EL PASO, Texas - HBU went toe-to-toe with FBS opponent UTEP and was driving toward a potential go-ahead score late in the game, when the Miners came up with a key strip sack and recovery to preserve a 36-34 victory over the Huskies in the season opener Saturday night at the Sun Bowl.
Junior quarterback
Bailey Zappe completed 27-of-37 passes for 300 yards, the fourth 300-plus-yard performance of his career, and threw a pair of touchdown passes and no interceptions for the Huskies (0-1). Junior receiver
Ben Ratzlaff had a sensational Husky debut, making eight catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore receiver
Jerreth Sterns also had eight catches for 62 yards. Senior
Gamar Girdy Brito added three catches for 84 yards and junior
Trevor Larkin caught a four-yard touchdown pass. Junior running back
Dreshawn Minnieweather rushed 15 times for 67 yards and sophomore
Ean Beek had nine carries for 53 yards and a score.
Sophomore linebacker
Brennan Young led HBU with 13 tackles and a sack and junior linebacker
Caleb Johnson made 12 stops, including a sack and returned an interception for a touchdown. Senior nose guard
Emmanuel Mann made nine tackles, while senior linebacker
Taylor Holmes and junior safety
Patrick Wolfe each had eight.
Brandon Jones completed 10-of-20 passes for 268 yards, a touchdown, an interception and added a rushing touchdown. Treyvon Hughes rushed 23 times for 144 yards and a pair of scores, while Tre'Shon Wolf made two catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.
UTEP had 508 yards of total offense, including 240 on the ground, while HBU had 413 total yards, but only 113 rushing. The Huskies had more first downs, 23-20, and committed one fewer penalty, but for a difference of 40 yards.
Justin Rogers led the Miners with 10 tackles and made the biggest play of the game with the fumble recovery. Justin Prince had seven tackles and Jayson VanHook made six. Chris Richardson had four tackles and forced the decisive fumble with a sack.
UTEP opened the scoring on Gavin Baechle's 30-yard field goal in the first quarter. HBU nearly answered when Zappe connected with Ratzlaff for what was originally called a touchdown, but was reviewed and was ruled down at the one. A false start forced the Huskies to settle for a 23-yard field goal attempt, which was no good.
The Miners wasted no time taking advantage, as Jones hit Wolf for an 80-yard touchdown to give UTEP a 10-0 lead. HBU came right back and Zappe engineered a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive, which finished with a 4-yard touchdown to
Trevor Larkin.
On UTEP's ensuing possession, Johnson picked off Jones and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to give HBU a 14-10 lead with 6:46 remaining. The Miners regained the lead on Hughes' 3-yard plunge into the endzone, but the Huskies tied it on Garcia's 47-yard field goal with just over a minute left.
Jones' 32-yard completion to Busey with seven seconds remaining, set up a 21-yard field goal by Baechle to put the Miners ahead, 20-17, going into halftime.
HBU forced a three-and-out on UTEP's opening possession of the second half and the Huskies quickly struck as Zappe this time hooked up with Ratzlaff for a no-doubt 16-yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, but a snap over the head of Jones on the Miners' next possession resulted in a safety and a 25-20 lead for HBU.
UTEP muffed a punt, which HBU recovered at the Miners' 10-yard line. Garcia then connected on a 22-yard field goal as the Huskies pulled ahead, 28-20 with 9:17 to go in the third.
The Miners came back and a 40-yard completion by Jones to fullback Forest McKee set up Jones' 3-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion attempt was intercepted by junior cornerback and nearly returned the distance for two points the other way.
Hughes scampered in from 19 yards out as time expired in the third to regain the lead for the Miners, 33-28, heading into the final period.
Zappe's 41-yard completion to Girdy Brito was the key play before Beek's 3-yard touchdown run. The Huskies went for two, but had to settle for a 34-33 lead when the pass was incomplete. The Miners came up a yard short of a first down, but Bechle's third field goal of this game, this one from 35 yards out, made the score 36-34 with 8:15 remaining.
The Huskies went 49 yards in eight plays down to the UTEP 26, but the strip sack by the Miners resulted in HBU's first turnover of the game and gave UTEP the ball back with a little more than five minutes on the clock. The Miners then went on the longest drive of the game by either team to run out the clock.
HBU hosts Texas Wesleyan in the Wakiza White Out home opener Saturday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. at Husky Field. The game will be shown live on the Husky Sports Network with Lonnie King and Tyler Boyd.
