THIBODAUX, La. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter Saturday but dropped its Southland Conference (SLC) opener, 31-28, to the Nicholls Colonels at John L. Guidry Stadium.
Junior receiver
Kyran Lee had a career-high eight receptions for 125 yards and one touchdown for UTRGV (1-2, 0-1 SLC). Junior receiver
Jaydon Smith added 90 yards and one touchdown on four catches. Fifth-year quarterback
Garret Rangel got the start and went 12-for-28 with 127 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Junior quarterback
Aidan Jakobsohn finished 7-for-17 with 137 yards and two touchdowns. Junior running back
Brennan Carroll had a team-high 36 rushing yards.
Linebacker
Spencer Rich had 15 tackles for UTRGV, one shy of his career high, with seven solo stops. Junior defensive back
Alijah Prosser added five tackles and three pass breakups. Graduate student defensive back
Dorian Blackwell tabbed his second interception of the season.
Ean Rodrigue led the Colonels (2-1, 1-0 SLC) with four touchdowns on a 21-for-36 night with 235 passing yards and one interception.
Jackson Dufrene caught three touchdowns for 99 yards and
Shane Lee scored a receiving touchdown on his only catch of the night. Lee had a game-high 47 rushing yards.
Kennon Loftin led the Nicholls defense with 12 tackles and one interception.
Skylar Husband had an interception and seven tackles, all solo.
The Nicholls defense gave UTRGV fits in the first quarter. A tipped pass at the line turned into an interception for the Colonels, who capitalized on the turnover on the ensuing drive as Rodrigue found Dufrene for an 18-yard score in the first five minutes of the game. UTRGV's offense committed three penalties on the following drive, forcing a 53-yard field goal attempt which was blocked as the Nicholls defensive front controlled the first quarter.
After giving up a second touchdown connection to Rodrigue and Dufrene, this one from 20 yards out to make it 14-0 in the opening minute of the quarter, the Vaqueros found their groove. Rangel conducted a crisp six-play, 58-yard drive started by a 26-yard return from Lee which excited the fans in orange and white. Rangel escaped pressure for a 14-yard scramble on the first play of the drive, then hit three different receivers to move downfield. Rangel found a wide-open Lee down the visitor's sideline for a 29-yard touchdown.
UTRGV stopped Nicholls on its next two drives. First, the Vaqueros forced a three-and-out. Then, Prosser notched another pass breakup and deflected the ball to Blackwell, who hauled in a key interception.
The Colonels forced the Vaqueros to punt, but UTRGV's special teams didn't let the momentum go to waste. Fifth-year
Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling delivered a beautiful 47-yard punt that dropped inside the five-yard line. The Nicholls returner muffed the catch and it was recovered by fifth-year defensive back
Keion Bryant on the three. Junior running back
TJ Dement punched it in from the one two plays later to knot the game at 14-14 with 4:25 remaining in the half.
Kingston Phan tacked on a 32-yard field goal to send the Colonels to the locker room with a 17-14 lead. Nicholls opened the second half with a 17-play drive which took nearly 8:29 off the clock. Rodrigue and Dufrene connected for a third touchdown, this one a three-yard pass on fourth down, to give Nicholls a 24-14 edge.
The Colonels added a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rodrigue to Shane Lee late in the third to grow the lead to 31-14. The Nicholls defense snagged an interception to roll into the fourth in control.
Jakobsohn went under center to lead UTRGV's offense in the fourth quarter. Jakobsohn and Smith, former high school teammates and long-time friends, connected on two key plays on a big scoring drive. First, Jakobsohn found Smith for 26-yards on third and 10. Later, Jakobsohn responded after being sacked by hitting Smith for a 36-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 31-21 with 8:59 to play. The ball was delivered on a dime, dropping over two defenders to find the extended hands of Smith, who got a step on his man with a well-run route.
UTRGV's defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive as graduate student defensive lineman
Nathan Huerta and Co. pressured the quarterback. The Vaqueros were driving well until a fumbled handoff was recovered by the Colonels. The gritty Vaqueros defense responded by forcing another quick punt as Rich helped stymie three consecutive run plays.
Jakobsohn took the Vaqueros quickly downfield to make things interesting late. This drive, he turned to Lee for two first downs and scrambled out of pressure for a 10-yard pickup. Junior receiver
Christian Sabsook caught his first touchdown pass, a seven-yard feed from Jakobsohn, to get within 31-28 with 57 seconds to play.
UTRGV attempted an onside kick but it was grabbed by Nicholls to secure the win.
UTRGV will be back home Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. to face McNeese at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium. Tickets will go on sale Monday at 8 a.m. at
UTRGVTickets.com.
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