 yards
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 14/31, 225 yards, TD, 3 INT
Rushing Torrance Burgess Jr. 19 carries, 99 yards, TD
Receiving Kelly Akharaiyi 4 receptions, 92 yards

Louisiana Tech

[edit]
See also: 2023 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Bulldogs 14 3 0 7 24
Miners 0 7 3 0 10
Statistics LT UTEP
First downs 14 17
Total yards 294 321
Rushing yards 142 220
Passing yards 152 101
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 27:08 32:52
Team Category Player Statistics
Louisiana Tech Passing Jack Turner 9/20, 152 yards, TD
Rushing Tyre Shelton 16 rushes, 104 yards, TD
Receiving Cyrus Allen 1 reception, 85 yards
UTEP Passing Cade McConnell 4/11, 48 yards
Rushing Deion Hankins 15 rushes, 83 yards
Receiving Jeremiah Ballard 3 receptions, 39 yards

at FIU

[edit]
See also: 2023 FIU Panthers football team
UTEP Miners (1-5) at FIU Panthers (3-3) – Game Summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Miners 0 0 000
Panthers 0 0 000

at Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, Florida

  • Date: October 11th
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST
  • Game attendance: 14,872
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): TBD
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Statistics UTEP FIU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing
Rushing
Receiving
FIU Passing
Rushing
Receiving

New Mexico State

[edit]
See also: 2023 New Mexico State Aggies football team
New Mexico State Aggies at UTEP Miners – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 7 0 14728
Miners 0 7 007

at Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. MDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
  • Game attendance: 19,727
  • Referee: Rory Bernard
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): John Schriffen, Cole Cubelic, and Taylor Davis
  • Box score, Recap
Game information
First quarter
  • NMSU – Diego Pavia 10-yard run (Ethan Albertson kick), 1:18. Aggies 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:49.

Second quarter

  • UTEP – Kevin Hurley 1-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick), 12:26. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:52.

Third quarter

  • NMSU – Thomaz Whitford 6-yard pass from Diego Pavia (Ethan Albertson kick), 12:29. Aggies 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 2:24.
  • NMSU – Diego Pavia 41-yard run (Ethan Albertson kick), 6:44. Aggies 21–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:59.

Fourth quarter

  • NMSU – Thomaz Whitford 16-yard pass from Diego Pavia (Ethan Albertson kick), 13:31. Aggies 28–7. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 3:53.
Statistics NMSU UTEP
First downs 23 16
Total yards 439 304
Rushing yards 253 125
Passing yards 186 179
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 30:17 29:43
Team Category Player Statistics
New Mexico State Passing Diego Pavia 15/25, 186 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Monte Watkins 10 rushes, 109 yards
Receiving Eli Stowers 5 receptions, 80 yards
UTEP Passing Cade McConnell 15/32, 179 yards
Rushing Deion Hankins 16 rushes, 120 yards
Receiving Jeremiah Ballard 5 receptions, 75 yards

at Sam Houston

[edit]
See also: 2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team
UTEP Miners at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Miners 0 13 71737
Bearkats 7 14 6734

at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas

  • Date: October 25
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • TV: ESPN2
  • First quarter
    • SHSU – John Gentry 28-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 6:24. Bearkats 7–0.
    Second quarter
    • UTEP – Delon Hankins 2-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick), 12:26. Tied 7–7.
    • SHSU – John Gentry 18-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 9:52. Bearkats 14-7
    • UTEP – Buzz Flabiano 23-yard field goal, 2:45. Bearkats 14-10
    • SHSU – Malik Phillips 6-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 0:44. Bearkats 21-10
    • UTEP – Buzz Flabiano 43-yard field goal, 0:00. Bearkats 21-13
    Third quarter
    • SHSU – Colby Sessums 22-yard field goal, 10:45. Bearkats 24-13
    • SHSU – Colby Sessums 31-yard field goal, 6:14. Bearkats 27-13
    • UTEP – Mike Franklin 3-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick), 1:07. Bearkats 27–20.
    Fourth quarter
    • UTEP – Kelly Akharaiyi 25-yard pass from Cade McConnell (Buzz Flabiano kick), 11:25. Tied 27–27.
    • UTEP – Kevin Hurley 1-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick), 9:57. Miners 34–27.
    • SHSU – Noah Smith 4-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 6:02. Tied 34-34
    • UTEP – Buzz Flabiano 32-yard field goal, 0:03. Miners 37-34
Statistics UTEP SHSU
First downs 17 22
Total yards 428 354
Rushing yards 222 129
Passing yards 206 225
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 31:58 28:02
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Cade McConnell 12/22, 206 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Deion Hankins 15 carries, 117 yards, TD
Receiving Kelly Akharaiyi 6 receptions, 126 yards, TD
Sam Houston State Passing Keegan Shoemaker 22/39, 202 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing John Gentry 16 carries, 71 yards, TD
Receiving Noah Smith 7 receptions, 67 yards

Western Kentucky

[edit]
See also: 2023 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

at Middle Tennessee

[edit]
See also: 2023 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

No. 25 Liberty

[edit]
See also: 2023 Liberty Flames football team

Personnel

[edit]

Transfers

[edit]

Incoming

[edit]
Name Pos. Previous school
Dre Spriggs WR UTSA
AJ Odums CB New Mexico

Outgoing

[edit]
Name Pos. New school
Tyrin Smith WR Texas A&M
Verenzo Holmes CB Northwest Mississippi Community College
Justin Prince S Unknown
Luke Soto TE Marshall
Jeremiah Byers OT Florida State
Darryl Minor LB Indiana

[6][7]

NFL draft

[edit]

The 2024 NFL draft was held at Campus Martius Park in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25–27, 2024. Miners who were picked in the 2024 NFL draft:

Round Pick Player Position NFL team
4 118 Tyrice Knight LB Seattle Seahawks
6 220 Elijah Klein OG Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Additionally, Gavin Hardison, Andrew Meyer and Zuri Henry were signed as undrafted free agents.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "UTEP Football 2023 Schedule Released with 3 Wednesday Games". KROD. January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  2. ^ UTEP Athletics (January 10, 2023). "UTEP football announces full 2023 football schedule ahead of new season". KTSM-TV. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "UTEP Miners Schedule 2023". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  4. ^ "2023 UTEP Miners Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  5. ^ "2023 Football Schedule". UTEP Athletics, University of Texas at El Paso. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  6. ^ "2023 UTEP Miners Football Transfers". on3.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  7. ^ "2023 UTEP Miners Football Transfers". 247sports.com. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
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