THE RIDER FILE PHOTO
Homecoming in college football is a tradition universally heralded across the country. And for the first time in school history, UTRGV’s Homecoming Week will conclude with football on Saturday in Edinburg.
Throughout its 10 years as an institution, and throughout the lives of its legacy institutions, homecoming coincided with basketball as there was no football program. But this is a new era.
And in this new era, the Vaqueros will hit the gridiron, taking on the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals at 7 p.m. at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium.
As it stands, the Vaqueros (5-2) are entering their homecoming game with a Southland Conference record of 1-2, following a heartbreaking 23-21 loss Saturday against Lamar University.
This seems to have ignited a spark in the team as several players stayed late after their first practice back Tuesday, working in extra drills and practice reps with coaches.
Extra efforts did not go unnoticed by head coach Travis Bush, who said that is exactly what he wants to see from his players.
“It’s great,” Bush said. “Everyone’s taking accountability. They’re learning that football is a game of details and inches. The players looked inward [and] focused on how to get better.”
The head coach also told reporters this week’s focus in practice was on details, execution and starting faster as an offense. UTRGV was down 20-7 at the half last week, taking a 21-20 lead before losing via a field goal.
“We made uncharacteristic mistakes, so we’re looking at everything,” Bush said. “Game plan, teaching, practice, but it comes down to execution.”
Starting quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger noted that starting fast on offense begins with him, and the team’s mentality is to flush the loss and “go 1-0” this week.
“No one likes losing,” Marburger said. “You look back and think, ‘I could’ve done more.’ That’s where we’re at right now.”
While starting fast on offense is something the team is working on, defensively, it has been solid. The unit that Marburger called “one of the best in the conference” shut out Lamar’s offense in the third quarter and allowed them to come right back into the game.
Taking a look at UIW (2-5, 0-3 SLC), while it may seem it is in a championship hangover season, Vaquero redshirt freshman linebacker Jayden Haygood said the team is preparing to play “four quarters of hard-nosed football” on Saturday.
“Even though the record doesn’t show it, they’re a great team,” he said. “We’ve got to bring everything we’ve got all four quarters.”
He was a huge factor in last week’s game, totalling 17 tackles, including a sack.
It was back in the fall of 2021 that the student referendum passed to kickstart UTRGV football and, now, the first homecoming football game in school history is only a day away.
“I’m stoked,” said Haygood, who participated in last year’s practice season. “It’s been a long process to get to this point. First homecoming game, fans are going to sell out the crowd. It’s going to force us to play up to our standard. We haven’t lost at home yet, and we’re trying to hold that up every game.”
Redshirt freshman defensive back Alijah Prosser, who also played in this practice year, said the team is both looking forward to homecoming while also noting they cannot “get too high” on the game.
“We’re ready to go out and compete,” Prosser said. “It’s a small margin for error out there. So, we know what we have to fix, and we look forward to doing that in this next game. Just know we’re hungry.”
