EL PASO — Jarveon Williams rushed for 133 yards and added 45 more receiving, as UTSA opened Conference USA play with a 25-6 victory at UTEP on Saturday night at the Sun Bowl.
The Roadrunners (1-4, 1-0 C-USA) turned a slim 3-0 halftime lead into a 19-point win thanks to a strong running game and a season-high five takeways by the defense, two of which were returned for scores.
Williams, who set the single-game record for rushing attempts with 28, now has 303 yards (7.4 avg.) and three touchdowns on the ground over the last two games and 503 for the season.
A low-scoring first half that was delayed by 36 minutes in the second quarter due to lightning saw UTSA take a 3-0 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Daniel Portillo midway through the stanza.
After the second lightning delay of the night with 11 seconds left in the opening half turned into intermission upon mutual agreement from both head coaches, the Roadrunners exploded for 15 points and 175 yards of offense in the third quarter.
With the Miners pinned at the 2-yard line, Drew Douglas tackled Kavika Johnson in the end zone for the Roadrunners' second safety in program history and a 5-0 lead early in the third.
UTSA then marched 78 yards on just four plays on the ensuing possession. Williams had runs of 16 and 19 yards before punching it in from 25 to push the advantage to 12-0.
The Roadrunners added to their lead when Michael Egwuagu picked off a Ryan Metz pass and returned it 40 yards to paydirt to make it 18-0 with 10:06 left in the third. It marked the fifth pick-six in UTSA history and the first since Triston Wade took one back 82 yards against Tulsa on Nov. 2, 2013.
UTEP (2-3, 0-1 C-USA) got on the board early in the final quarter when Metz found Jaquan White in the corner of the end zone on a 25-yard connection. The Miners went for two and the pass attempt was knocked down, making it 18-6 with 12:34 left to play.
UTSA put the finishing touch on the program's third win in four all-time league openers (all on the road) when Nate Gaines picked off his second pass of the night at the 26-yard line and then lateraled to Egwuagu, who went the remaining 15 yards and dove into the end zone with 1:47 on the clock.
Gaines and Douglas led the defense with nine tackles apiece, while Egwuagu added eight. UTSA held the Miners to 275 yards of offense (59 rush/216 pass) and registered a season-best nine three-and-outs to go along with the five turnovers and safety.
The Roadrunners will return home next Saturday, Oct. 10, for a 6 p.m. contest against Louisiana Tech (3-2, 1-1 C-USA).