Bret Bloomquist

El Paso Times

Four years ago, Sean Kugler took over the UTEP football program promising to bring a tough, smart, disciplined, pounding team to the Sun Bowl.

That team arrived Saturday. It was wearing the visiting white and gold of Army, and in front of a crowd of 37,893, the Golden Knights won 66-14 while showing off the type of team UTEP is striving to build.

It was the most points Army had scored against an FBS/Division I-A team since 1944 when its alum Dwight Eisenhower was running the European Theater of Operations in World War II. It was the most points UTEP allowed at home since giving up 69 to San Jose State in 2003.

This was thorough, as Army scored on every possession until it took a knee to end a game they played in memory of cornerback Brandon Jackson, who died last Sunday.

"My hat's off to Army," coach Sean Kugler said after his team fell to 1-2 heading into Conference USA play. "In every phase, on offense, defense, special teams, they outcoached us, outhustled us, outdid us in everything. After what they've been through, I'm happy for them. We got our tails kicked in every phase.

"I'll make sure I do everything to rectify it, I'll own it. ... I want to apologize to El Paso. I'm sorry the Miners disappointed you."

When asked if Army was a Top 25 team, Kugler said, "I'd put them in the Top 25. I have a vote, I'll take care of that tomorrow."

In a statement-making first half, Army converted 7 of 8 third downs, scored every time it touched the ball, ran up a three-to-one edge in time of possession (it finished with 41:40 of possession), stuffed UTEP at every turn and sprinted to the locker room up 24-0 after running 45 plays to UTEP's 15.

It got worse after that for a UTEP squad that took several giant steps backward while tumbling to 1-2 going into C-USA, where they will likely be underdogs in their first three games.

Army scored the first nine times it had the ball - a field goal followed by eight touchdowns - and added a special teams score, before the Black Knight reserves took a knee to end the game. Translation: Army had nine touchdowns and a field goal in their first nine possessions.

"The first half we had 15 plays," said quarterback Zack Greenlee, who was 7-of-15 passing for 106 yards. "It was hard to get anything going. There were some things we needed to execute to keep drives going and we didn't do that. That's why we didn't hold the ball."

Aaron Jones didn't play after the third quarter and finished with 72 yards on 11 carries with one 24-yard touchdown run.

"We were sitting down, watching the defense the whole time," Jones said. "I've never played a team where we were sitting on the bench like that."

Army didn't score a touchdown to open the game, but it set a tone that lasted all night. The Golden Knights' first four third downs were third-and-2, they held the ball for 7:50 — the longest drive in terms of time UTEP has allowed in the Kugler era — and finished it with a field goal.

That was one of two fourth downs Army faced. In the fourth quarter it scored a touchdown on fourth-and-6 from the UTEP 39-yard line on one of their eight passes.

After that Army field goal and a 3-0 lead that proved the Miners' high-water mark, UTEP managed seven plays the first time it had the ball, then sent it back to Army.

The first six plays of that ensuing Black Knights' drive looked like this: Darnell Woolfolk up the middle for 3 yards, Woolfolk up the middle for 5 yards, Woolfolk up the middle for 4 yards, Woolfolk up the middle for 3 yards, Wollfolk up the middle for 2 yards and Ahmad Bradshaw off tackle for 5 yards and a first down on the Black Knight 42.

On their 20th play Army threw an incomplete pass, but no worries, five plays later they had a 10-0 lead on a Wollfork 9-yard touchdown run. It was up the middle.

After that Army incompletion the Black Knights completed their final seven attempts.

UTEP began its second possession with 13:39 left in the second quarter and snapped it three times before running the punt team back on. The rest of the play-by-play can pretty much be cut and pasted from there. Next came 17-0, then 24-0 with 9 seconds left in the first half.

"We didn't play gap assignment, we didn't play quarterback/dive/pitch," said linebacker Dante Lovilotte, who led the team with 11 tackles. "We didn't do that. They played fundamental, we didn't."

"Playing that offense, you have to be assignment perfect," said safety Dashone Smith, who had eight tackles. "We weren't being assignment perfect."

It all added up to put UTEP in an early hole in a season of high expectations.

"We've got to show up Tuesday ready to work," Smith said. "We have to be ready to work."

Bret Bloomquist may be reached at 546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @bretbloomquist on Twitter.