Daniela Chapa-Reyes 
Jose Rodriguez/THE RIDER
The UTRGV Football Team(5-1, 1-1) marked their first conference win against Houston Christian University (1-4, 0-1) 27-7 tonight at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.
Head coach Travis Bush said he is proud of the team, calling it “the perfect ending of the week.”
“Every win feels good,” Bush said. “It is very hard to win football games at this level, regardless of who you are playing. Every day you fight for that opportunity to feel like we feel right now.”
Redshirt junior defensive end Ian Box marked two sacks during the game. Box said everyone played their role in the team.
“We did our part, we got there,” he said. “They scored one time and we almost had a redzone stand; we all did our job.”
The game was off to a shocking start as the Vaqueros were quick to intercept a Huskies pass, marking a turnaround for ball possession. Redshirt freshman running back TJ Dement was quick to rush and gain 3 yards for the Vaqueros.
Shortly after, a false start penalty was called on redshirt junior defensive back TJ Neal. As the Vaqueros now play defensively, Huskies redshirt freshman running back Xai’Shaun Edwards marked down 8 yards.
The first quarter continued with intense pressure from both teams. However, redshirt senior quarterback and Mission-native Eddie Lee Marburger marked the first touchdown of the night, taking the ball 30 yards to the endzone with only 17 seconds left on the clock. Redshirt sophomore kicker Brysen Gardener brought the score to 7-0.
Jose Rodriguez/THE RIDER
The second quarter started with the Huskies marking several incomplete passes, but came back up to gain 7 yards. HCU was then granted a false start penalty on redshirt senior offensive lineman Cullen Montgomery.
Huskies redshirt senior quarterback Jake Weir then proceeded to get sacked, losing out on 10 yards at the 43 yard-line. Their offense had been good, but the Vaquero defense had been doing a good job at preventing the offense from catching up.
With eight minutes left in the second quarter, the ball was placed at the one-yard line. The Huskies and Vaqueros were battling out intensely, with the home team balling up together to keep HCU out of the endzone.
However, the Huskies finally marked their first touchdown of the night with 7:26 left on the clock, tying the game up 7-7.
As the first half came to an end, the teams were still tied 7-7. Houston Christian took the lead with 112 passing yards, UTRGV with only 64.
The third quarter kicked off with Marburger completing a 13-yard pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Tony Diaz. Shortly thereafter, Marburger scored the second Vaquero touchdown for the night after rushing up the middle, gaining a singular yard. The score then became 14-7.
The fourth quarter brought in three boosters for UTRGV. Gardner marked a field goal to up the score 17-7. Redshirt sophomore tight end Ismael Smith Flores followed with a touchdown after a 4-yard pass from Marburger. Gardner closed off the score for the night after a 43-yard field goal, closing off the game 27-7.
Marburger said the team is “a phenomenal group.”
“This bond that we have, is not normal,” he said. “I’ve been to other places, I’ve seen other things and the bond that we have is not normal. … I love these guys.”
The Vaqueros will next face the Lamar University Cardinals away on Oct. 18.
Jose Rodriguez/THE RIDER
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