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EL PASO, Texas – UTEP Football will hit the road for the third straight game as the Miners travel to take on Charlotte in Conference USA play on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Both Charlotte (1-2, 1-1) and UTEP (3-2, 0-1) enter the game following unexpected off weekends due to COVID-19 postponements. Most recently, Charlotte defeated North Texas, 49-21, on the road. This Saturday's contest will mark Charlotte's first home game of the 2020 season following a handful of postponements over the last few weeks. The last time the Miners were in action was on Oct. 10 when LA Tech won a close game, 21-17, over UTEP in Ruston.
Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. MT this Saturday at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ for subscribers with Dave Friedman (play-by-play) and Reggie Walker (analysis) calling all the action on Saturday afternoon. Fans can also tune in to the radio broadcast on ESPN 600 El Paso to hear Jon Teicher (PxP) and Mike Perez (analysis) on the call.
This weekend's game in Charlotte marks just the second meeting between the Miners and 49ers on the gridiron. Charlotte won the only meeting between the two programs in 2019 by a score of 28-21 in El Paso.
UTEP (3-2, 0-1) at CHARLOTTE (1-2, 1-1)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
Time: 10 a.m. MT
Location: Charlotte, N.C.
Venue: Jerry Richardson Stadium
Twitter Updates: @UTEPFB
Live Stats
TV/Stream: ESPN+ (WATCH)
PxP: Dave Friedman
Analyst: Reggie Walker
Radio: ESPN 600 El Paso (LISTEN)
PxP: Jon Teicher
Analyst: Mike Perez
A MINER WIN WOULD…
- Improve UTEP's overall record to 4-2, marking the best start for the Miners since the 2010 team started the season 5-1.
- Give UTEP the most wins in a single season since 2014 when the team tallied four wins on the season.
- Be the first conference road win for UTEP since 2018 when the Miners took down Rice with a 34-26 victory in Houston.
- Mark UTEP's first win over Charlotte in the all-time series.
- Be the first win on the east coast in program history (The Miners are 0-24-1 all-time in games played in the eastern time zone).
MINER NOTABLES
- UTEP QB Gavin Hardison is only the third sophomore in program history to throw for over 1,000 yards through the first five games of the season and only the 11th UTEP player all-time to achieve the feat. Hardison enters this week ranked 23rd nationally among FBS quarterbacks in total passing yards. Through five games, Hardison is 75-of-143 passing for 1,056 yards and two touchdowns. His 1,056 passing yards in five games also ranks 3rd among C-USA quarterbacks. The Hobbs, N.M., native has a 52.4 completion percentage and is averaging 211.2 yards per game going into Saturday's conference road matchup at Charlotte.
- Through the first five games of the 2020 season, the UTEP defense is showing drastic improvements from previous years. With the exception of the game at Texas (9/12), the Miners are allowing just 13.5 points per game. The Miners also hit a few milestones in the Oct. 10 game at LA Tech. The 4.0 sacks recorded vs. LA Tech last week ties the most for UTEP under Dana Dimel. UTEP also had 4.0 sacks at LA Tech on 10/20/18. The 13 tackles for loss vs. LA Tech are the most for UTEP since 10/30/04 at San Jose State (15). Overall, it marks the 4th-best single-game total in school history (had 14 TFL vs. SMU on 11/16/02 and 13.5 at Tulsa on 10/26/02). The six pass breakups vs. LA Tech was the most for UTEP since 11/7/18 at WKU (7) and second-most under Dimel.
- UTEP sophomore DE Praise Amaewhule caused trouble for LA Tech for the entirety of the game in Ruston. He recorded career-highs for tackles (5), sacks (3.5), TFL (3.5) and pass breakups (4). Amaewhule leads C-USA in sacks (6.0), averaging 1.20 sacks per game. The 3.5 sacks Amaewhule recorded vs. LA Tech last week set a new school record for single-game sacks. His four pass breakups tied for the second-most in school history.
- UTEP defensive tackle Keenan Stewart had a career-high 12 tackles versus LA Tech in UTEP's last game on Oct. 10. Prior to that performance, the last UTEP defensive lineman with 12-plus tackles in a game was Larry Davis (DT) with 12 at Utah (10/29/94).
- UTEP sophomore wide receiver Jacob Cowing is currently ranked 13th in the nation and 2nd in Conference USA in receiving yards five games into the 2020 season. Cowing leads the Miners with 29 receptions for 440 yards in five games. The Arizona native is averaging 15.2 yards per catch and 88.0 yards per game this season. As for senior Justin Garrett, he is currently ranked 28th nationally and 7th in C-USA with 22 catches for 338 yards and a touchdown. He is averaging 15.4 yards per catch and 67.6 yards per game.
FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of UTEP Football, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPFB (Twitter/Instagram) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.