COMMERCE, Texas – Coming off a get-right win over McNeese and a hard-earned bye week, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team is back on the road Saturday for a 6 p.m. Southland Conference (SLC) game against the East Texas A&M (ETAMU) Lions at Memorial Stadium. 
 
The Vaqueros (2-2, 1-1 SLC) changed things up ahead of Saturday's game. The team started the road trip to Commerce a day earlier than a typical road week, so the practice schedule shifted by a day, too. Head coach Travis Bush recognized a learning opportunity in the break in routine and decided to maximize it. Offense and defense, quarterbacks and specialists swapped uniform colors for practice. Everyone wore a different jersey number. Bush and his staff wanted to "get them out of their comfort zone" as another way to get ready for the challenges of a road game. 
 
"We're creatures of habit. We get set in a routine. But everything on the road is not routine. So, anything that's of routine, we've totally mixed it up to train the guys to not worry about things you can't control. The guys have responded well," Bush said. 
 
UTRGV controlled most of its last game, cruising to a 27-10 win over McNeese for the first conference victory of the season. The Vaqueros improved to 9-0 at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium with the win and Bush credited the home crowd energy and "Valley Voodoo" for firing up the team. Now the challenge is to bring that momentum, that energy, that intensity felt during a home game on the road with them. 
 
The Vaqueros had to wait until the last conference road game to pick up a Southland win away from Vackar Stadium in the inaugural season. They battled back in the fourth quarter at Nicholls three weeks ago but fell short, 31-28. When they take on the Lions (1-4, 1-2 SLC) Saturday, UTRGV will be chasing the third road win in program history and aiming to bolster the confidence on the road with four more competitive away games still to be played. 
 
"It's just a matter of us executing and playing with that same passion and energy that we play with at Vackar Stadium," Bush said. "If we're going to take this program to the next step, if you're talking competing for championships, then you've got to be able to play with that same high level of intensity no matter where you're playing, no matter who you're playing." 
 
In some ways, both UTRGV and East Texas A&M are in the midst of just the second SLC football seasons for the programs with the Vaqueros in Year 2 of their existence and the Lions in Year 2 as full Div. I members. ETAMU head coach Clint Dolezel is in his fourth season with the program and holds an 8-31 record, while Bush is 11-5 at UTRGV. Both teams have only won in their home stadiums so far in 2026. 
 
The Lions head into this game on a two-game losing skid, dropping games at Tulsa (42-0) and McNeese (27-24) after a dominant 38-14 win over Northwestern State at Memorial Stadium three weeks ago. They are averaging 16.8 points per game with 350.4 yards/game compared to 28.77 PPG and a conference-high 478.0 YPG for the Vaqueros. 
 
UTRGV's top-ranked defense in the SLC will aim to keep the turnovers coming as it faces a Lions quarterback room which has thrown nine interceptions this season. Eric Rodriguez and Jack Jacobs have spent the most time under center, averaging 192.3 passing YPG with six interceptions and 79.5 passing YPG with one interception, respectively. UTRGV is the only team in the conference to have multiple games with three interceptions. Helping to disrupt opposing offenses is sixth-year linebacker Spencer Rich, who is first in the SLC with 9.3 tackles/game. 
 
The receiving corps could shine in this game. UTRGV junior Kyran Lee leads the conference and is 17^th in FCS averaging 84.5 receiving YPG and three Vaqueros targets rank in the top 10 in the league in the stat category. ETAMU's Micah Simpson is second in receptions/game (5.8), third in receiving yards/game (78.2), and fourth in all-purpose yards/game (91.8). 
 
ETAMU leads the SLC in passing yards allowed per game (167.6), which could bode well for a Vaqueros offense equipped with big-play ability. Junior quarterback Aidan Jakobsohn currently leads the SLC and is fifth in the nation averaging 16.5 yards per completion and has a 134.3 passing efficiency. His longtime trusty target, junior Jaydon Smith, leads the SLC averaging 23.9 yards/reception. 
 
The stats on paper are just that, though – on paper. The game plays out on the gridiron. With tricky weather conditions possible and Saturday's game being homecoming for the Lions, the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium could be a factor. But if the Vaqueros focus on the message of the week – adjust to chaos, don't worry about what you can't control, create your own intensity – the outcome will be in their hands.  
 
"They're a good football team. I'm sure they're excited to be back home and they're ready to play with that same passion. So, we've got to bring it," Bush said. "We've got to be ready from the get-go. We're going to have to play our best across the board to have a chance. We challenged our team to match how we responded against McNeese and play with that same high level of intensity and being able to take that on the road. That's the challenge this week and I'm really anticipating those guys doing what they're supposed to do." 

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