EJ Colson completed six passes for 52 yards without throwing an interception at Oklahoma. UTEP still lost 51-0 because nearly every chance to turn modest movement into points disappeared. The Miners went 2-for-13 on third down, scored on neither red-zone trip and missed field goals from 33, 50 and 41 yards. Tavorus Jones and Raymond Moore III lost fumbles, so Colson’s clean interception line did not make this a turnover-free offense.
Oklahoma scored on its first eight offensive possessions and added a punt-return touchdown. UTEP’s own chances ended with three missed kicks, those two fumbles and a failed fourth down before the last possession expired. That sequence made the 51-point margin more than a story about facing a powerful opponent. One team finished possessions, and the other repeatedly did not.
The home opener is the opening-month hinge
Texas Southern visits the Sun Bowl at 7 p.m. Mountain on Saturday, Sept. 12, on MW+. The simulation gives UTEP a 92% chance to win, which makes this the rare early game in which fans can reasonably look beyond mere survival and demand visible offensive progress.
The schedule explains why. UTEP’s nonconference stretch sends it to Oklahoma and Michigan while bringing Texas Southern and Oregon State to El Paso, followed by the Mountain West opener at New Mexico. This Heritage Night home opener falls directly between the Oklahoma and Michigan road trips; UTEP will wear new Texas Western uniforms, with commemorative black shirts planned for the first 10,000 fans.
A victory is the baseline. The satisfying version has Colson turning his interception-free debut into touchdown drives, every ball carrier protecting the ball and scoring-range possessions ending in points. Six completions and 52 yards may represent one repaired piece of last season’s turnover trouble, but they do not yet show that UTEP’s reorganized offense can consistently move and finish.
That reorganization matters here. UTEP paired new co-offensive coordinator Lanear Sampson with promoted co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Pappalardo. Texas Southern is the favorable setting for their offense to show answers before Michigan makes every snap harder.
Make disruption end the possession
Derek Burns produced two of UTEP’s five tackles for loss at Oklahoma, supplied its only sack and forced the fumble that Adarius Hutchinson recovered. Those plays kept the defense’s disruptive identity visible, but they could not interrupt Oklahoma’s run of eight scoring possessions.
Texas Southern offers a useful way to separate pressure from actual control. The Tigers rushed for 216 yards at Prairie View A&M but passed for only 102, surrendered seven sacks and lost two fumbles. UTEP should be able to force obvious passing situations; the part worth watching is whether the Miners then get off the field instead of merely adding a lively negative play to another scoring drive.
Scotty Walden’s postgame assessment credited Oklahoma’s quality, noted that UTEP moved the ball at times and emphasized how much needed cleaning up. That is a fair boundary after one severe road test, not an excuse that survives another week. Texas Southern is where the cleaning should become observable in converted third downs, touchdowns in scoring range, secure possessions and defensive disruption that produces punts.
The interactive guide and methodology provide context for what UTEP must show inside the Sun Bowl. UTEP should leave Heritage Night with evidence that Colson and the reset can produce points, because Michigan is next and another forgiving repair window is not.