RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team finished undefeated during its inaugural non-conference slate, improving to 4-0 with a 61-13 victory over the Texas Wesleyan Rams on Saturday at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium in front of a sellout crowd of 12,447.
The Vaqueros (4-0) are the second brand new FCS program to start 4-0 in their inaugural season since 2008, joining South Alabama (2009).
The Vaqueros are one of 15 remaining undefeated program in the FCS and one of six undefeated teams with at least four wins.
Five different running backs scored touchdowns for the Vaqueros, including junior
Djouvensky Schlenbaker, freshman
TJ Dement, freshman
Brennan Carroll, freshman San Benito alum
Fabian Garcia, and freshman
Broderick Taylor.
On the Vaqueros' second drive of the game, senior Sharyland Pioneer alum
Eddie Lee Marburger completed four passes for 50 yards, Dement added an eight-yard rush, and on the sixth play, Schlenbaker punched in a 2-yard touchdown to put the Vaqueros up 7-0.
The Vaqueros' next drive started with a 47-yard pass by Marburger to sophomore
Xayvion Noland and ended on the third play with a 12-yard rushing touchdown by Dement to make the score 14-0.
On the Vaqueros' third drive, Garcia used a 17-yard rush on the fourth play to setup a 5-yard touchdown pass to freshman
Tony Diaz to make the score 21-0.
Carroll rushed on the final three plays of the Vaqueros' fourth drive, scoring his first-carer touchdown to put the Vaqueros up 28-0.
On the first play of the ensuring Rams (1-2) drive, freshman
Alijah Prosser picked off a pass from
Cole Francis and ran it 52 yards into the end zone to put the Vaqueros up 35-0.
Sophomore
Brysen Gardner made a field goal, and the Vaqueros added a safety to take a 40-0 lead into the locker room.
Marburger added a rushing touchdown to start the second half, taking a career-long 40-yard rush to the house to put the Vaqueros up 47-0.
Marburger finished 17-for-23 (73.91%) for 223 passing yards plus 47 rushing yards for 270 total yards and two touchdowns.
Jaiden Jones picked off a pass by freshman
Aidan Jakobsohn and returned it for a 65-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, becoming the first opposing player to ever score at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium while bringing the Rams within 47-7.
Ashton Mitchell-Johnson punched in a goal line touchdown early in the fourth quarter to bring the Rams within 47-13. The Vaqueros blocked the extra point attempt, marking the first blocked extra point attempt in program history.
The Vaqueros responded with a 5-play, 33-yard drive, capped by 5-yard touchdown run by Garcia to make the score 54-13.
Taylor scored his touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 78-yard rush, the longest in program history, to make the score 61-13.
UTRGV opens Southland Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. at Southeastern, a team receiving votes in the FCS Coaches Poll. 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.
Undefeated Teams in NCAA Division I FCS Football
Team Record Last Game Next Game
#1 North Dakota State 3-0 W 41-14 vs. (RV) Southeast Missouri State (9/13) vs. #20 South Dakota (9/27)
#2 South Dakota State 3-0 W 37-21 vs. Drake (9/13) vs. Mercyhurst (9/27)
#3 Tarleton State 5-0 W 52-24 vs. Chattanooga (9/20) vs. Southern Utah (10/4)
#5 Rhode Island 4-0 W 28-7 vs. (RV) LIU (9/20) @ Western Michigan (9/27)
#7 Montana 3-0 W 63-20 vs. (RV) Indiana State (9/20) vs. #8 Idaho (9/27)
#12 Lehigh 4-0 W 41-24 @ Bucknell (9/20) vs. Penn (9/27)
#16 Tennessee Tech 3-0 W 72-14 vs. Davidson (9/13) @ (RV) Tennessee State (9/27)
(RV) Presbyterian 4-0 W 76-3 vs. Bluefield (9/20) vs. Morehead State (9/27)
(RV) West Georgia 4-0 W 33-12 vs. (RV) Eastern Kentucky (9/20) @ Southern Utah (9/27)
UTRGV 4-0 W 61-13 vs. Texas Wesleyan (9/20) @ (RV) Southeastern (9/27)
Brown 1-0 W 46-0 vs. Georgetown (9/20) @ Harvard (9/27)
Dartmouth 1-0 W 27-20 vs. #23 New Hampshire (9/20) @ Central Connecticut State (9/27)
Harvard 1-0 W 59-7 @ Stetson (9/20) vs. Brown (9/27)
Penn 1-0 W 24-21 @ Stonehill (9/20) @ #12 Lehigh (9/27)
Yale 1-0 W 28-10 vs. Holy Cross (9/20) vs. Cornell (9/27)
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