All about the rush: Jones, run game buoy UTEP offense in first bowl try in 4 years


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ALBUQUERQUE — There’s little secret to the success of the resurgent UTEP football squad that is making its first bowl appearance since 2010.

Run hard, run fast, or just plain run.

The Miners (7-5, 5-3 C-USA) boast talented sophomore running back Aaron Jones, who ranked fourth in Conference USA and 22nd in the nation with 112.1 rushing yards per game. The second-year Miner from El Paso, Texas, has been a force at running back, powering a team that averages 212.7 rushing yards per game and hoping to break a five-game losing streak in bowl competitions.

But Jones is just happy to play Utah State in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl on Saturday in a 12:20 p.m. MST kickoff on ESPN.

“It’s an honor. We are glad we got the opportunity to come,” Jones said. “We’re about hard work, and without coach Kugler turning the program around, we wouldn’t be here.”

Jones knows the challenge he’ll be up against with the Aggies (9-4, 6-2 MWC) and a top-10 run defense — and he’s excited to face it. The Miners are 0-2 against the Aggies all-time, though the two teams haven't met in more than a half century.

“We know they are one of the best (run defenses) in the country, and we have something to prove,” he said. “They like to stop the run, and we like to run, so it’s going to be a challenge.”

In the teams' last meeting, fullback Ray Harward ran for 75 yards and a touchdown on nine carries as Utah State beat visiting Texas Western 21-6 in Logan.

UTEP's Aaron Jones (29) runs for a 24-yard touchdown against UTSA during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
UTEP's Aaron Jones (29) runs for a 24-yard touchdown against UTSA during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Yes, Texas Western — it was 1961, after all.

Knowing the area and bowl-week routine has been a big help for the Miners, head coach Sean Kugler said after practice Thursday. UTEP played BYU in the same bowl game in 2010, losing 52-24, and also opened the 2014 season with a 31-24 win over New Mexico at University Stadium.

“You know where the stadium is, where everything is, the walk path,” Kugler said of some of the advantages. “We’ve seen our crowd in that stadium. Any time there’s familiarity, it’s a good thing.”

The Miners won’t be afraid to try to use what’s worked for them all year. Beyond Jones, UTEP running back Nathan Jeffery finished the season with 513 rushing yards and five touchdowns, and the Miner offensive line has pushed the team to 4.8 yards per carry.

Jones had six of his nine 100-yard games in 2014, and he also has a team-high three touchdown receptions on the year to show his versatility. The sophomore currently ranks No. 10 all-time at UTEP with 2,108 rushing yards in his career.

“We’ve got to stop the run,” Utah State coach Matt Wells said. “We do what we do, and you’re not going to change a whole lot this late in the year. But we’re going to stop the run, be efficient on offense and convert on third downs.”

The Miners have also counted on the unique play of punter/place-kicker Jay Mattox, a Las Vegas native who earned a rare scholarship as a kicker at the Division I level.

Mattox came to El Paso to kick, and he’s 11-of-14 on field goals in 2014, including a career-long 47-yard make against UTSA. But in the same game against the Roadrunners, his coaches threw him a curveball: they also asked him serve as the team’s primary rugby-style punter.

“It was really just like in practice, doing what they told me: catch it and kick the ball,” Mattox said of his first few punt attempts in college. “Just get it off. We had a lot of blocks, so we were trying to change the scheme with the blocking.”

Mattox said he had some experience punting as a senior at Las Vegas High School, and the transition to the punt team has been fairly smooth.

“I just went out and tried to do my best,” Mattox said. “I’m just trying to contribute to the team in any way I can.”

Between the UTEP offense and the Utah State defense, the ground game will be on full display Saturday. And that’s just fine for UTEP senior linebacker Anthony Puente.

“That’s the way I played in high school, and I feel like I’ve never played anything else,” Puente said. “That’s how football should be played. It’s always whoever is the most strong-willed, and I love it.”

Puente and the Miners know facing a team like Utah State won’t be easy, though. He compared the Aggies to a recent meeting with UT San Antonio, a game the Miners won 34-0 on Oct. 25.

“They like to get the athletes on the perimeter, a lot of speed motions, and they have some decent tailbacks,” Puente said. “They’ve got a guy they go to (in JoJo Natson) and they like to get the ball to. He’s a playmaker. We’re going to have our hands full.”

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