A 51-0 loss is never easy to swallow. But for UTEP fans, the bigger concern is what needs to change before the Miners begin Mountain West play.
Let’s be honest.
Nobody expected UTEP to walk into Norman and dominate No. 10 Oklahoma.
But 51-0?
That’s a different conversation.
The Miners opened the 2026 season with a 51-0 loss to Oklahoma on Friday night, falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter and 27-0 by halftime.
the final score is disappointing.
But I’m less concerned about losing to Oklahoma than I am about how UTEP responds from here.
There were some encouraging moments. There were also some major warning signs.
The First Quarter Was the Biggest Problem
The game felt over way too quickly.
Oklahoma opened with a long touchdown drive that took more than five minutes off the clock.
Then came the backbreaker.
UTEP went three-and-out on its next possession, and Oklahoma returned the punt 88 yards for a touchdown.
Just like that, it was 14-0.
Oklahoma added another touchdown before the end of the quarter, and suddenly UTEP was staring at a 21-0 deficit.
Against a team like Oklahoma, you can’t afford to spend the opening quarter trying to settle into the game.
You have to punch first.
Even if that means forcing a punt, creating a turnover or simply putting together a long scoring drive, UTEP needed something positive early.
Instead, Oklahoma immediately took control.
The Special Teams Mistake Changed Everything
The 88-yard punt return is the play I’m going to remember most from this game.
UTEP had just failed to move the football.
Then Oklahoma took the punt and went 88 yards the other direction.
That’s a massive momentum swing in an instant.
Against an SEC opponent, you can’t give away plays like that.
Special teams doesn’t always get the attention that offense and defense receive, but if UTEP wants to compete for a Mountain West championship someday, these are the details that have to become automatic.
No free touchdowns.
No busted assignments.
No unnecessary mistakes.
UTEP Actually Had Opportunities
This is where I think the conversation gets interesting.
The final score makes it look like UTEP couldn’t move the ball at all.
That’s not completely true.
The Miners crossed midfield on several early drives and had opportunities deep in Oklahoma territory.
The problem?
No points.
UTEP missed field-goal attempts from 33 and 50 yards.
Later, a 51-yard run by Raymond Moore III put UTEP at the Oklahoma 24-yard line, but a fumble ended the drive.
Later, UTEP recovered a fumble at the Oklahoma 18.
Again, no points.
Those are the moments that bother me more than the final score.
Against Oklahoma, opportunities are going to be limited.
When you get them, you have to cash in.
The Offense Needs to Find an Identity
EJ Colson Jr.’s UTEP debut was understandably difficult.
He completed 6-of-12 passes for 52 yards while also using his legs to pick up some yards.
But I’m not ready to put this loss on Colson.
This was his first game wearing a UTEP uniform, against a nationally ranked Oklahoma defense, in Norman.
That’s about as difficult of an introduction as you can get.
What I want to see now is UTEP build an offense around what Colson does well.
Get the quarterback comfortable.
Get the running game established.
Use short, high-percentage throws.
Create easy completions.
And most importantly, stop putting the offense in obvious passing situations.
If UTEP is constantly facing third-and-long, this season is going to become very difficult.
Tavorus Jones Needs to Be Part of the Answer
There were moments when you could see why UTEP brought Tavorus Jones home.
The El Paso native had opportunities to make plays and showed flashes of what he can bring to the offense.
But his biggest moment came in the third quarter.
UTEP was driving.
Jones had a few carries and helped move the Miners down the field.
Then came the fumble.
Oklahoma recovered, and the opportunity disappeared.
That’s a painful lesson, but it’s also something that can be fixed.
Jones has too much talent and too much local significance for this game to define him.
I want to see UTEP get him involved early and often against Texas Southern.
The Defense Has a Lot to Clean Up
This might be my biggest concern.
Oklahoma finished with 401 yards of offense, including 170 rushing yards.
John Mateer threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns, while Lloyd Avant rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown.
And yes, this was Oklahoma.
But UTEP can’t allow one bad quarter to turn into a 51-point game.
The Miners need to improve at getting off the field.
Third downs.
Red-zone defense.
Missed tackles.
Explosive plays.
Those are the things I will be watching closely moving forward.
Jayden Wilson and This Defense Need to Set the Tone
Jayden Wilson was one of UTEP’s defensive leaders entering this season after making 92 tackles in 2025.
This is where I want to see the veteran leadership show up.
Not necessarily by putting up some ridiculous stat line against Oklahoma.
But by getting the defense organized.
By making sure guys are lined up correctly.
By responding after a big play.
By keeping the team together when things start going badly.
That’s what leaders are for.
And UTEP is going to need plenty of that moving forward.
The Biggest Concern: What Happens When Things Go Wrong?
This is the question I’m leaving Norman with.
Every team is going to have a bad quarter.
Every team is going to have turnovers.
Every team is going to miss a field goal.
Every team is going to give up a big play.
The good teams don’t avoid all of those things.
They respond to them.
That’s what UTEP needs to prove.
Because the Mountain West isn’t Oklahoma.
There are going to be games where UTEP has a legitimate chance to win.
And in those games, the Miners cannot afford to make the same mistakes they made Friday night.
What I Want to See Against Texas Southern
The next game is extremely important—not because Texas Southern is Oklahoma, but because it gives UTEP a chance to respond.
Here are the five things I’m watching:
1. Start fast.
Please don’t wait until the second half to get comfortable.
2. Protect the football.
Turnovers inside the opponent’s territory can’t become a weekly problem.
3. Get points when you’re in scoring range.
Field goals are points. Touchdowns are better. Empty possessions can’t continue.
4. Establish the run.
Give Colson help. Let Jones and the running backs take some pressure off the quarterback.
5. Play with confidence.
This team can’t carry the Oklahoma loss into the rest of the season.
One Game Doesn’t Define This Season
I’m not going to sit here and pretend 51-0 is acceptable.
It isn’t.
But I’m also not going to declare the 2026 season over after one game against a top-10 Oklahoma team.
UTEP was thrown into the deep end immediately.
Now we get to see what this team learned from it.
The Miners have a new quarterback.
A new conference.
A revamped roster.
And plenty of football left to play.
The Oklahoma game showed UTEP exactly how much work remains.
Now it’s time to see if the Miners can fix it.
Because the real test of this team isn’t whether it could beat Oklahoma.
It’s whether it can walk into its next game, forget the 51-0 loss, and look like a completely different football team.
That’s what I’m expecting to see next.
