RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros football team is back home after two tough weeks on the road to face the McNeese Cowboys in a Southland Conference (SLC) contest at Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday. 
 
For the first time in program history, the Vaqueros are heading into a contest looking to snap a two-game losing skid. Head coach Travis Bush sees this next game as a learning opportunity for his second-year program. 
 
"Still in the growing phases of our program. There are situations we haven't been in yet, so as a head coach, I'm excited to see how we respond, how we come back from this," Bush said. 
 
The Vaqueros knew the first quarter of their season would be tough, particularly with back-to-back road tests at UTSA, their first FBS opponent, and at Nicholls, a team which hasn't lost a home conference contest since Nov. 2024. They aren't letting one game define them. UTRGV knows more challenges are ahead and the squad is looking to turn loss into lesson. 
 
"We knew our schedule was going to be tough, especially early. We're going to have to get really good really fast to have a chance to compete," Bush said. "There's a lot of things we got to improve on. We're still so young in areas, and there are still certain things that you just got to learn in ballgames, and the way to learn them is to make those mistakes. We're just taking what we learn each week. Do things good, do good things bad, learn from it and try to improve on it each week." 
 
UTRGV and McNeese head into this one with identical 1-2, 0-1 SLC records and similar paths through the first three weeks of the season. Both teams earned shutout victories over non-Div. I opponents. Both teams dropped their conference opener to a tough Southland foe. UTRGV fell at UTSA while McNeese dropped a competitive Week 2 contest, 27-24, to Tarleton State, a team ranked in the top 5 in both FCS polls which Bush said operates similar to a FBS program. 
 
The Vaqueros are averaging 29.3 points/game while the Cowboys have scored 34.3 PPG. McNeese's offense is balanced on paper, accumulating 467.3 yards/game with 774 passing yards and 628 yards through the air through three contests. UTRGV is racking up 474.7 yards/game with the passing game producing the big plays and accounting for 913 yards while 511 yards have come on the ground. 
 
UTRGV's defense has played well despite a pair of early losses. The Vaqueros have held opponents to under 100 rushing yards in two contests and totaled four interceptions with one fumble. The Cowboys defense has forced four turnovers and is holding opponents to 21.6 PPG. Through three games, McNeese has made it clear that the 2026 Cowboys are not the same as the 2025 Cowboys who went 5-7 and 4-4 in conference play. 
 
"We got a good football team coming in here this week. McNeese is probably one of the most underrated teams in this conference, probably one of the most talented teams in this conference," Bush said. "They've played two top 10 teams in the country and have gone toe-to-toe with them. Solid, well-coached football team." 
 
Saturday's game will be McNeese's first away from home this season. The Vaqueros will look to protect Vackar Stadium and extend their home winning streak to nine games. But they know to do that, they have to focus on themselves. UTRGV focused on situational football and cleaning up the details to combat penalties and missed opportunities in preparation for this next test. 
 
The Vaqueros have flashed their potential and showed a lot of grit through the first three weeks of competition. At UTSA, UTRGV fought to the final whistle and scored a game-high 10 points in the fourth quarter. At Nicholls, the Vaqueros nearly erased a 17-point deficit as they outscored the Colonels 14-0 in the fourth quarter. 
 
Things haven't been easy with injuries impacting a fairly new offense developing chemistry. But the Vaqueros haven't made excuses. They've taken the challenges head-on, made adjustments, and seen different people step up in different scenarios. 
 
UTRGV will lean on that heart against McNeese as the Vaqueros aim to get things back on track in front of the home crowd. 
 
"You look at the first three quarters [at Nicholls] and see how we played, we missed some things. But you look at the fourth and you see who we are," Bush said. "That's the toughness, the mentality, the fight in this team. We can fix what's on the outside. All that stuff the first three quarters – that's coachable. But what you saw in the fourth, that's the stuff that comes from inside, the fight, the chemistry and unity of this team, and that's the most promising thing. The guys are hungry. They're excited to get back home and excited to try to find a way to get that winning taste back in their mouth." 

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