FRISCO, Texas — A lighter weekend on the Southland Football schedule delivered plenty of thrills in Beaumont in Edinburg. Saturday ended with Lamar reemphasizing its status as a Top 10 team while UTRGV picked up a historic upset victory.
No. 11/10 Lamar 38, UIW 35
Lamar relied on its dominant ground game to build an early lead and withstood a furious late rally to stay undefeated in conference play. Running back Jojo Uga set the tone for the Cardinals, slicing through the defense for touchdown runs of 25 and 57 yards in the first half before adding a four-yard punch-in to build a 24-7 cushion. UIW responded just before halftime with a nine-yard touchdown scramble from Emmett Brown. Lamar extended its lead to 31-14 early in the third quarter when Parker Jenkins broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown sprint. The game turned wild from there as UIW struck back immediately with a 74-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Jacob Emmers. Trailing 38-21 in the fourth, the visitors capitalized on a Patrick Batiste 58-yard fumble return and a five-yard Tyrece Fairly-Diyem touchdown catch to pull within three. However, the Lamar defense forced a critical fumble deep in UIW territory with 1:11 remaining to seal the victory.
LU Next: @Southeastern, Oct. 17, 4 p.m.
UIW Next: UTRGV, Oct. 17, 6 p.m.
UTRGV 13, RV/25 Southeastern 3
The Vaqueros defense delivered a historic performance under the "Valley Voodoo" lights, forcing three turnovers to secure the first ranked win in program history. In a defensive stalemate, UTRGV opened the scoring on the final play of the first half when Brysen Gardner drilled a program-record 51-yard field goal following a TJ Neal interception. Southeastern answered with a 36-yard field goal from open-play drives in the third quarter to pull even at 3-3, but UTRGV responded immediately with a drive capped by a 36-yard Gardner kick early in the fourth. The Lions threatened to swing the momentum back, driving inside the Vaqueros' five-yard line, but linebacker Jaiden Haygood intercepted Kyle Lowe in the end zone to thwart the threat. Taking advantage of the turnover, quarterback Aidan Jakobsohn orchestrated the icing drive, connecting with Clint Thomas Jr. on a long third down before striking Jaydon Smith for a 16-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach. Jakobsohn finished with a season-high 244 passing yards as UTRGV extended its home winning streak to 10-0.
UTRGV Next: @UIW, Oct. 17, 6 p.m.
SLU Next: Lamar, Oct. 17, 4 p.m.
Week 7 Outlook