Humanitarian Bowl: Boise St. 38, UTEP 23

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Dirk Koetter is taking his reputation as an offensive wizard to Arizona State. And he's leaving Boise State, now his former program, in solid shape. <br><br>Bart Hendricks ran for

Friday, December 29th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Dirk Koetter is taking his reputation as an offensive wizard to Arizona State. And he's leaving Boise State, now his former program, in solid shape.

Bart Hendricks ran for two touchdowns, threw for another and caught a late scoring pass as Boise State beat Texas-El Paso 38-23 on Thursday in the Humanitarian Bowl.

It was the closing chapter of Koetter's three-year coaching run with the Broncos (10-2), who won their hometown bowl game for the second straight year while also winning two straight Big West titles.

``There's a lot to be proud of, and not just in terms of wins and losses,'' Koetter said. ``We improved the infrastructure. We recruited a lot of good, young talent. I think you'll see Boise State be a factor for years to come.''

Koetter's voice broke when he was asked if he realized he had coached his last game for the Broncos.

``It's hitting me right between the eyes,'' Koetter said.

The priority for new coach Dan Hawkins, a former assistant, will be to find a successor to the versatile Hendricks, who completed 17 of 29 passes for 247 yards and ran for another 57 yards.

If that wasn't enough, Hendricks capped his career by catching an 11-yard pass from receiver Andre Banks with 3:35 remaining.

``Andre has thrown it a lot better in practice,'' Hendricks said with a laugh. ``He let it hang up there too long. I was fortunate to come down with it.''

Hendricks led the nation with 35 TD passes and a 170.6 efficiency rating this season, directing a Boise State offense that led the nation with a 44.9 per game scoring average.

Hendricks credited his teammates and said he never thinks of where he ranks against the likes of Oklahoma's Josh Heupel, Purdue's Drew Brees or Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke of Florida State.

``That would be nice to be compared to those guys,'' he said. ``But it's all the other players who make it happen.''

Safety Quintin Mikell knows better.

``He put us on the map,'' Mikell said. ``And for that, I'm grateful.''

Hendricks gave the Broncos a 24-10 lead with a 77-yard TD run on Boise State's first play from scrimmage in the second half. It started as a keeper to the left, but Hendricks cut into open field and outraced two defenders.

``It's called running scared,'' Hendricks said. ``You just keep running until you don't have to run anymore.''

He also worked the clock in the closing minute of the first half before diving into the end zone on a 12-yard run with 18 seconds remaining, giving the Broncos a 17-10 lead.

``Bart wasn't as sharp today as I've seen him but he had a gutty performance, especially with that long run,'' Koetter said.

UTEP (8-4) made its first bowl trip since 1988 and only the second since 1967. After winning a share of the Western Athletic Conference title, the Miners looked out of place on the frosty blue turf in Idaho.

A few times, they ran into each other in the backfield. Their offense, which averaged 32 points a game to rank 22nd nationally, didn't get going until the third quarter and two first-half turnovers led to 10 points by Boise State.

``A lot of our miscommunication was a direct correlation of the crowd noise,'' UTEP coach Gary Nord. ``It's a great atmosphere here.''

With increased pressure in the second half on UTEP quarterback Rocky Perez, the Broncos turned the tide defensively, too. The Miners had more problems in the third quarter when standout receiver Lee Mays left with an ankle sprain.

Boise State broke it open with a daring fake punt on the first play of the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-4, punter Jeff Edwards stepped into a channel on the right side and ran 22 yards for a first down.

``It's called 55-Mike,'' Koetter said. ``We've practiced it for a couple of years but never used it. Hawk (Hawkins) asked me, 'Is it time?' I said, 'Hey they can't fire me. Let's go for it.'''

On the next play, Brock Forsey went for a 42-yard TD run and a 31-13 lead.