Rewrite a fully new long article using the information from
Know the foe: UTRGV
Published 9:38 am Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Upstart Vaqueros turning heads at 7-3
Talk about making a good first impression.
Texas-Rio Grande Valley started its football program this fall by winning four straight out of the gate.
While none of those opponents were world beaters, and only one was Division I, the streak gave the Vaqueros momentum and surprised those watching. With two games remaining, RGV is 7-3, 3-3 in the Southland Conference, and a surprise to all but themselves.
“They’re doing a really, really good job,” said McNeese State head coach Matt Viator. “How they set up their schedule is really smart.”
The Vaqueros’ success may be a surprise to most, but it isn’t to them.
“This is a process we expected,” defensive back TJ Neal said after they beat Nicholls 28-21 last Saturday night. “We saw the standard Coach (Travis) Bush was putting together. We expected to win.”
The victory over Nicholls made the Vaqueros the first team ever to post seven wins in their inaugural season.
“All the credit to those dudes in the locker room,” said Bush. “They all came here with a chip on their shoulders to prove themselves. They came here with a vision to prove people wrong.”
Fueled by a high-powered offense, they have done just that. They have also become the biggest draw in the Southland, as RGV is about to unseat McNeese in top home attendance. And they don’t believe they are done.
“Energy and effort,” said Neal. “As long as we give max effort, we can go toe-to-toe with anyone.”
During those first four games, RGV outscored its opponents 234-34. They still lead the Southland in scoring, averaging 41.4 points per game.
Quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger leads the Vaqueros’ high-powered offense. He is 165 of 254 for 2,382 and 25 touchdowns, nine more than any other QB in the league.
“Their quarterback is a really good player,” said Viator. “He does a nice job spreading the ball around.”
Marburger has two leading receivers, Zayvion Noland and Tony Diaz. Noland is the big-play guy, averaging 24.7 yards a catch.
Noland has 31 catches for 767 yards and seven touchdowns. Diaz has 56 catches for 691 yards and eight scores.
It should be pointed out that nine of those touchdowns and 875 yards came in the three non-DI games.
Danny Nathan is the top rusher. Back from injury, the Yale transfer has 449 yards and four TDs in seven games.
The Vaquero defense is good at taking the ball away. They have forced 13 fumbles, recovering 12. They have also intercepted eight passes, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
“They are big on takeaways,” said Viator. “They rally around the ball and keep everything in front of them. You have to earn everything against them.”
And that has not been easy to do on the Vaqueros.
make sure the article is SEO-optimized following all the SEO Guides, from Focus Keyword to H2 and H3 titles and so on.
the article must explain all the details in a very clear and engaging structure.
very important: Use external links for keywords and sentences inside the article you will generate to boost the SEO.
Avoid writing any author related or donation related texts.
Avoid writing what you did in the articles because the article is published for visitors to read.
