UTEP's Six-Game Losing Run Meets Two Quarterback Changes at Air Force

UTEP visits Falcon Stadium on Friday night, November 20, having lost six straight games overall. Both teams also changed quarterbacks between their last two games, which makes the passing side of this matchup the central question. The teams have not met in the last 400 days, so there is no recent head-to-head to draw on.

UTEP's current starter is Raymond Moore III, who threw 18 passes against the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors on November 7 and has led the team in attempts in two of its last three games. EJ Colson Jr. was the lead passer the game before, with 16 attempts against the North Dakota State Bison. Those are modest workloads, so neither passer has a deep track record. Jaden Smith is the primary target, with 20 receptions over the last three games, first among UTEP's wide receivers, while tight end Cash Cheeks has 5 receptions.

Air Force's passing volume is smaller still. Evan Medders led the team with 8 attempts against the Army Black Knights on November 7, and he has led in only one of the last three games. Howard Fisher IV had 2 attempts against the UConn Huskies the game before. With totals that low, the quarterback evidence for the Falcons is thin.

On the ground, Owen Allen has 33 carries over Air Force's last three games, first among its running backs, with Rocco Conti at 15. UTEP's backfield is more evenly shared: Tavorus Jones has 27 carries and Lamar Sperling 22 over the same stretch. Air Force's workload is concentrated in one back, while UTEP divides it between two.

UTEP's streaks supply the clearest context. Beyond the six straight losses, four straight games have gone under the total, so the Miners' last four games have been both losses and unders. Streaks describe what has happened rather than what comes next, and they say nothing about Air Force's form. They do show that UTEP arrives short on recent positive results, and that its recent games have not produced much scoring relative to the number.

Conditions look manageable: the forecast is 36°F with a 5 mph west wind and partly cloudy skies, cold but with little wind to disrupt the passing game. Neither team has reported an injury, so no absence changes the picture. Overall, the evidence is thin. UTEP's losing run is the most prominent item, but it describes the past, and the quarterback samples on both sides are small. This is a game with few firm indicators, and the two quarterback situations are the main source of uncertainty.