The grading-on-a-curve portion of UTEP's 2026 season hit its midpoint with the Miners' 51-10 Sun Bowl victory over Texas Southern and at first glance, the Miners passed by the margin a 41-point victory would indicate.
The Miners had 15 terrible minutes to forget between their quick-strike start and the unlimbering of all their artillery that proved overwhelming to an average FCS team, and in the way games like this goes, there are two ways to look at that.
UTEP routs Texas Southern but what does it mean?
Did UTEP show their resiliency, their ability to adjust and their perseverance to wear an inferior opponent down? Or were those 15 minutes a cause of real concern? At the midpoint of the second quarter the Miners
were down 10-7 and if that had been Michigan, as it will be this coming Saturday, that could have been 35-7.
Texas Southern was more forgiving, committing 14 penalties for 112 yards, and after the initial flurry, offered no resistance when UTEP got going and scored five straight touchdowns while holding TSU to 19 plays in seven possessions, forcing two turnovers and by the time penalties were factored in, -22 yards.
Of course UTEP saw the positives, as is their job.
"There were a lot of things that happened tonight that will bite us against better teams, but at the end of the night, a win's a win, I'm proud of it," said coach Scotty Walden, whose career head coaching record moved to 40-40. "I'm mostly proud of the response: The response we had from the way we played OU (a 51-0 loss), then response to having a bad first quarter (against Texas Southern).
"At times it felt like they ran 20 or 30 plays to our three to four (it was 28-4 at one point). ... Our inability to get off the field on third down was frustrating, but we settled in. I love the adjustments (defensive coordinator) Kyle Beyer made, the adjustments our defense made. For us to respond and come out in the second half and get a shutout, to score 30 points in the second half, that was a great sign.
"Ultimately I'm very proud of this team. There's a lot we have to get better at."
UTEP Miners had undeniable positives
Walden's final assessment: "It was the mental toughness and responding to adversity of this team. Our team has taken a massive step forward to that, with not panicking when things don't go our way. When they went up 10-7 there was zero panic, it was, 'let's settle in and go play.'"
Quarterback EJ Colson, who graded out a solid A on any scale after throwing for four touchdowns and running for one, showing his arm, his legs, his leadership and his football IQ, had a similar take.
"It was frustrating, we knew we should have been better," he said of the start to the game. "That first quarter and a half, we came out hot (the 83-yard strike to Kam Thomas to open the scoring) but we have to sustain that. ... We want to be better. We can't be frustrated, we can't lose our mind, there's three quarters to play.
"I loved the way we fought back, I loved the way we kept going and executed at the end of the day."
Said tailback Tavorus Jones after his 104-yard game: "It took us a little bit to get going, but when we get going it's going to roll."
Obviously, as Walden indicated, there can't be that 15-minute slide against Michigan, or more importantly, to any of the 10 teams left on the schedule.
But there were concerns
At times UTEP looked exposed. Their run defense was a mess on TSU's first three drives and while the Tigers are legitimately good there, particularly early in games before the superior depth of an FBS team can take root, UTEP looked out of sorts. Walden indicated Texas Southern had a scheme the Miners weren't entirely ready for, but then they adjusted, which is a positive sign.
"They did a good job of scheming us early," Walden said. "We've got to get more knockbacks, we have to get more push, we've got to set firmer edges."
There is a list of the unequivocal good.
Colson is the answer at quarterback with one major caveat: as long as he can stay healthy, which may not be easy if he approaches double figure rushes per game. His backup Raymond Moore III came in and promptly fumbled (UTEP's only turnover of the game), then dashed 79 yards for a mop-up score, in the process out-sprinting the TSU secondary.
Once again it has to be asked: Is there a bigger package for Moore as a change-of-pace, call-the-shot Wildcat who can also throw?
Can UTEP take what it did well to face the Michigan Wolverines?
The special teams massively improved from its debacle in Week 1. Kickoffs going through the end zone, made kicks and long, unreturnable punts had nothing to do with the level of the opposition.
A week after looking like they were out-adjusted by Oklahoma, that reversed against Texas Southern. UTEP came out of the halftime locker room and played a great third quarter, a stark contrast to a week ago.
That points to a general theme: UTEP fixed a lot of its issues from Week 1, which is supposed to be the point of Week 2.
Still, that 15 minutes where they were outscored 10-0, where the defense couldn't get off the field on two possessions and the offense couldn't take pressure off with some ball control, could mean something bigger against better competition. The offensive line had troubles at points, even in the second half, consistently protecting Colson.
Another negative is that with Michigan next, UTEP can go one more week without answering the question: What do these routs against teams at a different level really mean?
Those answers will come in a month. Meanwhile, the Miners found some confidence, which is good no matter how it's generated.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Analysis: UTEP blowout TSU win leaves Michigan-sized questions
