By Bert Lunay

NOTES: UTEP | WKU | CUSA

EL PASO – UTEP will make its first return to WKU in six seasons when the Miners and Hilltoppers face each other on Thursday night in Bowling Green. The Conference USA midweek madness matchup is set to kick off at 6 p.m. MDT/7 CT in Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium. UTEP and WKU will be nationally televised on ESPNU and can be heard on “The Home of UTEP Football” 600 AM ESPN.

The Miners (0-5, 0-2 CUSA), who rank first in CUSA in pass defense (196.0 ypg), will face one of the league’s top air attacks as the Hilltoppers (3-2, 1-0) rank first in CUSA and 26^th in FBS, averaging 281.8 passing yards per game.

UTEP is coming off another setback, falling to Sam Houston 41-21 on Oct. 3 in the Sun Bowl. A bright spot for UTEP was running back Ezell Jolly. The redshirt freshman posted career bests in the rushing yards (76), rushing attempts (17), all-purpose yards (81) and scored his first career touchdown. Kenny Odom, one of the conference’s top wide receivers, led the team with 70 yards on four receptions. Odom ranks fourth in CUSA in receiving yards per game (71.8) and third in yards per catch (19.9). Defensively, safety Lantz Russell recorded a career-high 12 tackles and Xavier Smith chipped in with 10 stops. Spur Kory Chapman scored his first career touchdown in a UTEP uniform after he recovered a fumble in the end zone Defensive end Bryton Thompson recorded his second sack of the season, and defensive tackle KD Johnson registered a half sack, and leads the team with 2.5 on the season.

WKU lost at Boston College 21-20 on Sept. 28. The Hilltoppers, who had 355 yards of total offense, took a 20-7 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Eagles scored 14 unanswered points to win by a point. WKU quarterback Caden Veltkamp threw for 232 yards on 25-of-39 passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Elijah Young led WKU with 85 yards rushing, while wide receivers Kisean Johnson and Easton Messer hauled in Veltkamp’s TD tosses. Linebacker Darius Thomas led the way with eight tackles. Veltkamp is ranked second in CUSA with eight touchdown passes and leads the league in passing percentage (70.4). Johnson is ranked third in CUSA in receiving yards per game (78.4) and second in receiving yards (392).

“[Veltkamp] is 6-6 and can sling that ball downtown. We’re going to have to stay on top of the cut. [WKU] has some fast receivers,” UTEP Head Coach Scotty Walden said. “Upton Stout – I believe they’re playing him like a safety-nickel spot on defense. I recruited him when I was at Southern Miss and I thought he was an absolute stud. He bounced around a little bit but he landed a home at WKU and he’s their best defensive player. He is scrappy and you’ll see him all over the field on defense. But WKU is a great program and does a great job coaching and we’ll have to come ready.”

UTEP (0-5, 0-2) at WKU (3-2, 1-0)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 10
Time: 6 p.m. MT
Location: Bowling Green, Ky.
Venue: Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium (22,113)
X Updated: @UTEPFB

TV: ESPNU
PxP: Mike Corey
Analyst: Rene Ingoglia

Radio: 600 AM ESPN 
PxP: Jon Teicher
Analyst: Cole Freytag
Sideline: Mando Medina

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The Miners and Hilltoppers will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analysis). The action returns to “The Home of UTEP Football” 600 AM ESPN with “The Voice of the UTEP Miners” Jon Teicher calling play-by-play in his 44^th season. ‘Teich’, who called his 500^th game on Oct. 11, 2023, is joined by former UTEP WR Cole Freytag (2012, 2014-16) in the booth providing analysis in his third season. El Paso native and long-running member of the local media Mando Medina will be reporting from the sidelines. The contest can also be heard on the UTEP Miners app.

SERIES VS. WKU
WKU leads the series 4-0, including a 2-0 mark in Bowling Green. The Miners and Hilltoppers last met on Nov. 4, 2023, in Sun Bowl Stadium. UTEP’s defense shut out WKU in the first half to take a 3-0 lead into the locker room. K Buzz Flabiano made a 22-yard field in the second quarter. WKU scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to make the score 14-3, but a QB Cade McConnell 62-yard touchdown pass to WR Kelly Akharaiyi early in the fourth got the Miners within four points (14-10). WKU took a 21-10 lead on a rushing touchdown at the 9:34 mark. Flabiano connected on a 31-yard field goal to get within eight points with 57 seconds remaining, but the ensuing onside kick failed. UTEP last played at WKU in 2018 with the Hilltoppers coming out on top 40-16.

ABOUT WKU
The Hilltoppers are coming off a 21-20 loss at Boston College on Sept. 28. Following a pair of K Lucas Carneiro field goals (22 yards, 35 yards), WKU took a 20-7 lead at the 8:44 mark of the third quarter. However, BC scored two touchdowns in the fourth, with the game-winner coming with 3:33 left. The Hilltoppers opened the season with a 63-0 loss at no. 5 Alabama, but rebounded with victories over EKU, 31-0 (Sept. 7), CUSA foe Middle Tennessee, 49-21 (Sept. 14), and Toledo, 26-21 (Sept. 21). WKU ranks fifth in CUSA in scoring offense (25.2) and fourth in scoring defense (25.2). The Hilltoppers offense ranks fourth in total offense (381.0) and fifth in total defense (396.8). Veltkamp ranks third in passing yards per game (220.8) and second in touchdown passes (eight).

CATCH 22
RB Ezell Jolly ran for a career-best 76 yards on a career-most 17 carries (4.5 avg.) and scored his first career touchdown against Sam Houston on Oct. 3. The redshirt freshman found paydirt on a four-yard dash into the end zone during the fourth quarter against the Bearkats. Jolly tallied a career-high 81 all-purpose as he added a five-yard reception. Jolly’s previous best was 30 rushing yards at Middle Tennessee last season.

LONG TD FOR A TE
TE Marcus Vinson hauled in a career-long 52-yard touchdown reception against Sam Houston. His 52 yards receiving was also a career high. Vinson caught it at the Sam Houston 25 and galloped to paydirt. It was Vinson’s second career touchdown. He caught a three-yard score against no. 22 Liberty last season.

LONGEST TD BY A UTEP TE SINCE ’21
Marcus Vinson’s 52-yard touchdown reception was the longest-scoring reception by a UTEP tight end since TE Trent Thompson’s 51-yard touchdown catch at the 2021 New Mexico Bowl against Fresno State.

GOING OVER 100 ALL-PURPOSE YARDS
WR Kenny Odom tallied a team-high 118 all-purpose yards against Sam Houston. Odom recorded 70 yards on four receptions, including a long of 49 yards, and registered a career-high 48 kickoff return yards.

ODOM’S CUSA RANKINGS
Kenny Odom leads UTEP and ranks third in Conference USA with 359 receiving yards. Odom is averaging 19.9 yards (fourth in CUSA) on 18 receptions. Odom is tied for third in CUSA with three touchdown receptions.

SINGLE-SEASON BEST FOR ODOM
Kenny Odom posted 70 yards versus the Bearkats, giving the transfer a career-high 359 receiving yards this season. The redshirt sophomore surpassed his previous total of 301 yards in only five games. Last season at Austin Peay, Odom registered 301 yards receiving in 12 games. His three receiving scores in 2024 match his total from last season.

CUSA LEADER IN RECEPTIONS
MB Kam Thomas has a Conference USA-high 31 receptions after posting five more against Sam Houston. Thomas opened his UTEP career with seven receptions at Nebraska. He posted five against Southern Utah, a career-high eight at Liberty and six at Colorado State.

CUSA LEADER IN ALL-PURPOSE YARDS
Kam Thomas leads CUSA in all-purpose yards (519) and all-purpose yards per game (103.8). Thomas opened the season with a season-best 132 all-purpose yards at Nebraska. He followed with 119 against SUU and 129 all-purpose yards at Liberty.

FIRST CAREER STARTS
TE Judah Ezinwa, LG Joseph Immediato and S Lantz Russell made their first career starts on Oct. 3 against Sam Houston.

PASS DEFENSE FIRST IN CUSA
UTEP’s pass defense (196.6 ypg) is ranked no. 1 in CUSA.

TACKLING MACHINES
LB Dorian Hopkins ranks second in total tackles (52) and tackles per game (10.4). Spur Kory Chapman and S Xavier Smith are tied for third in total tackles (44) and tied for fourth in tackles per game (8.8).

TD FOR CHAPMAN
Spur Kory Chapman scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone against Sam Houston on Oct. 3. Chapman jumped on the ball following a Bearkats’ fumble during the second quarter to get the Miners on the board. For Chapman, it was his second collegiate touchdown after posting a pick-six at Austin Peay last season.

FIRST DEFENSIVE SCORE SINCE 2022
Kory Chapman’s defensive touchdown was the first by a Miner since Oct. 1, 2022, when DE Jadrian Taylor returned a fumble 100 yards for a score at Charlotte.

FIRST DEFENSIVE TD IN THE SUN BOWL SINCE 2019
Kory Chapman’s fumble recovery in the end zone for a score was the first by a UTEP defensive player in the Sun Bowl since Nov. 30, 2019, against Rice when DE Praise Amaewhule recovered a ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

CHAPMAN THE HITMAN
Kory Chapman has produced solid numbers in his first and only season at UTEP. The senior ranks tied for second on the team with 44 tackles (18 solo). Chapman has added a time-high 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

D-HOP SWARMING
LB Dorian Hopkins leads the Miners with 52 total tackles (20 solo). The graduate student has added 4.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Hopkins opened the season with 16 tackles at Nebraska, while he tallied 11 at Colorado State. Hopkins recorded seven stops against Sam Houston.

LANTZ RESPONDS BIG IN FIRST CAREER START
S Lantz Russell tallied a career-high and team-best 12 tackles in his first career start on Oct. 3 against Sam Houston.

LANTZ COMING ON STRONG
Lantz Russell has come up with solid numbers in the last two games. Russell has tallied 14 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. The redshirt junior has totaled 18 (15 solo) tackles in five games this season.

SACK MAN
DE Bryton Thompson has recorded a pair of sacks in back-to-back games. The redshirt senior has recorded 2.0 sacks in 2024. Thompson has recorded 6.5 sacks in his career. Thompson posted 3.5 sacks in 2022 and 1.0 sack last season.

BRYTON SHINING
DE Bryton Thompson has tallied 25 tackles with 2.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss. Thompson registered five tackles and a sack against Sam Houston. Thompson had a monster day at Colorado State on Sept. 21, racking up a career-high 12 tackles.

DYMAN IN THE ROUGH
LB Nate Dyman has been stellar in his first full season as a Miner. The redshirt junior has started the last four games and ranks fourth on the team with 32 tackles. Dyman has also tallied 3.5 tackles for loss, a breakup, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery. Dyman recently posted a career-high 10 tackles at Colorado State on Sept. 21.

X MARKS THE STOP
S Xavier Smith matched his season best with 10 tackles against Sam Houston. The redshirt sophomore hit double digits for a second time this season, also recording 10 tackles at Liberty on Sept. 14. Smith ranks tied for second on the team with 44 tackles (17 solo). He’s added a 0.5 tackle for loss, a breakup and a fumble recovery in five starts.

DUHON COMING ON
Freshman DL Kyran Duhon matched his season best with six tackles against Sam Houston. Duhon also had six at Colorado State the game prior. Overall, Duhon has tallied 16 tackles (seven solo) in five games.

KICKIN’ IT
P Adam Jacklin tallied a career-most 346 yards on eight punts against Sam Houston on Oct. 3. The product of Australia averaged a career-best 43.2 yards per boot. Jacklin placed a trio of kicks inside the 20-yard line, including a career-long 66-yard punt that was downed at the one-yard line. The Bearkats fumbled inside the end zone on their ensuing possession, leading to a UTEP defensive touchdown.

UP NEXT
UTEP will continue the midweek madness back in the 915 when it hosts FIU on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The Miners and Panthers are set for a 7 p.m. MDT kickoff in Sun Bowl Stadium and will be nationally televised on CBSSN. Fans can also tune into “The Home of UTEP Football” 600 AM ESPN.

Help Support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club. Visit https://givingto.utep.edu/mac today!

For complete coverage of UTEP Football, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPFB (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook) or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com. 

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Football will kick off its Weekday CUSA slate with a Red Out game against UTEP on Thursday. Kickoff at Houchens-Smith Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

GAME INFO

• UTEP (0-5 overall, 0-2 CUSA) at WKU (3-2 overall, 1-0 CUSA)
• Thursday, Oct. 10 | 7 p.m. CT | Houchens-Smith Stadium | Bowling Green, Ky.
• Watch: ESPNU (PxP: Mike Corey | Analyst: Rene Ingoglia)
• Listen: SAM 100.7 FM/Varsity Network (PXP: Randy Lee | Analyst: Terry Obee | Reporter: Jared Holland)
• Social: @WKUFootball | @WKUSports
• Live Stats: wkusports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
• Game Notes: WKU | UTEP

AT THE GAME

• Purchase tickets to Thursday’s game against UTEP HERE.
• Ticket booths at Houchens-Smith Stadium will open starting at 4 p.m. CT. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
• For the full WKU Football Gameday Guide, click HERE.
• Fans are encouraged to wear red for the Red Out game. The Hilltoppers will be wearing special edition Big Red uniforms, and the first 5,000 fans at Houchens-Smith Stadium will receive a free red towel featuring the Big Red eyes decal that the Hilltoppers will wear on their helmets.
• Topper Walk, a tradition where the football team arrives at PS1 and walks down Avenue of Champions to Feix Field led by the band and spirit groups, will begin at 4:40 p.m. CT.
• The Topper Tailgate Show – a live pregame radio show that fans can watch and listen to from the tailgate area – will begin two hours prior to kickoff at 5 p.m. CT on South Lawn.
• The full 2024 WKU Football promotional schedule can be found HERE.

ABOUT THE TOPS

• The Hilltoppers will wear special Big Red-inspired uniforms on Thursday. The uniforms, designed to look like WKU’s Hall of Fame mascot, will feature red pants, red jerseys and red helmets with decals resembling Big Red’s eyes. The facemask for the helmets is black to represent Big Red’s mouth. The game will mark the return of WKU’s red helmets, which were last worn in the mid-2000s. WKU has worn a variation of Big Red helmets three times prior to Thursday’s game. The program debuted Big Red helmets in 2022 for a 45-10 victory over Rice. That game featured only the Big Red quarterback decal. Last season, WKU wore helmets featuring seven different Big Red logos based on position groups against Liberty. Both sets of decals were worn on black helmets. For the game against Toledo earlier this year, the Hilltoppers again wore the Big Red quarterback helmet, but wore it on white helmets. Thursday’s game will be a Red Out, and fans are encouraged to wear red to Houchens-Smith Stadium for the game. There will be 5,000 red towels given away to fans in attendance.
• WKU is coming off a 21-20 loss in a close contest against Boston College at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, on Saturday, Sept. 28. The Hilltoppers led the Eagles for much of the game, before falling to the power conference team on the road.
• The Hilltoppers will start Weekday CUSA action behind only Liberty and Sam Houston in the league standings. The Flames and Bearkats both own a 2-0 record against conference opponents so far this season. Liberty is 4-0 overall and Sam Houston is 5-1. WKU, FIU and Jax State are all 1-0 in CUSA play, while the Hilltoppers are the only one of the three with a winning record overall – the other two are 2-3. Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Kennesaw State and UTEP are all searching for their first win in CUSA play.
• WKU’s defense has played a major role in the team’s success since the loss in the season opener at Alabama. Over the last four games, WKU has allowed only 15.8 points per game with eight turnovers gained. WKU’s opponents have only scored 54% of the time they’ve reached the end zone during that stretch. For the season, WKU’s red zone defense ranks first in CUSA and fifth nationally.
• WKU wide receiver Kisean Johnson has recorded at least one touchdown reception in each of WKU’s last three games.
• Punter Cole Maynard has been a big player on special teams this fall. He ranks first in CUSA and fifth nationally in average yards per punt with 47.5 per attempt on 18 attempts. He’s had eight punts travel 50-plus yards, with a long of 60 yards, and has landed three inside the 20-yard line. He was named CUSA Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 23. WKU’s single-season record for average yards per punt is 45.9 yards, held by John Haggerty in the 2019 season.

QUOTABLE

• “Excited about the Thursday matchup against UTEP. Get to come back home. Looking forward to a great crowd. About to get in the thick of the midweek conference games, so we need to be at our best. I see a UTEP team that’s getting better every single week. They compete extremely hard. I know they’re well coached. I know their head coach and he does a great job of getting those guys ready to play. We need to play our best game. We need to play our best game. We need to have a championship mentality about us and make sure we do everything right if we want to win this football game. Our guys will be excited to get back on the field after having a bye week and to get back into conference play.” – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on Thursday’s game against UTEP.

SERIES INFORMATION

• WKU is a perfect 4-0 against UTEP. The Hilltoppers have two wins over the Miners in Bowling Green – a 40-16 victory in 2018 and a 35-27 win in 2014. The two teams played last season, marking the first meeting since that 2018 game in Bowling Green, and WKU claimed a 21-13 win against the Miners at the Sun Bowl. The Hilltoppers were shut out in the first half of the most recent meeting, but scored three touchdowns in the second half and were led offensively by Elijah Young, who finished with 139 yards and two touchdowns on 12 rushing attempts in the game.

SCOUTING THE MINERS

• UTEP enters Thursday’s game with an 0-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in CUSA play. The Miners’ two league losses came at Liberty, 28-10, and against Sam Houston, 41-21.
• The Miners are led by first-year head coach Scotty Walden, who was named the program’s 27th head coach on Dec. 4, 2023. He was previously the head coach at Austin Peay, where he led the Governors to a 26-14 record with two conference championships in four seasons.
• UTEP is averaging 15.8 points per game, the ninth-best mark in CUSA, and has allowed an average of 32.6 points per game, the sixth-best number in the league.

For all the latest on WKU Football, follow @WKUFootball on Twitter and Instagram, and like the WKU Football Facebook page.

COURTESY UTEP AND WESTERN KENTUCKY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS