Mark
09-02-2007, 01:09 AM
UTEP's victory all old school
<!--subtitle--><!--byline-->Bill Knight / El Paso Times (bknight@elpasotimes.com?subject=El%20Paso%20Times :%20UTEP%27s%20victory%20all%20old%20school)
<!--date-->Article Launched: 09/02/2007 12:16:53 AM MDT
http://www.elpasotimes.com/sports/ci_6783900
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UTEP's Braxton Amy hits UNM running back Rodney Ferguson Saturday. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)
Somewhere Bear Bryant and Darrell Royal and all the old school slobber-knocker coaches must have been smiling.
On a breezy September Saturday night in the Sun Bowl, a couple of old southwest rivals got together for some football. UTEP and New Mexico. The Miners and Lobos made defense a dirty word in their old Western Athletic Conference days. It was offense, offense and more offense. Always and forever.
Well, obviously not forever.
Saturday night UTEP and ew Mexico got into one of those old school affairs. Hard hits. Every play was punished.
Defense dictated every moment. Special teams were critical. It was Bear Bryant-style. Get it done one defense.
Offensively, the run was the thing. New Mexico pounded at UTEP, going smack up the middle over and over and over. Late in the second quarter, the Lobos went 79 yards on 16 plays, erasing 7:29 from the scoreboard clock.
Still, even after that impressive drive, it was defense that dictated. UTEP's defense bent, yielded all those yards -- but never broke. The Lobos settled for a field goal and the
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two teams went to the intermission tied at 3-3.Early in the fourth quarter New Mexicoâs John Sullivan sent a 40-yard field goal through the uprights. The kick was leaking oil all the way but it barely made it and it was three more valuable points, giving UNM a 6-3 lead.
But, remember, this game was old school. The run was the thing. New Mexico's Rodney Ferguson was a workhorse, throwing himself over and over at the Miner front and doing UTEP took the lead on, what else, a run.
Terrell Jackson zipped through the middle of the it more than 30 times on the evening. Lobo front, dashing 36 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Ten points. Just 10 points. And it was enough.
It was almost as if Darrell Royal were present, uttering his old adage, "only three things can happen when you pass, and two of 'em are bad."
The run was the thing. The pass was only when necessary.
And defense was the thing. All that was needed was a little rain and mud.
Was it an old fashioned outhwest-style scoring fiesta? No way. It was, though, an old fashioned, old-school, globe-smoking, slobber-knocking, tough football game.
It was a pair of defenses bent on destruction, a pair of defenses playing all out, all the time.
And it was fun.
Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171.
<!--subtitle--><!--byline-->Bill Knight / El Paso Times (bknight@elpasotimes.com?subject=El%20Paso%20Times :%20UTEP%27s%20victory%20all%20old%20school)
<!--date-->Article Launched: 09/02/2007 12:16:53 AM MDT
http://www.elpasotimes.com/sports/ci_6783900
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UTEP's Braxton Amy hits UNM running back Rodney Ferguson Saturday. (Mark Lambie / El Paso Times)
Somewhere Bear Bryant and Darrell Royal and all the old school slobber-knocker coaches must have been smiling.
On a breezy September Saturday night in the Sun Bowl, a couple of old southwest rivals got together for some football. UTEP and New Mexico. The Miners and Lobos made defense a dirty word in their old Western Athletic Conference days. It was offense, offense and more offense. Always and forever.
Well, obviously not forever.
Saturday night UTEP and ew Mexico got into one of those old school affairs. Hard hits. Every play was punished.
Defense dictated every moment. Special teams were critical. It was Bear Bryant-style. Get it done one defense.
Offensively, the run was the thing. New Mexico pounded at UTEP, going smack up the middle over and over and over. Late in the second quarter, the Lobos went 79 yards on 16 plays, erasing 7:29 from the scoreboard clock.
Still, even after that impressive drive, it was defense that dictated. UTEP's defense bent, yielded all those yards -- but never broke. The Lobos settled for a field goal and the
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two teams went to the intermission tied at 3-3.Early in the fourth quarter New Mexicoâs John Sullivan sent a 40-yard field goal through the uprights. The kick was leaking oil all the way but it barely made it and it was three more valuable points, giving UNM a 6-3 lead.
But, remember, this game was old school. The run was the thing. New Mexico's Rodney Ferguson was a workhorse, throwing himself over and over at the Miner front and doing UTEP took the lead on, what else, a run.
Terrell Jackson zipped through the middle of the it more than 30 times on the evening. Lobo front, dashing 36 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Ten points. Just 10 points. And it was enough.
It was almost as if Darrell Royal were present, uttering his old adage, "only three things can happen when you pass, and two of 'em are bad."
The run was the thing. The pass was only when necessary.
And defense was the thing. All that was needed was a little rain and mud.
Was it an old fashioned outhwest-style scoring fiesta? No way. It was, though, an old fashioned, old-school, globe-smoking, slobber-knocking, tough football game.
It was a pair of defenses bent on destruction, a pair of defenses playing all out, all the time.
And it was fun.
Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171.