JOURNAL SPORTS
EL PASO, Texas – Louisiana Tech put an end to its too-long road losing skid while also rising to 2-0 in Conference USA, defeating UTEP 24-10 as Smoke Harris housed an early 67-yard punt return to give the Bulldogs a two-score advantage Friday night at the Sun Bowl.
Tech (3-3, 2-0 CUSA) used all three phases to get the victory. Offensively, it was a pair of explosive pass plays to go along with another 100-yard rushing performance by Tyre Shelton. Defensively, it was keeping UTEP (1-5, 0-2 CUSA) off the scoreboard in its final four possessions. And on special teams, it was Harris electrifying the Bulldogs’ sideline with his punt return for a touchdown.
The Bulldogs needed just five plays to find the end zone on their opening drive of the contest. The big one was Cyrus Allen going 85 yards on a catch-and-run down to the 1-yard line. Shelton punched it in from there to make it 7-0 just a little over two minutes deep into the game.
After the Tech defense forced a 3-and-out on the Miners first opportunity of the night, Harris’s punt runback covered the distance, going 67 yards to give the ‘Dogs a quick 14-0 lead.
“The fast start really helped us. Really proud of how we started the football game,” said Bulldogs’ coach Sonny Cumbie.
The Miners proceeded to go on a 15-play, 93-yard drive that was made up of 13 rushing attempts. The 13th one put UTEP into the end zone on a 2-yard carry with the first play of the second quarter.
Louisiana Tech did its own version of ground-and-pound later in the stanza, leading to a Jacob Barnes 32-yard field goal to make it a 17-7 lead with 2:28 to go in the half.
UTEP got a 36-yarder to close out its opening drive of the second half. But that was the last time the Miners moved the scoreboard.
The Tech defense forced another 3-and-out, had a turnover-on-downs near its red zone, and for good measure stopped the home team at the 4-yard line for a goalline stand with multiple pass breakups.
“Our defense did a great job in the red zone. UTEP had a good combination of thunder and lightning. They put stress on you,” said Cumbie.
“A great effort by our defense at the end to hold UTEP out of the end zone,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs cashed in one more time in the second half thanks to an extended drive because of a UTEP penalty. As a result, Jack Turner dropped in a perfect pass to the back corner of the end zone to Tru Edwards, son of Tech great Trey Edwards, on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 20-yard score.
It was the first road win for the Bulldogs since 2020. Halting that long skid was something Cumbie and staff stressed all week long.
“We challenged our team and got a tough win on the road,” he said.
Tech is home next Thursday night to play Western Kentucky, then goes to Middle Tennessee State on the following Tuesday for a third game in an 11-day span, all CUSA contests.