WKU Football cruised past winless UTEP 44-17 Thursday at Houchens-Smith Stadium with an explosive offensive attack.
“Good conference win tonight. A lot of things we can build off of for sure,” Head Coach Tyson Helton said. “We’re very happy to win this game, but we need to get a lot better and we need to get a lot better real fast in every area.”
The passing and rushing attack were both on full display for the Hilltoppers as they went for 218 yards on the ground and 264 yards through the air.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Caden Veltkamp put together an impressive statline, throwing for 264 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Graduate Michael Mathison helped both the rushing and passing attack with two receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.
Redshirt sophomore Easton Messer led the Hilltoppers in receiving with 106 yards.
The Hilltoppers had success running the ball with different players throughout the contest. WKU gained 218 yards on the ground overall and six different players rushed for at least 16 yards.
Senior Elijah Young led the way on the ground with 63 yards. Redshirt junior George Hart III was close behind with 55 yards on only three carries
WKU’s defense was solid in the contest aside from a couple explosive plays. UTEP’s two touchdowns came on a 76-yard pass play and a 100-yard kickoff return.
Fourth downs played a big role in the game as WKU went 4-4 on fourth down while UTEP went 0-3.
First Half
The Hilltoppers received the opening kickoff but were quickly forced to punt after just one first down. After being under pressure most of the drive, Veltkamp was sacked to end the drive.
UTEP responded with a very similar drive, punting after recording only one first down.
The next WKU drive began with a 42-yard gain on a double end-around. Veltkamp concluded the drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior Dalvin Smith, giving WKU a 7-0 lead.
UTEP answered quickly with a 76-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the following drive to tie it at 7-7.
WKU put together another efficient drive, going 61 yards before being picked off right outside the end zone at the UTEP 3-yard-line.
The Hilltopper defense quickly responded with an interception of their own. Redshirt junior Demarko Williams returned the pick 38 yards to the UTEP 12-yard-line.
Mathison took a jet sweep 12 yards to the end zone the following play to give WKU a 14-7 lead.
UTEP went three-and-out the next drive, giving the Hilltoppers the ball at their own 42-yard-line after a short punt.
WKU efficiently moved the ball into the red zone before ultimately stalling out thanks to a sack. The drive ended with a 25-yard field goal, giving the Hilltoppers a 17-7 lead.
The Hilltoppers got the ball back on the UTEP 43-yard-line after a 14-yard sack that forced the Miners to punt from their own 1-yard-line.
WKU answered with a 10-play touchdown drive that ended with a three-yard rushing touchdown by Veltkamp, making it a 24-7 game. The drive featured two successful fourth-down conversions by the Hilltopper offense.
UTEP proceeded to turn it over on downs at their own 47-yard-line, giving WKU good field position again.
The Hilltoppers then bled down the clock, ending the half with a 42-yard field goal to make it 27-7.
Second Half
UTEP began the second half by returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, making it 27-14.
WKU punted the following drive after earning only one first down.
The Miners responded with a 10-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a field goal. The 42-yard field goal made it 27-17.
WKU answered with a three-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, making it 34-17. Mathison concluded the drive with a 14-yard receiving touchdown after a 57-yard completion to Messer.
UTEP proceeded to drive past midfield before ultimately turning it over on downs the next drive.
The Hilltoppers responded with a 52-yard drive that ended with Mathison’s third touchdown of the day on a three-yard completion. The touchdown gave WKU a 41-17 lead.
The Miners turned over the ball on downs in Hillttopper territory once again on the following drive.
WKU responded by driving into UTEP territory and finished the drive with a 54-yard field goal to make it 44-17. The field goal was the second-longest in program history
UTEP proceeded to bleed the rest of the clock, resulting in a 44-17 WKU victory.
WKU will look to advance to 3-0 in Conference USA play Wednesday, Oct. 16 at Sam Houston. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 pm CT.
“We got a quick turnaround coming up with Sam Houston so we got to turn this page and get going with them,” Helton said.
