EL PASO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word football team flies out tomorrow for their game on Saturday evening at UTEP. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT at the Sun Bowl.
The Cardinals (2-1) are playing their first game against an FBS opponent this week. The team is coming off a win over Nicholls last week and they are 2-0 at home and they have lost their only previous road game of the year. The Miners (1-2) open their home schedule this week after starting the season with road games at Arkansas, Texas Tech and New Mexico State.
UIW is averaging 14.7 points and 300 yards per offense per game. Sophomore quarterback
Trent Brittain (Eastland/Eastland HS) has completed 51.2 percent of his passes for 445 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Tight end
Cole Wick (Hallettsville/Sacred Heart Catholic HS) and
Jordan Hicks (Arlington/Juan Seguin HS) are the two top receivers on the squad. Wick has 15 grabs for 188 yards and a touchdown and leads the Southland Conference in total receiving yards. Hicks has 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals have four players who have carried the ball between 24 and 30 times.
Junior Sessions (Mesquite/Mesquite HS) leads the team with 115 yards on 3.8 yards per carry while
Broderick Reeves (Mexia/Mexia HS) has 113 yards on 4.7 yards per carry.
The UIW defense is among the best in the Southland Conference and they lead the league in fewest yards allowed per game, 314.0. Senior outside linebacker
Myke Tavarres (Lake Oswego, OR/Lake Ridge HS) headlines a talented group. He leads the team with 25 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and two sacks. The team recorded a school-record four interceptions in the win last week.
The Miners are fresh off an exciting comeback overtime victory at New Mexico State. They trailed 44-30 with a little over four minutes to play and they won, 50-47. Red-shirt freshman quarterback Ryan Metz led the team on the comeback with three touchdown passes. Overall, the team is averaging 386 yards of offense per game. Running back Aaron Jones entered the season as one of the top players in the nation, but he suffered an injury against Texas Tech and is out this week. He rushed for 209 yards and had 106 yards receiving in the first two games of the year. Darrin Laufasa is the second leading rusher with 103 yards on 11 carries. Hayden Plinke leads the team with 108 yards receiving.
The UTEP defense is led by Alvin Jones who has 18 total tackles. He recorded all five of his tackles for loss in the game against New Mexico State. Kelvin Fisher, Jr. has the team's lone interception.
Special teams could play a large role in the game. UIW sophomore Ramon Coto (Houston/Westfield HS) was the Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week last week after drilling a 49-yard field goal and putting three punts inside the 20-yard line. He is averaging 37.6 yards per punt this year and shares placekicker duties with
Cody Seidel (Keller/Fossil Ridge HS). Hicks has been a dangerous punt returner averaging 20.8 yards per return with a touchdown.
The Miners' special teams unit is led by Autry Golden who has the most kick return touchdowns of any active player in the FBS, six. This year, he is averaging 22.3 yards per kick return and has nearly 3,000 kick return yards in his career. Jay Mattox is perfect on kicks going 4-for-4 on field goals and 9-for-9 on extra points this year. Alan Luna is the team's main punter averaging 43.1 yards per kick.
The game will be broadcast on KONO 860 AM with Gabe Farias and Shawn Morris on the call. It can also be heard online or on a mobile device through
www.tsrnsports.com.
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