The Owls earned a first down on the 5, but the defense stood and forced a field goal. Trevor Vittatoe and Buckram then took UTEP 60 yards in 10 plays to reestablish control. Vittatoe was 9–12 passing in the first half with two drops. UTEP came out flying against Rice Saturday, bolting to a 13–0 lead. Donald Buckram had two touchdowns, 68 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards. The Miner defense opened with three consecutive three-and-outs, while the offense went 66 and 48 yards for scores. Trevor Vittatoe completed all seven passes he attempted  Trevor Vittatoe passed for 517 yards and five touchdowns as UTEP routed Marshall 52–21 on Saturday. Jeff Moturi led receivers with 179 yards, including an 80-yard scoring pass from Vittatoe, who also connected for TDs with Tufick Shadrawy, Kris Adams, Jonny Moore and Donavon Kemp. James Thomas and Donald Buckram also scored for UTEP on runs of 4 and 12 yards. Brian Anderson threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns for the Thundering Herd. Anderson found Aaron Dobson, Chuck Walker and Antavio Wilson for scores. After leading 20–14 at the break, the Miners exploded in the second half, adding four touchdowns and a field goal while holding the Thundering Herd to just one touchdown. With the victory, the Miners finished the season 4–8 while the Thundering Herd fell to 6–6  The Miners finished the season ranked #102 according to the CBS Sportsline College Football Rankings Website as of December 7, 2009.