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The UTEP Miners will take on the Boise State Broncos at 9 p.m. ET on Friday at home. Boise State should still be riding high after a big victory, while the Miners will be looking to regain their footing.
The game between UTEP and the New Mexico Lobos this past Saturday was not a total blowout, but with UTEP falling 27-10 on the road, it was darn close to turning into one. QB Gavin Hardison had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw three interceptions with a passing completion percentage of only 44.44%.
Meanwhile, Boise State took their matchup against the UT Martin Skyhawks this past Saturday by a conclusive 30-7 score. Boise State can attribute much of their success to RB George Holani, who rushed for one TD and 110 yards on 24 carries in addition to snatching one receiving TD.
Special teams collected 12 points for the Broncos. K Jonah Dalmas delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
The Miners have to know they'll be fighting an uphill battle given the 15.5-point spread they are up against. Neither team has fared well against the spread -- they are 0-3, while Boise State are 0-2.
UTEP is now 1-3 while Boise State sits at 2-1. Two defensive stats to keep an eye on: UTEP enters the contest with only 172.8 passing yards allowed per game on average, good for 23rd best in the nation. As for Boise State, they rank 13th in the nation when it comes to yards allowed per game, with only 248.3 on average.
