UTEP 14, BYU 3 Coach LaVell Edwards had nothing to say after Saturday's 14-3 loss but to congratulate UTEP - fresh off a bye week - on a well-played game. "We knew coming in they had a great defense. I think the week off helped them; they were well prepared," Edwards noted. Freshman Drew Miller got the starting nod over injured Paul Shoemaker, making him the first true freshman to ever start at quarterback for BYU (Ty Detmer started as a redshirt freshman). Needless to say, it was a rocky beginning. After starting the game with a 55-yard completion to Dustin Johnson, Miller - along with the rest of the Cougar offense - went cold, throwing three interceptions and not finding the end zone once. To add insult to injury, the 18-year-old was sacked five times. "I've just got to put it in the past and move on," Miller said. "They played some unbelievable defense and took us out of things." BYU finished the UTEP game without a touchdown, snapping a streak of 138 games with at least one touchdown, which began in a 1986 10-3 loss to San Diego State. Though entering the game BYU led the all-time series with UTEP 27-6-1, it was the Miner defense that controlled the tempo, holding the Cougars to 183 yards and just eight first downs in defeating the Cougars for the first time since 1985. A lone bright spot for BYU was the play of sophomore middle linebacker Rob Morris. The 6-3, 245-pounder finished Saturday's game with seven unassisted tackles, seven assisted tackles and three tackles for losses, including a monster shot on the Miners' freshman quarterback that knocked quarterback Rocky Perez out of the game for a few series. Offensive stars for the Cougars were few and far between but freshman Margin Hooks stood out vs. UTEP. The 5-11 speedster from Waco, Texas finished the game with 103 yards on three catches (12,40,49). An illustration of how big the UTEP victory was over BYU: Not only did Miner fans storm the field after the game and tear down the goal posts, they carried an entire goal post to the top of the east stands and threw it over the side of Sun Bowl stadium. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th f byu 3 0 0 0 3 utep 0 7 7 0 14 cougars 3 miners 14 final 1st quarter byu - Owen Pochman 21-yard field goal 2nd quarter utep - Rocky Perez 2-yard run(Finley kick) 3rd quarter utep - Brent Henderson 40-yard interception(Finley kick) 4th quarter no scoring BYU - UTEP Game Recap Source: Blue & White Sports Network 1st Quarter BYU starts out fast with a 55-yard screen pass from Drew Miller to Dustin Johnson on the first play of the game. Eventually, the Cougars settle for 21-yard Owen Pochman field goal. KEY PLAYS: Johnson screen pass, 13-yard pass to Margin Hooks from Miller. UTEP tries to answer with two impressive drives deep into BYU territory, but both times the Miners miss field goals to stay off the scoreboard. 2nd Quarter Following another BYU punt, the Miners finally get on the scoreboard with new quarterback Rocky Perez. Perez sneaked into the endzone from 1-yard out to give UTEP the 7-3 lead. KEY PLAYS: Perez to Paul Smith for 30-yards. A defensive struggle ensues in the remainder of the 2nd Quarter, with neither team able to do much of anything on the offensive side of the ball. Miner QB Rocky Perez took a vicious shot from BYU linebacker Rob Morris and left temporarily, but returned later in the quarter. 3rd Quarter The UTEP defense asserts itself once again early in the 3rd Quarter, hitting BYU's Miller as he threw. The tipped pass is intercepted by linebacker Brent Henderson, who rumbles 45 yards for the score. BYU tries to mount a drive with a 39-yard pass from Miller to Hooks, but another tipped ball on the next play leads to another UTEP interception. 4th Quarter Both teams exchange multiple punts throughout the final quarter as defenses continue to dominate. BYU simply cannot do anything offensively. Their last-ditch effort ends with an interception in the endzone on the final play of the game. Statistics BYU UTEP Rushes-Yards 20-0 56-120 Passing Yards 226 136 Sacks-yards lost 4-37 1-6 Passing (Att-Comp-Int) 17-32-3 9-15-0 Punts-Average 8-43.6 8-39.1 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0 Penalties-Yards 7-77 12-60 Time of Possession 23:17 36:43 Individual Statistics Rushing BYU- McKenzie 12-28, D. Johson 3-6, Snowden 1-3, Miller 4-minus 37. UTEP- P. Smith 15-48, E. Johnson 11-32, Perez 11-24, Polk 18-17, Aragon 1-minus 1. Passing BYU- Miller 17-32-3-226. UTEP- Rayborn 5-6-0-57, Perez 3-8-0-56, E. Johnson 1-1-0-23. Receiving BYU- D. Johnson 5-71, Hooks 3-97, Cahoon 3-21, Cupp 3-21, Roderick 2-15, McKenzie 1-1. UTEP- Carpenter 3-47, A. Ray 2-37, P. Smith 2-29, Golson 1-23, E. Johnson 1-0. Att: 18,630