EL PASO, Texas — UTEP made it a one-score game in the final minutes Saturday night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, but Hawaii held on for a 17-14 win that left the Miners at one win and eight losses, still searching for a first conference victory at 0-5.
Hawaii scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Micah Alejado to Titan Lacaden late in the opening quarter and stretched the lead to 10-0 on a short field goal by Sean Olvera-Harle after an 18-play march stalled at the UTEP 2. Safety Xavier Smith broke up a third-down jump pass in the end zone on that drive, then intercepted Alejado in the end zone with seven seconds left in the half.
UTEP answered right after the field goal. Carver Cheeks opened the drive with a 22-yard run, Lamar Sperling followed with a 23-yarder and Sperling finished it with a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 10-7 at the break.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. Hawaii pulled away to 17-7 midway through the fourth when Sitani Mikaele punched in a 6-yard run to finish a 12-play, 98-yard drive. The Miners briefly thought they had answered on the next kickoff, when the ball came loose from returner Nik Henry and a teammate scooped it up and raced the distance, but a replay review ruled Henry down at the UTEP 21. UTEP instead came back with a 79-yard possession that ended on Raymond Moore III’s 15-yard scoring throw to tight end Judah Ezinwa, but they could not get the ball back in scoring position.
Moore passed for 109 yards and Sperling ran for 63 on 11 carries. Alejado threw for 303 yards for Hawaii, and Lacaden set career bests with 11 catches for 109 yards. Hawaii, now 3-6, has won four of the last five meetings with UTEP.
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