Saturday night was set to be a party in El Paso. The West Texas city would welcome one of college football’s most electric Week 0 opener as the Sun Bowl witnessed a sellout for the first time since 2008.
But when the local start time of 7pm rolled around, the place was empty. The Lightning early on created a massive void in the stands. When the storm subsided, another kind of electricity was expected to form in the picturesque place. But the North Texas defense silenced the impressive orange-clad, kick-back crowd to prevent UTEP’s historic sellout from becoming the loudest show in El Paso.
When the stadium cleared for the second time Saturday night, it wasn’t because of lightning, but because of North Texas’ 31-13 blowout of the home team to open conference play.
Well-traveled second-year defensive coordinator Phil Bennett orchestrated a turnaround last season, as evidenced by the Mean Green giving up 35 points per game in their first seven contests compared to just 18.7 in their six outings. the last. That late-season defense continued into 2022, as North Texas barricaded UTEP all night, shutting the Miners out in the second half.
Led by first-team All-C-USA inside linebacker KD Davis, the Mean Green defense had an answer for everything UTEP coach Dana Dimel had planned offensively. They constantly pressured the backfield, ensuring no Miner rusher would finish the night with 40 rushing yards while forcing an onslaught of incompletions and errant throws. North Texas dominated the battle in the trenches, which left UTEP quarterback Gavin Hardison constantly scrambling around the pocket.
Hardison attempted countless deep shots in an attempt to spark UTEP’s offense. While Hardison experienced early success — connecting on four passes of 25+ yards on his first three drives — his carries down the field eventually piled up on the ground and drops from the receiving corps began to hurt UTEP. Overall, Hardison completed just 21 of 48 attempts, generating 293 yards and a touchdown.
The third-year starting quarterback’s only touchdown was a 32-yard pass to his new option No. 1, Tyrin Smith, who will expand his role on offense after the departure of 1,300-yard receiver Jacob Cowing. Smith proved his worth as a deep threat, racking up 127 yards and seven touchdowns. Reynaldo Flores also collected a large portion of Hardison’s completions, adding eight catches and 122 yards to UTEP’s offensive output.
Because of Smith’s early success, UTEP grabbed a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter and quickly regained a 10-7 lead when North Texas responded. But with two minutes left in the first half, North Texas running back Oscar Adaway ran into the end zone on an 8-yard run for his first score since 2020 after missing last year by a ACL injury. Those points from the sophomore gave North Texas a lead that would never be relinquished.
The Mean Green set the frame for the win in the second half, outscoring the Miners 17-0. On the first possession of the third quarter, quarterback Austin Aune completed a float pass to running back Isaiah Johnson to open the gap to 21-13. The momentum that resulted from that punt quickly translated to the defense, which forced its only turnover of the game on UTEP’s ensuing drive. Taking advantage of the contest, Aune threw his third and final pass of the night to tight end Jake Roberts to put the Miners in the rearview mirror.
Roberts caught just 11 passes in 13 appearances last year, but the 6’5″ sophomore tight end looks poised to play a major role in the North Texas offense in 2022. He led all Mean Green players with four receptions and provided strong blocking in an intriguing matchup against UTEP Kobe Hylton at strong safety. Another standout in the North Texas offense was Ayo Adeyi, who served as the workhorse of the team’s running back stable with team-highs in rushing (17) and yards (80).
The Week 0 conference clash certainly has conference title implications for the two Lone Star State programs, both of which clinched bowl eligibility in 2021. In the revamped C-USA, which was reduced to 11 teams, the divisions are canceled and the top two conference records earn invitations to the championship game on Friday, Dec. 2.
North Texas already has a head start on that goal, as coach Seth Littrell picked up its first C-USA opener win since 2019. UTEP, one of the top surprise stories a year ago, will face a tougher battle to reach the title game, and the Miners will marinate in an 0-1 conference record until they face their next C-USA opponent in Charlotte on October 1.
