RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Southland Conference announced on Monday that freshman wide receiver Tony Diaz of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football team is the Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
 
During Saturday's 28-13 victory at McNeese, Diaz, who also earned Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week Honorable Mention, posted his first multi-touchdown game, scoring a career-high three touchdowns. He posted his fourth 100+ yard receiving game, finishing with 134 yards on seven receptions, an average of over 19 yard per reception. Diaz also had a career-long reception of 75 yards, leading to a touchdown.
 
In 11 games this season, Diaz has made 63 receptions for 825 yards, an average of 13.1 yards per reception and 75.0 yards per game while scoring 11 touchdowns. He has made 13 receptions of 20 or more yards, three of which have led to touchdowns.
 
Diaz ranks 11^th in the FCS and first in the Southland in receiving touchdowns (11), 11^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in receptions per game (5.73), 15^th in the FCS and first in the Southland in receiving yards (825), 26^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in receiving yards per game (75.0), 29^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in total touchdowns (11), 71^st in the FCS and sixth in the Southland in total points scored (66), 81^st in the FCS and seventh in the Southland in scoring (6.0), 132^nd in the FCS and eighth in the Southland in all-purpose yards per game (74.91), 165^th in the FCS and 13^th in the Southland in points responsible for (66), and 157^th in the FCS and eighth in the Southland in yards per reception (13.10).
 
Diaz is part of an offense that ranks ninth in the FCS and first in the Southland in scoring (40.2), 11^th in the FCS and first in the Southland in passing yards per completion (14.18) and total yards per game (446.4), 18^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in passing yards per game (256.5), 20^th in the FCS and first in the Southland in third down conversion percentage (45.5%), and 38^th in the FCS and fourth in the Southland in completion percentage (63.4%).
 
At 8-3, UTRGV has clinched a winning season and become the first of the 11 football programs to start from scratch at the NCAA DI-AA (1978-2005)/FCS (2006-Present) level since Division I college football split into two levels in 1978 to win eight games. UTRGV is also one of two programs to win five FCS games in its inaugural season along with Florida International (5, 2002), one of only two programs to win multiple road games (two), along with Coastal Carolina (2003), which won four total road games, three of which were against DI-AA competition, and one of two programs to receive votes at any point during its inaugural season, along with Kennesaw State (2015), which received two points in the Week 7 AFCA Coaches Poll. UTRGV is the only program to earn more than two points or receive votes in multiple weeks.
 
Up Next
UTRGV wraps up its inaugural season against East Texas A&M on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium.
 
A limited number of individual tickets go on sale Friday at 8 a.m. at UTRGVTickets.com.
 
The action starts with KRGV's Vaqueros Game Day at 10 a.m. in Schlotzsky's Vaquero Village at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Tailgating at Vackar Stadium begins at 12 p.m. The Vaqueros Walk is at 2:45 p.m. in the H-E-B Tailgate Zone followed by a pep rally in the amphitheater. Fans do not need a game ticket to access Vaqueros Game Day or the tailgating areas.
 
Gates to Vackar Stadium open at 3:30 p.m.
 
Fans can learn more about game day, including parking information, maps, and the clear bag policy, by visiting RallyTheValley.com.
 
Fans can watch online domestically on ESPN+ and internationally on Southland International.
 
Fans can listen in English locally on Ultra 90.1 FM, in Laredo on Pure Country 95.7 FM, and online via the Radio Para Mi app, and in Spanish locally on KYWW 1530 AM Puro Tejano and KGBT-FM 98.5 La Preferida and online via the Uforia app.
 
UTRGV Weekly Southland Conference Honors
Sept. 1 – Eddie Lee Marburger, Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention
Sept. 8 – Nathan Denney, Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 15 – Elijah Graham, Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention
Oct. 27 – Eddie Lee Marburger, Offensive Player of the Week
Nov. 10 – Nathan Denney, Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention
Nov. 17 – Tony Diaz, Offensive Player of the Week

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