For a game and a half, the UTEP football team showed a sudden ability to deal with adversity.
What they couldn't do Saturday night in a 31-21 loss to Old Dominion was deal with the first real prosperity they've had this season.
After rallying from a 10-0 hole into a 13-10 lead midway through the third quarter, with a soft schedule ahead that had a bowl looking more and more realistic, the Miners booted it completely.
First there was a blocked extra point, then a 75-yard Old Dominion drive, then a UTEP turnover on downs on a dropped pass, then a 68-yard Monarch drive, then a three-and-out, then a two-play, 88-yard ODU drive and bye-bye hope.