EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — UTEP football is now just 20 days out from its season opener against the Oklahoma Sooners. However, Head Coach Scotty Walden said his squad is currently focused on improving themselves, and Saturday morning's scrimmage allowed Walden to gauge where their progress two weeks into fall training camp. UTEP held the scrimmage behind closed doors to the media. But it was also an exclusive show for season ticker holders and Miner Athletic Club Members.
Reflecting on the scrimmage overall, Walden said this is the furthest along any of his Miners teams have been by the first scrimmage of fall camp. "This is a time where we don't have school and so we are sunup-to-sundown football. And we expect that retention of information to come out in those dire moments, and I saw some of that today, and then at times I thought we had lapses. But it was a great back and forth. That's something I really was pleased {with}. Thee most balanced battle we've had by far. Just when you thought the orange swarm was going to take it over, the blue blaze took it back. We were very explosive," Walden said. Walden praised the team for playing clean football and highlighted defensive standouts—from the "usual suspects" to true freshmen. He specifically noted key perimeter tackles from Truth Holmes and Kane Tinsley, and an interception by Tylen "Ice" Hockett. "Take care of the football. Turnover margin. We're going to preach that until we're blue in the face," Walden said. As for the Miners' new starting quarterback, EJ Colson Jr., Walden said the redshirt sophomore played a "complete" game and is beginning to settle into the offense. Courtesy: UTEP Football "I thought E.J. Colson had a heck of a day. He was extremely efficient with the football. And the biggest thing with him, he was on time today. His footwork was matching up with his progressions, and you kind of saw a glimpse of him putting it all together today," Walden said. Colson echoed Walden, pointing to the offense's high-level execution on the field. "I just feel like on both sides of the football we executed at a high level. We had some very explosive plays on both sides of the ball. It was just fun. It was good [to] get out there and get that game feeling in situations...and executing our job at a high level. Coach really preached on execution speed, just being able to execute our job at a high level, but fast as possible," Colson said. Walden said the team will hold another scrimmage in the coming weeks to solidify its 74-man travel roster before shifting focus to game-planning for Oklahoma. Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.