Roadrunners remain perfect in El Paso with 26-16 victory over UTEPRoadrunners remain perfect in El Paso with 26-16 victory over UTEP
Football

Roadrunners remain perfect in El Paso with 26-16 victory over UTEP

EL PASO — Sincere McCormick broke UTSA's single-game rushing record and Lowell Narcisse also topped the century mark on the ground to help lead the Roadrunners to a 26-16 victory over UTSA in Conference USA action on Saturday night at the Sun Bowl.
 
McCormick rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries to eclipse the previous program standard of 186 set by Jarveon Williams in 2015 against Charlotte. The true freshman tailback from Converse Judson High School averaged 8.6 yards per carry and his 51-yard TD dash late in the fourth quarter helped seal the win for the Roadrunners (2-3, 1-1 C-USA), their third straight over the Miners (1-4, 0-2) and their fourth triumph in as many tries in El Paso.

Making his first career start, Narcisse, a sophomore quarterback out of St. James, La., rushed for 115 yards and a TD on 19 carries.
 
McCormick and Narcisse set the tone for the night, as UTSA gashed UTEP for 320 yards on the ground, just shy of the team single-game rushing mark of 357 posted in 2017 against Texas State.
 
Meanwhile, the defense held the Miners to 280 yards of offense, including just 99 rushing. Carl Austin III paced the unit with nine tackles, while Andrew Martel and Trevor Harmanson added seven stops apiece. Harmanson, a sophomore linebacker making his first start, had a team-high three of the Roadrunners nine tackles for loss and Jarrod Carter-McLin was responsible for two of UTSA's four sacks.

The Roadrunners struck first, marching 63 yards on seven plays on their opening possession. McCormick broke loose for 23 yards on the first play and Narcisse had back-to-back 9-yard runs, the second resulting in a touchdown. Hunter Duplessis' extra point made it 7-0 with less than five minutes off the clock.
 
UTSA upped its advantage to 10-0 early in the second stanza after Duplessis split the uprights from 23 yards to cap a 16-play, 59-yard drive that took 7:55 off the clock.
 
UTEP got on the board when Gavin Baechle booted a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
 
The Roadrunners extended their lead to 16-3 after the opening possession of the second half, a drive that ended with a highlight-reel play. Narcisse had a 21-yard dash into Miners territory and three plays later converted a third-and-14 with an 18-yard keeper up the middle. A short gain and an incomplete pass set up a third-down-and-six from the 18-yard line. Narcisse scrambled to his left and tiptoed near the sideline before finding a diving Blaze Moorhead in the end zone for the score.
 
Late in the third quarter, the Miners took advantage of a fourth-down stop near midfield and drove 55 yards, the final eight on a touchdown run by Treyvon Hughes. Baechle's point after pulled UTEP to within 16-10.
 
Duplessis gave the visitors extra cushion when he drilled a career-long 43-yard field goal with 11:38 left to play.

McCormick's 51-yard TD run with a little more than three minutes remaining seemingly put the game away. However, UTEP drove the length of the field for a 2-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Jones to Tre'Shon Wolf with 44 seconds on the clock. The two-point conversion attempt failed and UTSA recovered the ensuing onside kick to secure the win.

The Roadrunners will return home to host UAB next Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will air on ESPN+.
 
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