Michigan Answers Early UTEP Lead and Rolls 52-17
Michigan trailed 14-7 in the second quarter. From there it outscored UTEP 45-3. The final was 52-17, and the first half was the only part that looked like a game.
UTEP scored first on a 45-yard connection from EJ Colson Jr. to Carver Cheeks, and after Savion Hiter's six-yard run tied it, Colson found Lamar Sperling from 18 yards to make it 14-7. Bryce Underwood answered with a 21-yard touchdown to JJ Buchanan with 1:31 left in the half, and Trey Butkowski's 49-yard field goal as the clock hit zero gave Michigan its first lead, 17-14. That was the only lead change of the day, and the last time it was close.
The third quarter belonged to the home team. Jordan Marshall ran in from six yards, Hiter added an eight-yarder, Underwood hit Andrew Marsh from 34, and Jonah Lea'ea took an interception back nine yards for a score as the quarter ended. That is 31 straight points from 14-14 to 45-14. Take away the pick-six and it is still 45-17 at the end of the day, which tells you how little the one play mattered. UTEP got a 39-yard field goal from Carlos Arreola in the fourth, and Tommy Carr threw a 19-yard score to Salesi Moa to close it out.
The totals are lopsided in the way you would guess. UTEP ran 32 times for 57 yards and finished with 150 total yards, while Michigan piled up 432 and sacked the quarterback four times. The Wolverines did lose two fumbles and still won by 35. They are 3-0, and UTEP drops to 1-2. For fantasy, the Michigan passing game fed three people at once: Marsh (10 catches), Buchanan (92 yards) and Underwood (two touchdowns).