FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Billy Volek threw three touchdown passes and Fresno State stopped Texas-El Paso's two-point conversion try in overtime to beat the Miners 24-23 Saturday.

Fresno State (5-3, 2-1 WAC) took a 24-17 lead in overtime on a 6-yard scoring pass from Volek to Paris Gaines. Texas-El Paso (3-5, 1-2) answered with a 10-yard TD pass from Jay Stuckey to Brian Natkin and then went for the two-point conversion.

Stuckey passed to Elzie Johnson coming out of the backfield but Fresno State's Giachino Chiaramonte stopped Johnson a yard short of the goal line.

Trailing 17-6 deficit in the third quarter, UTEP rallied to tie the game on a 28-yard field goal by Ricky Bishop and a 1-yard scoring run by Paul Smith, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Stuckey to Natkin with 20 seconds left in the third quarter.

Fresno State was limited to 3 yards of total offense in the third quarter and had just six first downs through the first three quarters.

UTEP had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter but Smith was stripped of the ball at the Fresno 4-yard line and Chiaramonte recovered for the Bulldogs.

Fresno State took a 7-0 late in the first quarter on a 65-yard pass from Volek to Rodney Wright. But after that, neither team could score until the final minute of the first half. Then, in a span of just 42 seconds, UTEP kicked two field goals and Fresno State scored a touchdown.

Ricky Bishop capped off a long UTEP drive with a 23-yard field goal with 42 seconds left in the first half.

Volek got Fresno moving with a 28-yard completion to Wright. Two plays later, Volek connected with Wright for 15 yards and a first down at the UTEP 27. On the next play, Volek hit Paris Gaines down the sideline for a 27-yard score with 11 seconds remaining the half.

Texas-El Paso, with the help of a short kickoff and a personal foul penalty on Fresno State, got the ball on the Bulldogs 49. Jay Stuckey hit Lee Mays for a 30-yard gain and Bishop hit a 31-yard field goal to cut the Fresno lead to 14-6 at halftime.

Fresno State recovered a UTEP fumble at the Miner 13 early in the third quarter, but after losing six yards on three plays, the Bulldogs had to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Hanna for a 17-6 lead.