UTRGV shines in 33-14 inaugural season finale

Elijah Graham (left), redshirt senior defensive back, headbutts Nathan Denney after a successful play during the second quarter of the Vaqueros’ final football game of the season against East Texas A&M University at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg. The Vaqueros won 33-14.
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The Vaqueros put the clamps on the East Texas A&M University Lions defense to cruise to a 33-14 win at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium tonight to close the 2025 season for the program’s first year.

UTRGV (9-3, 5-3 SLC) finishes as the winningest first-year program in Football Championship Subdivision history and stayed undefeated at home, finishing just outside of the playoff picture, while the Lions (3-9, 3-5 SLC) end 2025 at the bottom half of the conference.

It was UTRGV’s defense that decided the outcome tonight, finishing with 4 tackles for loss, a fumble, a sack and 2 interceptions including a pick-six, leading to easy offense where they went 6-6 in the red zone.

Senior defensive back Logic Hudgens hauled in a 52-yard pick-six for his first career touchdown to tie the game in the first quarter and swing momentum back UTRGV’s way after a short-lived Lions’ lead.

“It felt great,” Hudgens said about the pick-six. “Can’t do it no other way. I feel like we did it the best way that we could [tonight]. That’s just a great play call.”

Eddie Lee Marburger, redshirt senior quarterback, gets ready for a play against the East Texas A&M University Lions during Saturday’s football game at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.
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Eddie Lee Marburger, redshirt senior quarterback, finished the game with 141 yards and 2 passing touchdowns, being subbed out in the fourth quarter. He gave credit to his teammates for tonight’s win, saying, “These guys deserve way more than what I get credit for.”

“I was emotional because I love each and every one of these guys,” Marburger said. “To know this is probably my last time playing football with these guys probably hasn’t hit me yet. The Valley is a special place, man.”

Head coach Travis Bush said he is “proud” of this team, how they played and how they handled themselves following a nearly three-hour rain delay and a slow offensive start.

“We talked about the challenges [tonight],” Bush said. “This was gonna be a test, a final exam. [We were] frustrated with how we started but hats off to the defense with the pick-six.”

The Lions received the opening kickoff and opened the scoring with a methodical 18 play, 80-yard drive that ended in a 1 yard TD run by sophomore RB EJ Oakmon.

After going three and out on its first drive, Hudgens intercepted a pass from Lions’ QB Eric Rodriguez and took it back 52 yards, with the PAT tying the game at 7-7.

Vicente Hughes (left), graduate offensive lineman, and Eddie Lee Marburger, redshirt senior quarterback, tackle East Texas A&M’s Micah Owens, senior defensive lineman, during Saturday’s game at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.
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On their next drive, Marburger found redshirt sophomore tight end Ismael Smith-Flores up the middle for a 20-yard TD pass for a 14-7 Vaqueros lead after the extra point.

Vaqueros’ redshirt sophomore Brysen Gardner, then, drilled 2 field goals from over 30 yards out to extend UTRGV’s lead to 20-7 at the half.

Another interception by the Vaqueros’ defense, this time by redshirt freshman DB Alijah Prosser, set up another scoring drive that culminated in another Garnder field goal to make the score 23-7.

A 4-yard TD pass for Marburger to redshirt freshman wide receiver Kyran Lee put the game firmly out of reach. Another field goal by Gardner, who finished the night 5-5 on field goal attempts, brought the score to 33-7.

Though the Lions would see the end zone again in the fourth, it was a moot point as the Vaqueros entered victory formation to close the books on a win and on the 2025 season.

The first season of UTRGV’s football program has concluded. The 24-team FCS playoff bracket will be officially decided on Sunday.