RIO GRANDE VALLEY – For the second time this season, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football program is receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl.
The Vaqueros are receiving four votes in the week 6 poll after previously receiving five in the week 4 poll. UTRGV is 5-1, with the lone loss coming to Southeastern, which is receiving 52 votes, the most among any team not in the top 25.
The Vaqueros are off to one of the best 6-game starts by a brand new Division I FCS program since 2008, matching Kennesaw State (5-1 in 2015) and one game behind South Alabama (6-0 in 2009), who did not play any Division I competition that season.
AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, presented by Hudl – October 6, 2025
| Rank |
School (1st votes) |
Rec. |
Pts. |
Prev. |
Week 6 |
Next Game |
| 1 |
North Dakota St. (26) |
5-0 |
650 |
1 |
D. No. 6 Illinois St., 33-16 |
Oct. 11 vs. No. 9 Southern Illinois |
| 2 |
South Dakota St. |
5-0 |
621 |
2 |
D. No. 18 Youngstown St., 35-30 |
Oct. 11 vs. Northern Iowa |
| 3 |
Tarleton St. |
6-0 |
574 |
3 |
D. Southern Utah, 52-42 |
Oct. 11 at Utah Tech |
| 4 |
Montana |
5-0 |
567 |
4 |
D. Idaho St., 42-38 |
Oct. 11 vs. Cal Poly |
| 5 |
Montana St. |
4-2 |
530 |
5 |
D. No. 13 Northern Arizona, 34-10 |
Oct. 11 vs. Idaho St. |
| 6 |
UC Davis |
4-1 |
499 |
7 |
D. Cal Poly, 34-27 |
Oct. 11 vs. No. 16 Northern Arizona |
| 7 |
Tennessee Tech |
5-0 |
455 |
9 |
D. Western Illinois, 66-20 |
Oct. 11 at Charleston Southern |
| 8 |
Lehigh |
6-0 |
452 |
8 |
D. Yale, 31-13 |
Oct. 11 at Columbia |
| 9 |
Southern Illinois |
4-1 |
406 |
11 |
D. Indiana St., 55-27 |
Oct. 11 at No. 1 North Dakota St. |
| 10 |
Illinois St. |
3-2 |
399 |
6 |
Lost to No. 1 North Dakota St., 33-16 |
Oct. 11 at Murray St. |
| 11 |
Monmouth (N.J.) |
4-1 |
383 |
12 |
D. Delaware St., 49-38 |
Oct. 11 at Towson |
| 12 |
North Dakota |
3-2 |
359 |
14 |
D. Northern Iowa, 35-7 |
Oct. 11 vs. No. 20 Youngstown St. |
| 13 |
Idaho |
2-3 |
306 |
15 |
Idle |
Oct. 11 vs. Northern Colorado |
| 14 |
Jackson St. |
4-1 |
269 |
17 |
D. Alabama A&M, 57-24 |
Oct. 11 vs. Alabama St. |
| 15 |
Austin Peay |
4-2 |
224 |
21 |
D. No. 16 West Georgia, 44-30 |
Oct. 11 at Eastern Kentucky |
| 16 |
Northern Arizona |
4-2 |
221 |
13 |
Lost to No. 5 Montana St., 34-10 |
Oct. 11 at No. 6 UC Davis |
| 17 |
Villanova |
3-2 |
211 |
19 |
D. New Hampshire, 37-7 |
Oct. 11 at Elon |
| 18 |
Rhode Island |
4-2 |
203 |
10 |
Lost to Brown, 28-21 |
Oct. 11 vs. New Hampshire |
| 19 |
Mercer |
4-1 |
164 |
22 |
D. Samford, 45-21 |
Oct. 11 at Princeton |
| 20 |
Youngstown St. |
3-2 |
162 |
18 |
Lost to No. 2 South Dakota St., 35-30 |
Oct. 11 at No. 12 North Dakota |
| 21t. |
ACU |
3-3 |
140 |
23 |
D. North Alabama, 52-23 |
Oct. 11 at No. 21t West Georgia |
| 21t. |
West Georgia |
5-1 |
140 |
16 |
Lost to No. 21 Austin Peay, 44-30 |
Oct. 11 vs. No. 21t ACU |
| 23 |
Presbyterian |
5-0 |
130 |
24 |
Idle |
Oct. 11 at Butler |
| 24 |
Lamar |
4-1 |
111 |
25 |
D. Nicholls, 24-17 |
Oct. 11 at East Texas A&M |
| 25 |
Harvard |
3-0 |
64 |
NR |
D. Holy Cross, 59-24 |
Oct. 10 vs. Cornell |
Dropped Out: UIW (20)
Others Receiving Votes: Southeastern Louisiana, 52; Furman, 38; Stephen F. Austin, 33; South Dakota, 21; UIW, 19; Gardner-Webb, 12; Alabama St., 9; Brown, 6; Elon, 6; North Carolina Central, 5;
UT Rio Grande Valley, 4; Lafayette, 3; Cal Poly, 2.
In the National Rankings
UTRGV currently leads the FCS in four statistical categories, ranks in the top five in 18 categories, and the top 25 in 27 categories:
| Category |
Value |
FCS Rank |
SLC Rank |
| Blocked Kicks Allowed |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Blocked Punts Allowed |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Total Yards Per Game |
532.5 |
2 |
1 |
| Turnovers Gained |
13 |
2 |
1 |
| Fumbles Recovered |
7 |
2 |
1 |
| Points Per Game |
48.7 |
3 |
1 |
| Rushing Yards Per Game |
256.3 |
3 |
1 |
| Turnover Margin |
1.33 |
4 |
1 |
| Points Allowed Per Game |
14.3 |
5 |
1 |
| Total Yards Allowed Per Game |
270.5 |
5 |
1 |
| Team Passing Efficiency Defense |
101.16 |
5 |
1 |
| Passing Yards Per Completion |
15.06 |
6 |
1 |
| Defensive Touchdowns |
2 |
6 |
2 |
| First Downs Gained |
136 |
7 |
1 |
| Team Passing Efficiency |
172.93 |
9 |
1 |
| Winning Percentage |
.833 |
9 |
1 |
| Fumbles Lost |
1 |
9 |
1 |
| Passes Intercepted |
6 |
11 |
2 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game |
103.5 |
11 |
2 |
| Passing Yards Per Game |
276.2 |
12 |
1 |
| Team Tackles for Loss Per Game |
7.2 |
14 |
2 |
| Passing Yards Allowed Per Game |
167.0 |
16 |
2 |
| Third Down Conversion Pct. Defense |
.420 |
17 |
3 |
| Fourth Down Conversion Pct. Defense |
.375 |
21 |
1 |
| First Downs Allowed |
88 |
21 |
2 |
| Turnovers Lost |
5 |
23 |
1 |
| Punt Return Defense |
5.22 |
24 |
3 |
UTRGV also has 18 student-athletes ranking among the national leaders:
| Player |
Stat |
Total |
FCS Rank |
SLC Rank |
| Eddie Lee Marburger |
Passing Touchdowns |
14 |
3 |
1 |
|
Points Responsible For |
102 |
4 |
1 |
|
Yards Per Pass Attempt |
10.31 |
5 |
1 |
|
Passing Efficiency |
180.4 |
6 |
1 |
|
Passing Yards Per Completion |
15.68 |
6 |
1 |
|
Passing Yards |
1,474 |
7 |
1 |
|
Total Yards Per Game |
279.7 |
11 |
1 |
|
Points Responsible For Per Game |
17.0 |
11 |
1 |
|
Passing Yards Per Game |
245.7 |
15 |
1 |
|
Completion Percentage |
.657 |
31 |
3 |
|
Completions Per Game |
15.67 |
58 |
4 |
|
Rushing Touchdowns |
3.00 |
79 |
6 |
|
Rushing Yards |
204 |
168 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Tony Diaz |
Receiving Touchdowns |
5 |
12 |
1 |
|
Receiving Yards |
391 |
30 |
3 |
|
Total Touchdowns |
5 |
51 |
2 |
|
Receiving Yards Per Game |
65.2 |
54 |
4 |
|
Receptions Per Game |
4.50 |
61 |
4 |
|
Yards Per Reception |
14.48 |
103 |
6 |
|
Scoring |
5.0 |
148 |
10 |
|
Points Responsible For |
30 |
198 |
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Xayvion Noland |
Yards Per Reception |
30.17 |
1 |
1 |
|
Receiving Yards |
543 |
5 |
1 |
|
Receiving Yards Per Game |
90.5 |
9 |
1 |
|
Receiving Touchdowns |
4 |
21 |
3 |
|
All Purpose Yards Per Game |
113.67 |
27 |
1 |
|
Total Touchdowns |
4 |
87 |
7 |
|
Kick Return Yards |
139 |
92 |
6 |
|
Receptions Per Game |
3.00 |
175 |
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
| TJ Dement |
Rushing Touchdowns |
5 |
28 |
2 |
|
Total Touchdowns |
5 |
51 |
2 |
|
Rushing Yards |
243 |
117 |
6 |
|
Scoring |
5.0 |
148 |
10 |
|
Rushing Yards Per Game |
40.5 |
154 |
9 |
|
Points Responsible For |
30 |
198 |
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Brysen Gardner |
Field Goals Per Game |
1.33 |
17 |
1 |
|
Field Goal Percentage |
.800 |
25 |
2 |
|
Scoring |
8.0 |
26 |
1 |
|
Points Responsible For |
48 |
76 |
6 |
|
Points Responsible For Per Game |
8.0 |
99 |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Fabian Garcia |
Rushing Touchdowns |
3 |
79 |
6 |
|
Rushing Yards Per Game |
42.6 |
143 |
8 |
|
Total Touchdowns |
3 |
146 |
12 |
|
Rushing Yards |
213 |
157 |
10 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Elijah Graham |
Fumble Recoveries |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Interceptions Per Game |
0.33 |
50 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Jaiden Haygood |
Fumble Recoveries |
1 |
23 |
2 |
|
Total Tackles |
7.5 |
89 |
13 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Logic Hudgens |
Fumble Recoveries |
1 |
23 |
2 |
|
Interceptions Per Game |
0.33 |
50 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Alijah Prosser |
Forced Fumbles |
0.33 |
21 |
3 |
|
Passes Defended Per Game |
1.00 |
41 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Percy Jackson III |
Forced Fumbles Per Game |
0.40 |
5 |
1 |
|
Fumble Recoveries |
1 |
23 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Djouvensky Schlenbaker |
Rushing Touchdowns |
3 |
79 |
6 |
|
Total Touchdowns |
3 |
146 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ismael Smith Flores |
Receiving Touchdowns |
3 |
48 |
6 |
|
Total Touchdowns |
3 |
146 |
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Ian Box |
Sacks Per Game |
0.42 |
96 |
8 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Kyran Lee |
Kick Return Yards |
55 |
195 |
19 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Abdon Mata |
Sacks Per Game |
0.50 |
66 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Amari Pouncy |
Fumble Recoveries |
1 |
23 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Spencer Rich |
Fumble Recoveries |
1 |
23 |
2 |
Up Next
Now midway through the season, UTRGV has a bye during week 7 before resuming action on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. at No. 25 Lamar. Fans can watch online domestically on
ESPN+ and internationally on
Southland International. 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.
Support UTRGV Football |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
