University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss
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UTEP
Golden Eagles Tripped Up In Double OT, 40-37
10/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 4, 2008
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - Trevor Vittatoe threw four touchdown passes, including the game winner in double overtime, as UTEP defeated Southern Mississippi 40-37 on Saturday night.
Vittatoe hit Chris Adams on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime, after Southern Miss' Britt Barefoot gave the Golden Eagles a 37-34 lead with a 28-yard field goal.
It was the second consecutive victory for UTEP (2-3, 2-0 Conference USA) and the second straight loss for the Golden Eagles (2-3, 0-2).
Southern Miss is 0-2 in league play for the first time in the 13-year history of Conference USA.
The loss overshadowed a career-high effort by Damion Fletcher, who had 34 carries for 260 yards, becoming the program's all-time leading rusher in the third quarter. He has 3,654 career yards, passing Ben Garry, who finished with 3,595.
The 260-yard effort was also the second highest single-game mark in school history.
Vittatoe was 24 of 41 for 263 yards and four scores.
The Miners led 17-14 at halftime, thanks to a 37-yard field goal by Jose Martinez with 1:25 to go in the second quarter.
Fletcher gave USM an early lead on a 1-yard scoring run five minutes into the game.
Justin Estes missed a pair of short field goals for the Golden Eagles in the first half, one after Fletcher ran 56 yards to the Miners' 13.
Tory Harrison also had a 1-yard scoring run for USM in the second quarter.
The Miners responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Adams and an 11-yard touchdown run by Donald Buckram in the first half.
Martinez made the score 20-14 with a 34-yard field goal at the 11:33 mark of the third quarter.
UTEP tried an onside kick that USM recovered at midfield. The Golden Eagles took advantage of it to take the lead with a 10-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to Shawn Nelson.
The Miners came back with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Vittatoe to Tufick Shadrawy on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 27-21 lead.
But Barefoot replaced Estes in the second half, and despite missing his first attempt, kicked a pair of short field goals in the fourth quarter. The second, from 22 yards out on the final play of regulation, sent the game into overtime.
The teams traded 4-yard scoring passes in the first overtime, as Vittatoe hit Terrell Jackson and USM's Austin Davis found DeAndre Brown.
