RIO GRANDE VALLEY –
Dave Campbell's Texas Football announced on Monday that The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) senior quarterback
Eddie Lee Marburger is the Texas Non-FBS Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Texas Non-FBS first team selection, while freshman wide receiver
Tony Diaz and junior punter
Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling are second team selections.
Eddie Lee Marburger
The Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First Team honoree, Marburger finished tied for 25
th in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, which honors the national offensive player of the year. He earned National Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention and Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 27 as well as Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention on Sept. 1.
Marburger led the Southland in nine statistical categories, ranking fourth in the FCS in passing efficiency (170.8), sixth in passing touchdowns (31), seventh in points responsible for per game (17.5), ninth in passing yards per completion (13.97), points responsible for (210), and yards per pass attempt (9.11), 17
th in total yards per game (257.3), 19
th in passing yards per game (231.7), and 23
rd in passing yards (2,780).
He also ranked third in the Southland in two categories, ranking 26
th in the FCS in completion percentage (65.2%) and 41
st in completions per game (16.58).
Marburger's best game was on Oct. 25, when he threw a career-high six touchdowns passes while going a career-high 26-for-36 for a career-high 440 yards and adding a rushing touchdown vs. UIW. He scored a career-high two rushing touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 95 yards on 15 carries and throwing for 131 yards and one touchdown vs. Houston Christian University to give the Vaqueros their first-ever Southland victory on Oct. 4. Marburger started the season with a bang, throwing five touchdown passes while going 19-for-20 for 417 yards in the first half vs. Sul Ross State on Aug. 30.
Marburger graduated this past weekend with a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies (business administration, management, marketing).
Tony Diaz
An Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention, a member of the Freshman All-America Teams as selected by both Stats Perform and FCS Football Central, the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and an all-conference first team selection, Diaz finished seventh in the Jerry Rice Award voting, which honors the FCS freshman of the year.
Diaz was also a two-time National Freshman of the Week Honorable Mention (Nov. 17 & Oct. 27) and a Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 17).
Diaz led the Vaqueros with 11 touchdowns among his 68 receptions for 875 yards, an average of 12.9 yards per reception and 72.9 yards per game.
Diaz ranks sixth in the FCS and first in the Southland in receiving touchdowns (11), 14
th in the FCS and third in the Southland in receptions per game (5.67), 32
nd in the FCS and second in the Southland in receiving yards (875), 34
th in the FCS and third in the Southland in receiving yards per game (72.9), 44
th in the FCS and second in the Southland in total touchdowns (11), 102
nd in the FCS and eighth in the Southland in total points scored (66), 103
rd in the FCS and eighth in the Southland in scoring (5.5), 146
th in the FCS and 10
th in the Southland in all-purpose yards per game (72.83), and 180
th in the FCS and ninth in the Southland in yards per receptions (12.87).
Diaz posted four games of 100+ receiving yards, including a career-high 172 vs. UIW on 17 receptions, the third-most in Southland history, on Oct. 25. He scored touchdowns in nine games, including a career-high three in a win at McNeese on Nov. 15. He also made several one-handed catches, including for big gains and touchdowns.
Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling (All-Conference Second Team Punter)
A member of the all-conference second team, Wallace-Dilling punted 45 times for 1,965 yards, ranking 15
th in the FCS and second in the Southland in punting average at 43.7 yards per punt. He placed 17 punts inside the 20, including several inside the 5, with 14 punts over 50 yards, including one of 58 yards. Only four of his punts resulted in touchbacks and nine in fair catches.
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