Historic blowout in Edinburg

Vaqueros dominate first game in program history

EDINBURG – The Vaqueros (1-0) did not disappoint in their much anticipated debut to college football, routing the Sul Ross State University Lobos (0-1) in a 66-0 rout tonight at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium.

The win marks the first win in program history, with many program marks being set tonight in front of a sellout crowd of 12,726.

Vaqueros head coach Travis Bush was ecstatic after the game, stating that tonight’s game was “a first class event” and it was “as good as it gets” to start 1-0.

“We were looking for effort and execution,” Bush said. “Guys came out and started fast, and that was the goal. We wanted to come out and start fast offensively.”

UTRGV’s defense set the tone early, dominating at the line, forcing nine tackles for loss (47 defensive yards) including four sacks.

“We felt like if we could dominate the line of scrimmage, then we’d have a pretty good day,” he said. “Coach [Brian] Gamble caught a great game and got a lot of guys in. It was good to see those guys have fun out there.”

Meanwhile, the Vaqueros offense looked unstoppable in tonight’s game, scoring touchdowns in every drive until a fourth quarter field goal.

Senior quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger (1-0) went 17-18, throwing for 365 yards and 5 touchdowns. He did not start the second half, benched for freshman Aidan Jakobsohn (7-7, 73 YDS).

The Mission native and Sharyland Pioneer alum was thankful in his press conference, thanking God, coach Bush, the university and the fans in his comments after the game.

“[UTRGV] put a lot of hard work into this,” Marburger said. “Just to see everyone having fun, man, it was honestly a great time. Just seeing the rewards that come from hard work was pretty cool.”

Sophomore wide receiver Xaviyon Noland caught two touchdowns with 126 yards total, including the first touchdown in program history on a 50-yard deep shot by Marburger. 

“It was fun taking those shots deep,” Noland said. “Obviously, it wouldn’t have happened without a good quarterback and a good O-line, so shout out to them. But yeah, it was fun taking those shots.”

After forcing a three and out by way of an early sack by defensive back Alijah Prosser, the Vaqueros struck quickly on the aforementioned touchdown pass to Noland to give UTRGV a 7-0 lead after the extra point.

Following another Lobos three and out, Marburger led UTRGV down the field, setting up a 6-yard touchdown catch by tight end Ismael Smith-Flores to extend their lead to 14-0.

This trend would continue over the next four sequences, with the Vaqueros forcing two three and outs and netting two touchdowns, one rushing by junior running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker and the other to wide receiver Tony Diaz.

The first quarter ended with the Vaqueros up by 28. Marburger then began the second quarter by launching a 76-yard touchdown pass to Noland, making it 35-0 UTRGV.

Graduate RB TJ Dement brought in a goal line touchdown to extend the Vaqueros’ lead to 42 following the extra point. They brought it up to 49 on a 61-yard reception from Marburger to junior wideout Tavian Cord.

The second half of the game saw freshman quarterback Aidan Jakobsohn take the ball for UTRGV. Going 3-3 on his first drive, he handed the ball off to Dement who scored his second touchdown of the day, making it 55-0. 

A touchdown rush by freshman running back and San Benito alum Fabian Garcia and a field goal by kicker Brysen Gardner brought the score to 66-0, where it would remain until the final whistle.

The Vaqueros go on the road next week to face Prairie View A&M University. Fans can view the game on SWAC TV or listen on 90.1 FM or 95.7 FM in the Rio Grande Valley. 

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