Offense was having a rough go of it, second quarter, so the defense came in to fill the breech...

UTEP has the ball, first and goal from the Rice five yard line -- but nothing doing on first down...

Second down, and Brian Raines makes a touchdown-saving tackle...

...literally rolling the UTEP ball carrier before he can reach the goal line...

Third down, and the Miners try a quick pass, but Joseph Leary gets in the passing lane to disrupt...

Now it's fourth and goal from the one yard line, and orange hats bunch up to probe the Rice middle...

...but Brian Raines and Vernon James get penetration, and this one's going to the wire...

...Vernon James puts hat on the numbers as ball carrier tries to get airborne to vault over the goal...

...but Vernon hangs him high and stops his forward progress cold...

...no scoring on second effort on the way down, either, as Andrew Sendejo is there to make sure Hunt doesn't cross the plane..

...and the whole play collapses into an unsucessful heap for the Miners, a foot short of the goal...

...which, after all, is cause for a a little celebration...

...and that certainly doesn't exclude Coach Bailiff, who lets out a roar on the sideline