RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team beat the defending Southland Conference Champion Incarnate Word Cardinals, who reached the FCS Quarterfinals last year, 56-28 on Saturday at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium in front of a sellout homecoming crowd of 12,649.
Of the 11 athletic departments that have started an NCAA Division I football team from scratch at the NCAA DI-AA (1978-2005)/FCS (2006-Present) level since Division I college football split into two levels in 1978, UTRGV is one of two programs to win six of its first eight games during its inaugural season, along with Kennesaw State (2015, 6-2).
Senior Sharyland Pioneer alum
Eddie Lee Marburger led the Vaqueros (6-2, 2-2 SLC) by going a career-high 26-for-36 for a career-high 440 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in the air as well as 13 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Freshman
Tony Diaz hauled in a program record 17 receptions on 20 targets for a career-high 172 yards. Sophomore
Xayvion Noland made four catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore
Ismael Smith Flores made two catches for a career-high 68 yards and a career-high two touchdowns. Graduate student
Nathan Denney recorded a career-high 45 receiving yards on three catches, including a touchdown, while rushing for 59 yards on 11 carries.
The Vaqueros scored on four of their first five drives, needing less than two minutes to drive 75 yards for the opening touchdown. On the fifth play, Marburger sent a 35-yard pass to Noland before passing another 25 yards on the sixth play to Smith Flores in the end zone, making the score 7-0.
Although the Vaqueros didn't score on their second drive, junior punter
Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling pinned the Cardinals (2-6, 0-4 SLC) on their own 3-yard line.
Three and a half minutes later, the Vaqueros took over at midfield and needed just two plays to score, as Marburger found Smith Flores again, this time with a 43-yard pass, the longest catch of Smith Flores' career, to make the score 14-0.
The Vaqueros opened the second quarter on their own 32, but after Denney rushed for 16 yards on third down, Marburger found Denney for a 42-yard receiving touchdown to make the score 21-0.
Marburger opened the Vaqueros' next drive with a 54-yard pass to Diaz. Two play later, Marburger scrambled right for a 12-yard rushing touchdown to put the Vaqueros up 28-0.
Late in the second quarter, Marburger capped a 4-play, 48-yard drive that lasted less than a minute with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Noland to make the score 35-0.
The Cardinals got on the board in the opening 30 seconds of the third quarter, as on the second play,
EJ Colson found
Jalen Walthall for a 70-yard touchdown pass to make the score 35-7.
On their next drive, the Cardinals drove 79 yards on nine plays capped by a 22-yard rushing touchdown by Colson to make the score 35-14.
After a 3-and-out by the Vaqueros, the Cardinals put together a 7-play, 79-yard drive that ended with
Harlan Dixon rushing two yards up the middle for a touchdown to make the score 35-21.
Late in the third quarter, the Vaqueros responded by driving 82 yards on eight plays, including a 20-yard catch by Diaz and a 23-yard catch by Noland. On third and goal at the 3, Marburger found Diaz who made a one-handed leaping catch in the back left corner of the end zone to put the Vaqueros up 42-21.
Early in the fourth quarter, Colson found Walthall for a 39-yard touchdown pass to bring the Cardinals within 42-28.
The Vaqueros answered less than 20 seconds later when Marburger connected with Nolan for a 75-yard touchdown pass to make the score 49-28.
During the Cardinals' next drive, junior Harlingen alum
Nathan Huerta sacked Colson to force a fumble and junior
Jayden House returned it 35 yards for his first-career touchdown to put the Vaqueros up 56-28.
UTRGV plays its third-straight road game against a team ranked or receiving votes on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. at No. 24 Stephen F. Austin. Fans can watch online via
ESPN+. Fans can also listen locally on Ultra 90.1 FM, in Laredo on Pure Country 95.7 FM, and online via the
Radio Para Mi app.
Week 9 Southland Conference Scoreboard
#15 Lamar 41 @ Northwestern State 14
#19 Southeastern 38 @ Houston Christian University 14
McNeese 7 @
Nicholls 31
#24 Stephen F. Austin 31 @ East Texas A&M 21
Incarnate Word 28 @
(RV) UTRGV 56
Southland Conference Standings
Team SLC Record Overall Record
#15 Lamar 4-0 7-1
#19 Southeastern 4-0 6-2
#24 Stephen F. Austin 4-0 6-2
(RV) UTRGV 2-2 6-2
East Texas A&M 2-2 2-6
Nicholls 2-2 2-6
Houston Christian University 1-3 2-6
McNeese 1-3 2-6
Incarnate Word 0-4 2-6
Northwestern State 0-4 1-7
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