# 2023 UTEP Miners football team

The 2023 UTEP Miners football team represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Miners played their home games at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, and competed as members of Conference USA. They were led by sixth-year head coach Dana Dimel. The Miners averaged 24,067 fans per game.

## Schedule

UTEP and Conference USA announced the 2023 football schedule on January 10, 2023.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 26 | 3:30 p.m. | at Jacksonville State | Burgess–Snow Field at JSU StadiumJacksonville, AL | CBSSN | L 14–17 | 17,982 |
| September 2 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 7 (FCS) Incarnate Word* | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | ESPN+ | W 28–14 | 30,738 |
| September 9 | 1:30 p.m. | at Northwestern* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | L 7–38 | 14,851 |
| September 16 | 9:00 p.m. | at Arizona* | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | P12N | L 10–31 | 44,182 |
| September 23 | 7:00 p.m. | UNLV* | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | ESPN+ | L 28–45 | 28,042 |
| September 29 | 7:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | CBSSN | L 10–24 | 9,101 |
| October 11 | 5:30 p.m. | at FIU | Riccardo Silva StadiumWestchester, FL | ESPN2 | W 27–14 | 14,872 |
| October 18 | 7:00 p.m. | New Mexico State | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX (Battle of I-10) | ESPN2 | L 7–28 | 19,727 |
| October 25 | 6:00 p.m. | at Sam Houston | Bowers StadiumHuntsville, TX | ESPN2 | W 37–34 | 6,889 |
| November 4 | 7:00 p.m. | Western Kentucky | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | ESPN+ | L 13–21 | 11,111 |
| November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | at Middle Tennessee | Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TN | ESPN+ | L 30–34 | 9,122 |
| November 25 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 25 Liberty | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX | CBSSN | L 28–42 | 10,240 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) – Released prior to gameAll times are in Mountain time |||||||

## Transfers
### Incoming

| Name | Pos. | Previous school |
| Dre Spriggs | WR | UTSA |
| AJ Odums | CB | New Mexico |

### Outgoing

| Name | Pos. | New school |
| Tyrin Smith | WR | Texas A&M |
| Verenzo Holmes | CB | Northwest Mississippi Community College |
| Justin Prince | S | Unknown |
| Luke Soto | TE | Marshall |
| Jeremiah Byers | OT | Florida State |
| Darryl Minor | LB | Indiana |

## Game summaries
### vs Jacksonville State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Gamecocks | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Statistics | UTEP | Jacksonville State |
| First downs | 22 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 72–364 | 62–277 |
| Rushes–yards | 156 | 210 |
| Passing yards | 208 | 67 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 17–29–2 | 10–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:38 | 25:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Gavin Hardison | 17/29, 208 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Torrance Burgess Jr. | 12 carries, 58 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Kelly Akharaiyi | 4 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD |
| Jacksonville State | Passing | Zion Webb | 10/20, 67 yards |
| Jacksonville State | Rushing | Malik Jackson | 13 carries, 76 yards, 1 TD |
| Jacksonville State | Receiving | Ron Wiggins | 2 receptions, 24 yards |

### No. 7 (FCS) Incarnate Word

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 7 Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Miners | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Sun Bowl (stadium), El Paso, TX
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 8:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 92 • Wind: SW 3 mph • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 30,738
* Referee: Ed Ardito
* TV: ESPN+
* Box Score Pregame line: UTEP −7.0
| Statistics | UIW | UTEP |
| First downs | 19 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 58–308 | 63–423 |
| Rushes–yards | 27–63 | 50–329 |
| Passing yards | 245 | 94 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–31–1 | 10–13–0 |
| Time of possession | 24:28 | 35:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Incarnate Word | Passing | Zach Calzada | 18/31, 245 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Incarnate Word | Rushing | Tre Siggers | 12 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD |
| Incarnate Word | Receiving | Brandon Porter | 6 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD |
| UTEP | Passing | Gavin Hardison | 10/13, 94 yards, 2 TD |
| UTEP | Rushing | Deion Hankins | 24 carries, 174 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Tyrin Smith | 4 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD |

### at Northwestern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Wildcats | 7 | 0 | 21 | 10 | 38 |
| Statistics | UTEP | NU |
| First downs | 18 | 17 |
| Total yards | 319 | 391 |
| Rushing yards | 104 | 184 |
| Passing yards | 215 | 207 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:21 | 28:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Gavin Hardison | 17/25, 192 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Torrance Burgess Jr. | 7 rushes, 34 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Jeremiah Ballard | 4 receptions, 92 yards |
| Northwestern | Passing | Ben Bryant | 11/17, 116 yards, TD |
| Northwestern | Rushing | Cam Porter | 17 rushes, 90 yards |
| Northwestern | Receiving | Joseph Himon II | 1 reception, 85 yards, TD |

### at Arizona

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
at Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ
* Date: September 16, 2023
* Game time: 8:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 44,182
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Bob Davie (analyst)
| Statistics | UTEP | ARIZ |
| First downs | 13 | 26 |
| Total yards | 332 | 544 |
| Rushing yards | 26–49 | 32–244 |
| Passing yards | 283 | 300 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–35–0 | 25–32–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:43 | 30:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Gavin Hardison | 15/31, 228 yards |
| UTEP | Rushing | Deion Hankins | 9 carries, 34 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Torrance Burgess Jr. | 3 receptions, 78 yards |
| Arizona | Passing | Jayden de Laura | 23/29, 285 yards, 3 TD |
| Arizona | Rushing | Michael Wiley | 17 carries, 87 yards, TD |
| Arizona | Receiving | Tetairoa McMillan | 6 receptions, 89 yards, TD |

### UNLV

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 14 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 45 |
| Miners | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Sun Bowl • El Paso, TX
* Date: September 23, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Sunny, 92 °F (33 °C)
* Game attendance: 28,042
* Referee: Ron Hudson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Duke Keith, Jacob Boggs
| Statistics | UNLV | UTEP |
| First downs | 23 | 21 |
| Total yards | 497 | 316 |
| Rushing yards | 48–307 | 34–91 |
| Passing yards | 190 | 225 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–27–1 | 14–31–3 |
| Time of possession | 29:51 | 30:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UNLV | Passing | Jayden Maiava | 15/27, 190 yards, INT |
| UNLV | Rushing | Jai'Den Thomas | 13 carries, 100 yards, 4 TD |
| UNLV | Receiving | Ricky White | 2 receptions, 62 yards |
| UTEP | Passing | Gavin Hardison | 14/31, 225 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Torrance Burgess Jr. | 19 carries, 99 yards, TD |
| UTEP | Receiving | Kelly Akharaiyi | 4 receptions, 92 yards |

### Louisiana Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Miners | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Statistics | LT | UTEP |
| First downs | 14 | 17 |
| Total yards | 294 | 321 |
| Rushing yards | 142 | 220 |
| Passing yards | 152 | 101 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 27:08 | 32:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Jack Turner | 9/20, 152 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Tyre Shelton | 16 rushes, 104 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Cyrus Allen | 1 reception, 85 yards |
| UTEP | Passing | Cade McConnell | 4/11, 48 yards |
| UTEP | Rushing | Deion Hankins | 15 rushes, 83 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Jeremiah Ballard | 3 receptions, 39 yards |

### at FIU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Riccardo Silva Stadium • Westchester, Florida
* Date: October 11th
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST
* Game attendance: 14,872
* TV announcers (ESPN2): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UTEP | Passing |
| UTEP | Rushing |
| UTEP | Receiving |
| Florida International | Passing |
| Florida International | Rushing |
| Florida International | Receiving |

### New Mexico State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Miners | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
* Date: October 18
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 19,727
* Referee: Rory Bernard
* TV announcers (ESPN2): John Schriffen, Cole Cubelic, and Taylor Davis
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NMSU | UTEP |
| First downs | 23 | 16 |
| Total yards | 439 | 304 |
| Rushing yards | 253 | 125 |
| Passing yards | 186 | 179 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:17 | 29:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Diego Pavia | 15/25, 186 yards, 2 TD |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Monte Watkins | 10 rushes, 109 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | Eli Stowers | 5 receptions, 80 yards |
| UTEP | Passing | Cade McConnell | 15/32, 179 yards |
| UTEP | Rushing | Deion Hankins | 16 rushes, 120 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Jeremiah Ballard | 5 receptions, 75 yards |

### at Sam Houston

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 0 | 13 | 7 | 17 | 37 |
| Bearkats | 7 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
* Date: October 25
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* TV: ESPN2
* First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter
** SHSU – John Gentry 28-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 6:24. Bearkats 7–0.
** UTEP – Delon Hankins 2-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick), 12:26. Tied 7–7.
** SHSU – John Gentry 18-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 9:52. Bearkats 14-7
** UTEP – Buzz Flabiano 23-yard field goal, 2:45. Bearkats 14-10
** SHSU – Malik Phillips 6-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 0:44. Bearkats 21-10
** UTEP – Buzz Flabiano 43-yard field goal, 0:00. Bearkats 21-13
** SHSU – Colby Sessums 22-yard field goal, 10:45. Bearkats 24-13
** SHSU – Colby Sessums 31-yard field goal, 6:14. Bearkats 27-13
** UTEP – Mike Franklin 3-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick), 1:07. Bearkats 27–20.
** UTEP – Kelly Akharaiyi 25-yard pass from Cade McConnell (Buzz Flabiano kick), 11:25. Tied 27–27.
** UTEP – Kevin Hurley 1-yard run (Buzz Flabiano kick), 9:57. Miners 34–27.
** SHSU – Noah Smith 4-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 6:02. Tied 34-34
** UTEP – Buzz Flabiano 32-yard field goal, 0:03. Miners 37-34
| Statistics | UTEP | SHSU |
| First downs | 17 | 22 |
| Total yards | 428 | 354 |
| Rushing yards | 222 | 129 |
| Passing yards | 206 | 225 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:58 | 28:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Cade McConnell | 12/22, 206 yards, TD, INT |
| UTEP | Rushing | Deion Hankins | 15 carries, 117 yards, TD |
| UTEP | Receiving | Kelly Akharaiyi | 6 receptions, 126 yards, TD |
| Sam Houston State | Passing | Keegan Shoemaker | 22/39, 202 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Sam Houston State | Rushing | John Gentry | 16 carries, 71 yards, TD |
| Sam Houston State | Receiving | Noah Smith | 7 receptions, 67 yards |

### No. 25 Liberty
## NFL Draft

The NFL draft was held at Campus Martius Park in Detroit, Michigan, on April 25–27, 2024. Additionally Gavin Hardison, Andrew Meyer and Zuri Henry were signed as undrafted free agents.
Miners who were picked in the 2024 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Team |
| 4 | 118 | Tyrice Knight | LB | Seattle Seahawks |
| 6 | 220 | Elijah Klein | OG | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |