2021 UTEP Miners football team

The 2021 UTEP Miners football team represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Miners were led by fourth–year head coach Dana Dimel and played their home games at the Sun Bowl. They competed as members of the West Division of Conference USA (C–USA). For the first time since 2014, the Miners became bowl eligible.

2021 UTEP Miners football
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionWest Division
Record7–6 (4–4 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDave Warner (1st season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorBradley Dale Peveto (1st season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumSun Bowl
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Western Kentucky xy   7 1     9 5  
Marshall   5 3     7 6  
Old Dominion   5 3     6 7  
Middle Tennessee   4 4     7 6  
Florida Atlantic   3 5     5 7  
Charlotte   3 5     5 7  
FIU   0 8     1 11  
West Division
UTSA xy$   7 1     12 2  
UAB   6 2     9 4  
North Texas   5 3     6 7  
UTEP   4 4     7 6  
Rice   3 5     4 8  
Southern Miss   2 6     3 9  
Louisiana Tech   2 6     3 9  
Championship: UTSA 49, Western Kentucky 41
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant

Schedule

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UTEP announced its 2021 football schedule on January 27, 2021.[1][2] The 2021 schedule consisted of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.

Note: With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, opponents and dates are subject to change.

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
August 287:30 p.m.at New Mexico State*KVIA-TV/BSAZ/FloSportsW 30–319,034
September 47:00 p.m.Bethune–Cookman*ESPN3W 38–2814,554
September 107:30 p.m.at Boise State*FS1L 13–5435,518
September 257:00 p.m.New Mexico*
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
ESPN+W 20–1315,069
October 27:00 p.m.Old Dominion 
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
ESPN+W 28–2111,025
October 95:00 p.m.at Southern MissESPN3W 26–1326,049
October 167:00 p.m.Louisiana Tech
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
ESPN+W 19–318,468
October 304:00 p.m.at Florida AtlanticESPN+L 25–2816,432
November 68:15 p.m.UTSA
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
ESPN2L 23–4431,658
November 132:00 p.m.at North TexasESPN+L 17–2020,056
November 202:00 p.m.Rice
  • Sun Bowl
  • El Paso, TX
ESPN+W 38–2810,097
November 2612:00 p.m.at UABESPN+L 25–4219,683
December 1812:15 p.m.vs. Fresno State*ESPNL 24–3116,422
Schedule Source:[1][3]

Game summaries

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At New Mexico State

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UTEP at New Mexico State
(Battle of I-10)
1 234Total
Miners 17 3100 30
Aggies 0 300 3
  • Date: August 28, 2021
  • Location: Aggie Memorial Stadium
    Las Cruces, NM
  • Game start: 7:38 p.m. MDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 19 minutes
  • Game attendance: 19,034
  • Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 6 MPH
  • Referee: Kevin Brunette
  • TV announcers (KVIA-TV/BSAZ/FloSports/Comcast): Adam Young (play–by–play), Danny Knee (analyst) and Stephanie Shields (sideline)
    
Pregame line Over/under
UTEP –9.5 59.5[4]
Statistics UTEP New Mexico State
First downs 19 20
Total yards 452 190
Rushing yards 203 101
Passing yards 249 89
Turnovers 0 3
Time of possession 32:29 27:31
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 11/16, 249 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Ronald Awatt 11 carries, 74 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jacob Cowing 5 receptions, 158 yards, 1 TD
New Mexico State Passing Jonah Johnson 8/24, 82 yards
Rushing Juwaun Price 9 carries, 37 yards
Receiving Dominic Gicinto 2 receptions, 31 yards

Bethune–Cookman

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Bethune–Cookman at UTEP
1 234Total
Wildcats 0 01414 28
Miners 10 0721 38
  • Date: September 4, 2021
  • Location: Sun Bowl
    El Paso, TX
  • Game start: 7:05 p.m. MDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
  • Game attendance: 14,554
  • Game weather: Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: E 8 MPH
  • Referee: Ed Ardito
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Erik Elken (play–by–play) and Trevor Vittatoe (analyst)
       
Pregame line Over/under
UTEP –20.5 52.5[5]
Statistics Bethune–Cookman UTEP
First downs 12 24
Total yards 333 472
Rushing yards 118 289
Passing yards 215 183
Turnovers 3 4
Time of possession 24:26 35:34
Team Category Player Statistics
Bethune–Cookman Passing Shannon Patrick 15/22, 215 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Que'shaun Byrd 12 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Kemari Averett 4 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 14/23, 183 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Ronald Awatt 19 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Tyrin Smith 4 receptions, 76 yards

At Boise State

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UTEP at Boise State
1 234Total
Miners 3 1000 13
Broncos 10 31103 54
  • Date: September 10, 2021
  • Location: Albertsons Stadium
    Boise, ID
  • Game start: 7:40 p.m. MDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
  • Game attendance: 35,518
  • Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: E 4 MPH
  • Referee: Rodney Burnette
  • TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play–by–play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
         
Pregame line Over/under
BSU –25 56.5[6]
Statistics UTEP Boise State
First downs 20 21
Total yards 336 461
Rushing yards 104 121
Passing yards 232 340
Turnovers 6 3
Time of possession 34:36 25:24
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 15/24, 223 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
Rushing Ronald Awatt 15 carries, 44 yards
Receiving Jacob Cowing 6 receptions, 112 yards, 1 TD
Boise State Passing Hank Bachmeier 17/24, 340 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Tyler Crowe 7 carries, 45 yards
Receiving Khalil Shakir 7 receptions, 166 yards

New Mexico

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New Mexico at UTEP
1 234Total
Lobos 7 600 13
Miners 0 3143 20
  • Date: September 25, 2021
  • Location: Sun Bowl
    El Paso, TX
  • Game start: 7:05 p.m. MDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 14 minutes
  • Game attendance: 15,069
  • Game weather: Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: N 12mph
  • Referee: Craig Helser
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Erik Elken (play–by–play) and Trevor Vittatoe (analyst)
Pregame line Over/under
NM –2.5 54[7]
Statistics New Mexico UTEP
First downs 17 12
Total yards 288 344
Rushing yards 123 51
Passing yards 165 293
Turnovers 2 1
Time of possession 29:52 30:08
Team Category Player Statistics
New Mexico Passing Terry Wilson Jr. 16/38, 160 yards, INT
Rushing Aaron Dumas 8 carries, 28 yards
Receiving Kyle Jarvis 4 receptions, 59 yards
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 15/29, 293 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Ronald Awatt 12 carries, 34 yards
Receiving Jacob Cowing 7 receptions, 174 yards, TD

Old Dominion

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Old Dominion at UTEP
1 234Total
Monarchs 0 7140 21
Miners 3 1438 28
  • Date: October 2, 2021
  • Location: Sun Bowl
    El Paso, TX
  • Game start: 7:00 p.m. MDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 9 minutes
  • Game attendance: 11,025
  • Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 2 MPH
  • Referee: Rodney Burnette
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Erik Elken (play–by–play) and Trevor Vittatoe (analyst)
    
Pregame line Over/under
UTEP –5.5 48.5[8]
Statistics Old Dominion UTEP
First downs 19 17
Total yards 282 333
Rushing yards 88 142
Passing yards 194 191
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 25:32 34:28
Team Category Player Statistics
Old Dominion Passing D. J. Mack Jr. 20/34, 194 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Blake Watson 13 carries, 35 yards
Receiving Zack Kuntz 8 receptions, 54 yards
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 10/20, 191 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Deion Hankins 23 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jacob Cowing 4 receptions, 118 yards

At Southern Miss

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UTEP at Southern Miss
1 234Total
Miners 7 775 26
Golden Eagles 7 006 13
Pregame line Over/under
UTEP –2 44.5[9]
Statistics UTEP Southern Miss
First downs 16 17
Total yards 392 254
Rushing yards 265 15
Passing yards 127 239
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 30:48 29:12
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 7/17, 127 yards, INT
Rushing Ronald Awatt 18 rushes, 159 yards, TD
Receiving Tyrin Smith 1 reception, 55 yards
Southern Miss Passing Jake Lange 20/31, 239 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Frank Gore Jr. 16 rushes, 43 yards
Receiving Jakarius Caston 4 receptions, 94 yards

Louisiana Tech

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Louisiana Tech at UTEP
1 234Total
Bulldogs 0 300 3
Miners 14 230 19
  • Date: October 16, 2021
  • Location: Sun Bowl
    El Paso, TX
  • Game start: 7:00 p.m. MDT
  • Game attendance: 18,468
  • Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C)
  • Referee: Joe Lehring
  • Television network: ESPN+
  
Pregame line Over/under
LATECH –9 55[10]
Statistics Louisiana Tech UTEP
First downs 14 18
Total yards 288 385
Rushing yards 92 102
Passing yards 196 283
Turnovers 3 4
Time of possession 23:17 36:43
Team Category Player Statistics
Louisiana Tech Passing Austin Kendall 14/28, 174 yards, 3 INT
Rushing Marcus Williams Jr. 7 rushes, 42 yards
Receiving Marcus Williams Jr. 2 receptions, 59 yards
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 19/29, 283 yards, INT
Rushing Deion Hankins 15 rushes, 55 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Jacob Cowing 9 receptions, 166 yards

At Florida Atlantic

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UTEP at Florida Atlantic
1 234Total
Miners 3 7015 25
Owls 7 777 28
  • Date: October 30, 2021
  • Location: FAU Stadium
    Boca Raton, FL
  • Game start: 6:06 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 42 minutes
  • Game attendance: 16,432
  • Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 6 mph
  • Referee: Kevin Randall
  • Television network: ESPN Networks
Pregame line Over/under
FAU –13.5 48.5[11]
Statistics UTEP Florida Atlantic
First downs 18 12
Total yards 436 281
Rushing yards 110 131
Passing yards 327 149
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 36:56 23:04
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 23/46, 327 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Deion Hankins 11 carries, 72 yards
Receiving Tyrin Smith 4 receptions, 114 yards, TD
Florida Atlantic Passing N'Kosi Perry 13/26, 149 yards, TD
Rushing Johnny Ford 13 carries, 93 yards, TD
Receiving LaJohntay Wester 4 receptions, 64 yards, TD

UTSA

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UTSA at UTEP
1 234Total
Roadrunners 16 1477 44
Miners 6 377 23
Pregame line Over/under
UTSA –12 51.5[12]
Statistics UTSA UTEP
First downs 28 20
Total yards 561 374
Rushing yards 275 127
Passing yards 286 247
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 33:41 26:19
Team Category Player Statistics
UTSA Passing Frank Harris 22/34, 286 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Sincere McCormick 21 carries, 161 yards, TD
Receiving Zakhari Franklin 10 receptions, 114 yards, 2 TD
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 13/30, 247 yards, 3 TD
Rushing Ronald Awatt 16 carries, 83 yards
Receiving Jacob Cowing 5 receptions, 112 yards

At North Texas

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UTEP at North Texas
1 234Total
Miners 0 7010 17
Mean Green 0 3143 20
Pregame line Over/under
N/A N/A
Statistics UTEP North Texas
First downs 14 22
Total yards 382 423
Rushing yards 109 183
Passing yards 273 240
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 29:45 30:15
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 15/29, 273 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Ronald Awatt 17 rushes, 85 yards, TD
Receiving Jacob Cowing 5 receptions, 174 yards, TD
North Texas Passing Austin Aune 15/33, 240 yards, TD
Rushing DeAndre Torrey 18 rushes, 81 yards
Receiving Roderic Burns 5 receptions, 93 yards, TD

Rice

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Rice at UTEP
1 234Total
Owls 0 2107 28
Miners 7 71014 38
  • Date: November 20, 2021
  • Location: Sun Bowl
    El Paso, TX
  • Game start: 2:05 p.m. MDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 38 minutes
  • Game attendance: 10,097
  • Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 7 mph
  • Referee: Scott Hardin
  • Television network: ESPN+
      


Pregame line Over/under
UTEP –10 47[13]
Statistics Rice UTEP
First downs 22 23
Total yards 390 488
Rushing yards 160 122
Passing yards 230 366
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 28:50 31:10
Team Category Player Statistics
Rice Passing Jake Constantine 14/25, 183 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Cameron Montgomery 9 carries, 78 yards
Receiving Jake Bailey 5 receptions, 58 yards
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 23/35, 366 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing Ronald Awatt 9 carries, 119 yards
Receiving Jacob Cowing 11 receptions, 170 yards, TD

At UAB

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UTEP at UAB
1 234Total
Miners 7 1080 25
Blazers 7 71414 42
  • Date: November 26, 2021
  • Location: Protective Stadium
    Birmingham, AL
  • Game start: 1:05 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 25 minutes
  • Game attendance: 19,683
  • Game weather: Sunny
  • Referee: Kevin Vicknair
  • Television network: ESPN+
      
Pregame line Over/under
UAB –13.5 49.5
Statistics UTEP UAB
First downs 17 18
Total yards 303 328
Rushing yards 99 220
Passing yards 204 108
Turnovers 3 1
Time of possession 30:56 29:04
Team Category Player Statistics
UTEP Passing Gavin Hardison 21/34, 204 yards, TD, INT
Rushing Deion Hankins 16 carries, 68 yards, TD
Receiving Jacob Cowing 5 receptions, 63 yards, TD
UAB Passing Dylan Hopkins 15/20, 108 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing DeWayne McBride 7 carries, 99 yards, TD
Receiving RaJae' Johnson-Sanders 5 receptions, 24 yards

References

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  1. ^ a b "UTEP Miners unveil their 2021 football schedule". KVIA. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "UTEP Football Announces 2021 Schedule". University of Texas at El Paso Department of Athletics. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "2021 UTEP Miners Football Schedule". FBSchedule. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "UTEP Miners vs New Mexico State Aggies". Odds Shark. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Bethune–Cookman Wildcats vs UTEP Miners". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "UTEP Miners vs Boise State Broncos". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  7. ^ "New Mexico Lobos vs UTEP Miners". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "Old Dominion Monarchs vs UTEP Miners". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  9. ^ "UTEP Miners vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "LA Tech Bulldogs vs UTEP Miners". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  11. ^ "UTEP Miners vs Florida Atlantic Owls". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  12. ^ "UTSA Roadrunners vs UTEP Miners". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Rice Owls vs UTEP Miners". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 20, 2021.