G5 Football Daily

TAKEAWAYS: Western Kentucky Moves To 2-0 in Conference Play With UTEP Win

Western Kentucky blew out UTEP to keep them winless

Kevin Barral

Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton on the sidelines during the rivalry football game against Middle Tennessee at MTSU, on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton on the sidelines during the rivalry football game against Middle Tennessee at MTSU, on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. / HELEN COMER/The Daily News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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After a relatively close first quarter Thursday night, Western Kentucky scored 27 points in the first half of action to keep Scotty Walden and the UTEP Miners winless in 2024. The Hilltoppers won by a final score of 44-17.

For the Miners, this marks back-to-back games that the defense has surrendered 40 or more points.

Hilltoppers Offense Clicking On All Cylinders

After keeping it close with Boston College, losing by a final score of 21-20 two weeks ago, the Hilltoppers needed a big game from their offense to gain ground in the Conference USA title race.

Quarterback Caden Veltkamp surpassed FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins for the most passing touchdowns in Conference USA. In the first quarter, Veltkamp connected with Dalvin Smith on a 30-yard pass to take an early 7-0 lead. Veltkamp connected twice with wide receiver Michael Mathison twice. Once in the third quarter, his final touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter. Veltkamp now has 11 passing touchdowns on the season. He ended the night completing 18 passes for 264 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Positives for UTEP?

Thursday saw UTEP redshirt freshman Ezell Jolly get more action. The 6'1," 175-pound running back ran for a career-high 103 rushing yards on 23 attempts. He averaged 4.5 yards per attempt and his longest run of the night was for 14 yards.

To open the second half of action, TCU transfer running back Corey Wren returned the kickoff 100 yards.

The Miners defense kept Veltkamp on his heels throughout the night, sacking him three times. Lantz Russell led the way for the Miners, posting 11 total tackles and one interception. Right behind him was Nate Dyman who had 10 total tackles (three solo/seven assisted).

Quarterback Play Still Possesses Questions

The two-quarterback system for the Miners has been a struggle thus far despite having the fourth-ranked passing offense in Conference USA. Caden McConnell started the game for the Miners and completed three passes for 96 yards along with one touchdown and interception.

Following the interception, McConnell was removed from the game in place for Austin Peay transfer Skyler Locklear who ended the game completing 11 passes for 82 yards.

What's Next?

With the win, Western Kentucky will move to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play. They will head to Sam Houston State for a conference showdown on Wednesday, October 16 at 7:00 pm ET. As for UTEP, they drop to 0-6, their worst start since 2018 (1-11 record that season) and they are 0-3 in conference play. They will welcome FIU next week Wednesday on October 16th at 9:00 pm ET.

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Kevin Barral
KEVIN BARRAL

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