Marburger’s Two-TD Night Lifts Vaqueros to First Conference Win

UTRGV quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger (12) breaks loose for the Vaqueros’ first touchdown of the night during the first quarter against Houston Christian University, Saturday at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

EDINBURG — UTRGV quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger was known as a dual threat during his high school days at Sharyland Pioneer. The former Diamondback rushed for 2,381 yards and 44 touchdowns during his four-year career.

In college, however, Marburger hadn’t showcased his wheels much, totaling just 40 rushing yards and no scores during his time at UTSA.

Marburger turned back the clock to his high school days Saturday, rushing for a team-high 105 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Vaqueros past Houston Christian University 27-7 at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

“The O-line did a great job,” Marburger said. “They were giving us holes left and right to run through. It’s all about those guys — they deserve all the credit. The wide receivers did a great job blocking, the tight ends too. Then the running backs had a really great night. Collectively, it was a little slow getting started on offense, but we got going late. At the end of the day, we’re 1-1 in conference now.”

Marburger got the Vaqueros on the board with just 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter, breaking free for a 30-yard touchdown run to give his team a 7-0 lead.

Marburger (12) powers through the HCU defense on a quarterback keeper during the second half of Saturday’s Southland Conference matchup at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

The contest turned into a defensive slugfest afterward, with neither team finding the end zone again until a one-yard touchdown run by HCU running back Xai’Shaun Edwards with 7:26 left in the half.

Both teams went scoreless the rest of the period, heading into halftime tied 7-7.

“We knew our defense was playing their tail off in the first half,” UTRGV head coach Travis Bush said. “I’ll take the blame for the offense not executing in the first half. We could’ve done some stuff differently there. We came in at halftime and you look at the stat sheet — our defense was on the field for 48 plays, and our offense was on for 23. So we knew in the second half we needed to run the ball and chew the clock.”

Running back TJ Dement (20) fights through a tackle during the third quarter of UTRGV’s 27–7 win over Houston Christian University, Saturday in Edinburg.

The Vaqueros’ offense did just that after the break, finishing with the edge in time of possession, 31:23 to 28:37.

UTRGV dominated the second half, pitching a shutout defensively while the offense scored 20 unanswered points.

Marburger accounted for two of those scores, including a one-yard touchdown run to break the tie and a four-yard touchdown pass to Ismael Smith Flores in the fourth quarter to make it a 17-point game.

Kicker Brysen Gardner added a pair of field goals in the final two periods, including a 43-yarder with 2:41 remaining to seal the win.

Defensively, Jaiden Haygood paced the unit with a team-high 11 tackles and one tackle for loss. Abdon Mata and Ian Box also applied pressure on the HCU offense, combining for 3.5 sacks.

Defensive linemen Abdon Mata (58) and Andrew Arriola (95) celebrate after Arriola recorded a sack in the third quarter against HCU, Saturday at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium.

Defensive end Ian Box (9) brings down the Houston Christian quarterback for a key sack during the first half of the Vaqueros’ 27–7 victory Saturday in Edinburg.

Linebacker Ja’Marcus Anderson (49) celebrates after making a tackle for loss during the second quarter of UTRGV’s win over Houston Christian University at Vackar Stadium.

“I’ll just say everybody played their role and did their job,” Box said. “The defensive backs made them hold the ball, and we did our part and got there. They scored one time — we almost had a red-zone stand. I think we stopped them like six times on that score. We held them to seven points, though, and all 11 of us did our job.”

The victory gets the Vaqueros in the win column in Southland Conference play for the first time in program history.

UTRGV improved to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in SLC play heading into its bye week. The Vaqueros return to action in two weeks, taking on No. 25 Lamar University on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. at Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont.

“So proud about tonight,” Bush said. “It’s been just a perfect ending to the week we had. With the youth of our program, every day and every week we’re growing. Coming off last week was going to be a big evaluation. There was a lot of good stuff during the week with the chemistry and the leadership. … There was a mentality about this group tonight. I talked to them before the game — they were ready to play. We knew it was going to be hard. We wanted it to be hard. Just so proud and excited for our team and their efforts to get our first conference win tonight.”

Wide receiver Tavian Cord (11) celebrates with quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger (12) after Marburger’s rushing touchdown in the first quarter Saturday in Edinburg.