UTEP Miners football vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Live updates

UTEP takes its semiannual shot at the big time when it travels to Oklahoma as a 31-point underdog to play the No. 9 team in the country.

On paper, the Miners are long shots. UTEP is 4-56 all-time against ranked teams and it's never beaten a Big 12 opponent. This will be the fifth time the Sooners and Miners have played, the fourth time as an Oklahoma opener, and OU is 4-0. Oklahoma has also won 11 of its last 12 openers.

The game starts at 1:30 p.m. MT on Saturday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

What UTEP is assured is a six-figure payday, and also the chance to play on national television against a team it can use as a measuring stick.

UTEP vs OU Sooners live updates

OU 45, UTEP 13, final: The Miners fail to cover the spread and the defense struggled outside of two second-quarter possessions. Some good moments by the offense to build on.

OU 45, UTEP 13, 5:17 4th: OU covers the 31-point spread (for the moment) with a 37-yard drive that sets up a 23-yard field goal. All subs in at the moment.

OU 42, UTEP 13, 12:15 4th: UTEP puts in the backups, led by quarterback Calvin Brownholtz. A three-and-out. Hardison finished 26-43 for 244 yards. A good outing other than taking some sacks he might could have avoided.

OU 42, UTEP 13, 12:15 4th: Another stop for the Miners, who are better in even numbered quarters. Bellon muffs the punt but fortunately gets on it on the UTEP 7.

OU 42, UTEP 13, 14:01 4th: Miners stall with three incomplete passes but Baechle nails a 54-yard field goal, a career long. That is a positive development for the rest of the season. Baechle now 4-of-5 on the season.

OU 42, UTEP 10, end 3rd: UTEP on a nice drive and will have a second-and-2 on the Sooner 40 when the game resumes Miners have been moving the ball since that terrible start.

OU 42, UTEP 10, 3:16 3rd: Oklahoma drives 64 yards in seven plays without facing a third down. An interception by Ilijah Johnson was called back by Johnson's interference.

OU 35, UTEP 10, 5:07 3rd: Miners get three first downs but stalls and Hardison throws incomplete on 4th and 6 from the Sooner 36. UTEP got two first downs on Jeremiah Ballard's first two catches of the year. Well, first two official catches after he had a spectacular touchdown called back last week.

OU 35, UTEP 10, 10:48 3rd: OU mashes the ball down the field, covering 80 yards in 10 plays with the score coming on a 1-yard plunge.

OU 28, UTEP 10, 13:28 3rd: UTEP gets a first down but two incompletions and another mishandled snap - been a few of them this year - and the Miners punt.

OU 28, UTEP 10, half: OU has 301 yards to UTEP's 166. Rushing is 137 yards to minus-9 (all those sacks contributed to that). Miners winning time of possession 20:36-9:24, so a throwback to the Kugler era there. OU didn't use much clock on those three early touchdown drives.

OU 28, UTEP 10, half: UTEP moves to the 35 but Hardison again takes a sack after holding on to the ball too long and the Sooners get to the half. Miners won the second quarter and did some good things there. Something to build on.

OU 28, UTEP 10, 0:55 2nd: Oklahoma converts a 4th and 1 and later a third and 4 as the Miners can't get off the field. Twelve plays, 68 yards, 4:01 off the clock, touchdown on a 28-yard pass to tight end Brayden Willis.

OU 21, UTEP 10, 5:20 2nd: Prosperity was fleeting. Hardison sacked twice after holding on to the ball too long and Miners got three and out.

OU 21, UTEP 10, 7:14 2nd: Three and out for the UTEP defense. For the record, the last time UTEP won after falling behind by 21 points was in 2007 at SMU. Miners suddenly looking frisky. Oklahoma has run six plays this quarter after averaging 18 yards per play in the first quarter.

OU 21, UTEP 10, 8:18 2nd: Look at this. An 85-yard drive takes 5:10 off the clock and the Miners get the touchdown on a 2-yard run from Ronald Awatt. Hardison 5-6 on the 10-play drive, with three passes to Rey Flores.

OU 21, UTEP 3, 13:28 2nd: UTEP with a three-and-out! Oklahoma commits procedure on third-and-1 and the Miners get off the field.

OU 21, UTEP 3, 14:12 2nd: Hardison scrambles for 8 yards to set up a 49-yard field goal and Gavin Baechle nails it. Fourteen plays, 49 yards, 7:31. The Miners will not be shut out.

OU 21, UTEP 0, end 1st: UTEP moves the ball to the OU 22, helped by a fourth-down defensive holding call that negated a turnover on downs. So that was the good news. Then a sack and a botched snap and UTEP will start the second quarter with an unpromising third-and-27 from the Sooner 39. Presumably they will look to get 10 yards and try a field goal.

OU 21, UTEP 0, 6:43 1st: Oklahoma runs a reverse and Gavin Freeman takes it 46 yards to the end zone. This isn't going well for the Miners.

OU 14, UTEP 0, 7:13 1st: UTEP gets a first down on a 16-yard catch by Smith, but Miners lose three yards on the next set of downs and here come the Sooners again.

OU 14, UTEP 0, 9:18 1st: Oklahoma needs six plays to cover the 93 yards. The second, third and fourth plays went 35, 31 and 24 yards, respectively. Gabriel to Brayden from 6 yards out for the score.

OU 7, UTEP 0, 11:06 1st: UTEP gets two first downs, one courtesy of a roughing-the-passer penalty, but Tyrin Smith has a costly drop and the Miners punt. UTEP pins Oklahoma on the 7. Another early missed opportunity, as UTEP would have had a third-and-short near the Sooner 40 if it hadn't been for the drop.

OU 7, UTEP 0, 13:43 1st: That didn't take long. After an incomplete pass, the Sooners' next four plays go 16, 5, 42 and 12 yards, with the scoring coming from quarterback Dillon Gabriel on a draw. Five plays, 75 yards, 1:17 and it didn't look too hard.

1 minutes to kickoff: OU makes the unusual decision to receive after winning the coin toss. So the Miner defense will immediately be under the gun.

5 minutes to kickoff: UTEP picked up one injury last week, as cornerback Josiah Allen has a gimpy ankle and is questionable. Freshman Ilijah Johnson will start in his place. Linebacker Gary Theard is still out.

10 minutes to kickoff: Coaches Dana Dimel and Brent Venables overlapped at Kansas State when Venables was starting his coaching career. This is the second consecutive time a new Oklahoma coach has made his head coaching debut against UTEP. Lincoln Riley's first game at the Sooners' helm was against the Miners in 2017.

30 minutes to kickoff: This is the second time in three years UTEP is playing against a Big 12 team departing for the SEC in its opener. The Miners played at Texas in the 2020 season in what was their second game and Texas' first of the season.

40 minutes to kickoff: UTEP will be wearing all white today, with the new 915 helmets. Teams are on the field warming up. Obviously a quick start will be essential for UTEP as it looks to hang with Oklahoma for as long as it can.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Week 2: UTEP Miners vs. OU Sooners football live updates