RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Southland Conference (SLC) announced football player of the week awards on Monday and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) fifth year defensive back TJ Neal claimed the Defensive Player of the Week award. 
 
Neal had a tremendous night to help a UTRGV Vaqueros defensive effort which held Southeastern to its lowest scoring total in a conference game since 2018 as the Vaqueros slugged out a 13-3 victory Oct. 10 at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium. Southeastern was averaging 32.4 points per game heading into the contest. 
 
Neal totaled 10 tackles and became just the second player in the conference to have two interceptions in a game. His first interception came at the end of the second quarter as he made a great read and snagged a pass on the sideline to stymie a Southeastern drive. UTRGV cashed in Neal's turnover with a field goal for the first points of the night. 
 
In the fourth quarter, Neal stopped Southeastern's comeback attempt with a tip-drill interception, grabbing the ball as it deflected off a receiver's hands. He ran it back 51 yards, which is the longest interception return in the conference this season. Southeastern quarterback Kyle Lowe had thrown three interceptions through five games heading into the Week 6 contest and threw three against UTRGV's aggressive defense. 
 
The Vaqueros (3-3, 2-2 SLC) will be back in action Saturday at 6 p.m. at UIW. 
 
2026 Football SLC Awards 
Aidan Jakobsohn, Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 21) 
Jaiden Haygood, Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 21)
TJ Neal, Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 12) 

Support UTRGV Vaqueros™ | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube