RIO GRANDE VALLEY – After a 2:34 weather delay right before kickoff, (RV) The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team closed out the winningest inaugural season in FCS history by beating the East Texas A&M Lions 33-14 on Saturday at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium.
UTRGV sold out all seven of its home games, including 12,320 on Saturday, finishing with a season attendance of 87,774, the 10
th best in the FCS. UTRGV averaged 12,539 fans per game, the 16
th-best average in the FCS.
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, UTRGV is the only one to go undefeated at home, as the Vaqueros finished 7-0. UTRGV is also the only team to win more than seven games, finishing with nine wins, and the only one to win more than five games against FCS competition, finishing with six such wins.
UTRGV (9-3, 5-3 SLC) finishes the season tied for third place in the Southland Conference with No. 19 Lamar (8-4, 5-3 SLC).
Graduate student
Nathan Denney led the Vaqueros by rushing 26 times for a career-high 158 yards, marking his third 100+ yard rushing game of the season. Senior Sharyland Pioneer alum
Eddie Lee Marburger went 17-for-22 for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore
Ismael Smith Flores made a career-high tying four receptions for 37 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, graduate student
Spencer Rich posted a game-high 13 tackles (five solo), one of which went for a loss, along with a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
The Vaqueros trailed 7-0 late in the first quarter when senior
Logic Hudgens picked off a pass from
Eric Rodriguez and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. It was Hudgens' first-career touchdown and fourth-career interception.
The Vaqueros scored on all three of their offensive possessions of the second quarter, starting with a 12-play, 91-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Marburger to Smith Flores to put the Vaqueros up 14-7.
On the next two UTRGV possessions, sophomore
Brysen Gardner kicked field goals to help the Vaqueros build a 20-7 halftime lead.
Gardner added another field goal midway through the third quarter to put the Vaqueros up 23-7.
Marburger found freshman
Kyran Lee for a 4-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give the Vaqueros a 30-7 lead.
Gardner connected on one more field goal late in the fourth quarter, his career-high fourth, to put the Vaqueros up 33-7.
The Lions (3-9, 3-5 SLC) started the game by driving 80 yards on 18 plays over the first eight minutes, capping the drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown up the middle by
EJ Oakmon, to take a 7-0 lead. This marked the first time UTRGV had ever trailed in a home game.
The Lions added a touchdown in the closing minutes on 24-yard pass from
Jack Jacobs to
Tyler Daniels.
Week 13 Southland Conference Scoreboard
Nov. 20
Nicholls 26 @
#20 Southeastern 38
#13 Stephen F. Austin 62 @ Northwestern State 14
Nov. 22
UIW 31 @ Houston Christian University 10
McNeese 21 @ #19 Lamar 19
East Texas A&M 14 @
(RV) UTRGV 33
Southland Conference Standings
Team SLC Record Overall Record
#13 Stephen F. Austin 8-0 10-2
#20 Southeastern 7-1 9-3
#19 Lamar 5-3 8-4
(RV) UTRGV 5-3 9-3
Nicholls 4-4 4-8
McNeese 4-4 5-7
East Texas A&M 3-5 3-9
UIW 3-5 5-7
Houston Christian University 1-7 2-10
Northwestern State 0-8 1-11
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