WKU hands UTEP its sixth loss of the season

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Ezell Jolly rushed for a career-high 119 yards, Corey Wren ran back a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Kenny Odom zoomed past defenders for a career-long 76-yard score, but it wasn’t enough as WKU came out with a 44-17 victory over UTEP on Thursday night at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

The Miners (0-6, 0-3 Conference USA) tallied a season-high 152 rushing yards and totaled 330 yards of total offense. UTEP, a week after being called for 12 penalties, was penalized only twice, making it the third consecutive road game in which the Miners were penalized two times.

The Hilltoppers (4-2, 2-0 CUSA) remained undefeated in league play as Caden Veltkamp threw for 264 yards (18-27), three touchdowns and an interception. Veltkamp added a rushing score. WKU gained 482 yards of total offense including 218 on the ground.

Wren was the first Miner to return a kickoff for a score since Oct. 10, 2020, when Duron Lowe took one back at LA Tech. Wren tallied a career-high 151 kickoff yards and totaled a 157 all-purpose yards.

Jolly was the first Miner to gain over 100 yards rushing this season, while he was the first to hit the century mark in rushing yards since Deion Hankins did so at Sam Houston on Oct. 25, 2023. Jolly recorded a career-most 140 all-purpose yards.

Defensively, true freshman linebacker Stratton Shufelt made his first career start and responded with a career-high seven tackles, along with his first career pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. Shufelt’s breakup in the end zone led to a Lantz Russell interception. The Hilltoppers were at the UTEP 4 when Veltkamp threw a ball into the end zone, but Shufelt broke up the pass and batted the ball into Russell’s hands for his first career interception. Russell tallied a team-high and career-high 11 tackles. Nate Dyman matched his career best with 10 stops.

The Miners recorded three sacks as freshman Kyran Duhon registered his first career sack, Maurice Westmoreland got to the QB for his first full sack of the season and Josiah Allen tallied his second sack of the campaign.

WKU jumped out to a 27-7 lead at the half, but UTEP made some noise by scoring the first 10 points of the second half after Wren’s TD return to open the second stanza and a Buzz Flabiano 42-yard field goal to get within 10 points (27-17).

“The first positive we came of halftime ready to play, which was huge. That was a vast difference, but I don’t like the way we started the game,” UTEP Head Coach Scotty Walden said. “When it was 7-7, we had our chances, but we threw an interception and gave them the ball in plus territory and [WKU] capitalized on it – they’re a good football team. I love the way our kids came out [in the second half] and we had a 10-point swing with the kickoff return for a touchdown by Corey Wren. He’s not playing much right now, but he’s a great role model for these young players. And then Buzz came out and knocked down a field goal. I told our guys we need to stay the course and keep fighting. We must keep swinging and keep pushing.”

WKU struck first on a 74-yard, four-play drive, resulting in a Veltkamp 30-yard touchdown pass to Dalvin Smith at the 7:40 mark of the first quarter.

The Miners responded when Cade McConnell hooked up with Odom, who used his speed for a career-long 76-yard touchdown to tie the contest. UTEP only used two plays to go 80 yards for the score.

Following UTEP’s touchdown, the Hilltoppers drove the ball to the UTEP 4, but Veltkamp dropped back for a pass which was intercepted by Russell in the first quarter.

However, UTEP turned the ball right over when McConnell threw an interception to Demarko Williams, who returned it 38 yards to the UTEP 12. WKU’s Michael Mathison scored on a 12-yard rush to give the Hilltoppers a 14-7 advantage at the 2:18 mark.

WKU built its lead to 17-7 on a Lucas Carneiro 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Josiah Allen recorded his second sack of the season when he dropped Veltkamp for a seven-yard loss that led to a third-and-17.

The Hilltoppers extended their first-half lead to 24-7 following a Veltkamp two-yard touchdown rush. WKU converted a pair of fourth-down plays, with the first coming on a fourth-and-4 in which Veltkamp rushed eight yards for the first down to the UTEP 29. The second came on a fourth-and-1 when Veltkamp found Kisean Johnson for an 18-yard gain to the UTEP 2.

WKU capped the first half with a Carneiro 42-yard field goal to take a 27-7 lead into the locker room.

UTEP came out of the second half with fireworks as Wren returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.

Following to force WKU to punt, the Miners drove the ball 57 yards on 11 plays that ended on a Buzz Flabiano 42-yard field goal to get within 10 points (27-17) at the 5:36 mark of the third.

Despite scoring the first 10 points of the second half, Veltkamp drove the Hilltoppers 75 yards on only three plays. Veltkamp found Easton Messer for 57 yards to the UTEP 18. Two plays later Veltkamp found Mathison for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make the score 34-17 late in the third.

The Hilltoppers put the game away on a Veltkamp three-yard touchdown pass to Mathison to make the score 41-17 with just over 12 minutes left in the contest.

McConnell left the game with an apparent injury. Skyler Locklear finished the game under center, throwing for 82 yards on 11-of-17 passing. McConnell finished with 96 yards (3-for-7), including a 76-yard touchdown pass.

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