When the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs got off the plane in El Paso, they knew the task ahead of them: win your last two games and go bowling. The UTEP Miners, on paper, were the easier task of the two games, but you can never underestimate the Sun Bowl. UTEP, meanwhile, had a task of their own: avoid going winless at home.
After turnovers on their first two drives, the Dawgs got it going. Three offensive touchdowns plus a DaMarion King 71-yard pick six off of Ryan Metz gave Tech a 28-0 halftime lead.