Quan Cosby caught eight passes for 154 yards and a score for the Longhorns (2-0), who built a big first-half lead, then put the game away with McCoy’s 15-yard TD strike to Jordan Shipley early in the fourth quarter. Moments later, Rod Muckelroy returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown.
Trevor Vittatoe passed for 267 yards and a touchdowns for the Miners (0-2), who have lost their last eight games.
It was the first time the teams had met since 1933 and the excitement over one of El Paso’s biggest sports events ever had been building in the border city since May 2006 when the game was first announced.
A Sun Bowl record crowd of 53,415 sold out the game weeks ago and a few dozen fans who couldn’t get tickets scrambled up the side of the Franklin Mountain range around the stadium to watch while perched high over the stadium.
UTEP fans wore T-shirts printed with “New Brand of Texas Football” and “09-06-08: Where will you be?” The fun hit a fever pitch by game time when coach Mike Price, wielding a large red pickax, led the Miners onto the field while high-fiving the crowd and fireworks burst overhead.
The frenzy lasted for a little while as the Miners drove to field goals of 30 and 49 yards by Jose Martinez on their first two possessions before Texas finally answered with McCoy’s first TD pass, 16 yards to Cosby.
The Longhorns soon restored order when it comes to the state of football in Texas.
McCoy was 14 of 16 passing in the first half and his 12-yard TD to Dan Buckner put Texas up 14-6. UTEP was looking for a spark when Price sent the strong-legged Martinez out to try to a 65-yard field goal. The kick fell just short and Cosby caught the ball nine yards deep in the end zone before returning it all the way to the UTEP 35. Cody Johnson capped the short drive with a 1-yard TD run, draining most of the energy out of the hopeful Miners fans.
McCoy’s third TD pass put Texas up by 22 before a late UTEP score before halftime kept the record crowd from leaving early. Vittatoe’s 12-yard TD pass to Tufick Shadrawy cut the Texas lead to 28-13.
The Miners held Texas scoreless in the third before the Longhorns ended any chance they might get back in the game. Shipley was wide-open after McCoy pump faked and lobbed a soft pass into the end zone for his last touchdown pass.
That’s when Miners fans finally started heading for the exits. The party was over.
