#20/23 ‘Jacks Dismantle rv/rv UTRGV for Seventh-Straight Win

Saturday, November 1

Nacogdoches, TX

6:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

7-2 , 5-0

UTRGV

6-3 , 2-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UTRGV

SFA

#20/23 ‘Jacks Dismantle rv/rv UTRGV for Seventh-Straight Win

11/1/2025 11:22:00 PM | Football

Box Score

SFA win streak the program’s longest since the start of the ’95 campaign

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – An all-black clad Stephen F. Austin squad utilized a quick start and a balanced first half attack to deliver a handful of big blows in the opening 30 minutes and the 'Jacks cruised in the second half to a 41-17 win over rv/rv UTRGV on Saturday night inside Homer Bryce Stadium. The victory is the seventh straight for the 'Jacks which is the longest since the start of the 1995 season, while SFA improves to 5-0 in league play.

A pair of impressive touchdown receptions through blanketed coverage by both Kylon Harris and Calyton Wayland highlighted second half action for the Lumberjacks and overshadowed a 17-point half by UTRGV, but the dismantling had already begun as the 'Jacks jumped out to a 27-0 halftime advantage after a dominant 30 minutes of action. Harris hauled in a six-yard toss from Vidlak over his shoulder along the far side of the endzone, while Wayland went low and brought the ball back across his body for his second touchdown grab; a ten-yard hook up from Gavin Rutherford.

A 48-yard rush by Jerrell Wimbley, who evaded multiple defenders on his way down inside the UTRGV5, highlighted the 80-yard opening drive which also included two catches from Wayland and a 15-yard grab on third down by Blaine Green, Saturday's receipt to don the program's famed #16 jersey in memory of Cally Belcher. Rutherford stamped the opening scoring bonanza untouched with his fourth rushing plunge of the season.

One of the nation's top defenses responded quickly as Vaqueros gunslinger Eddie Lee Marburger tested Charles Demmings, one of the top cornerbacks in the country, on a second down play and Demmings hauled in his second interception after review confirmed the senior possessed the football with both feet down to set the 'Jacks up at the UTRGV35. Nine plays later, Carlos Alvarado knocked in his sixth make of the season straight on from 30 yards out.

On the next UTRGV drive, Kameron Reddic batted away a third down pass from Marburger following a pressure by Aaron Austin who two plays earlier delivered a thunderous sack of the former. That effort forced a three-and-out and the 'Jacks offense used a 13-play drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock and ended with Jaylen Jenkins' first rushing touchdown of the season on a one-yard jump into the endzone for a 17-0 Lumberjack lead.

For the second-straight week, the 'Jacks engineered a scoring drive of 95+ yards as SFA's first possession of the second quarter lasted 13 plays for 96 yards and concluded with Sam Vidlak directing Wayland to the front corner of the near endzone for a nine-yard completion on paydirt and a 24-0 SFA advantage.

The next UTRGV possession saw the seventh play of the drive, a 3^rd and 25 pass deep along the Vaqueros sideline was picked off by Jalen Mayo, his second of the season, at the 7:09 mark and SFA milked the second quarter clock down all the way down to a fire drill FG attempt by Alvarado and he connected from 29 yards out to give the 'Jacks a 27-0 lead at the intermission.

SFA held the Vaqueros to a negative yard rushing on seven attempts, while 11 pass attempts amounted to just 50 yards in the first half. The 'Jacks possessed the football for nearly 23 minutes, converted 9-of-11 on third downs and turned 55 offensive snaps into 313 first half yards. SFA picked off a pair of Marburger passes who entered having thrown just four all season.

SCORING DRIVES
1Q (12:33) | 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:21 | 1-yard rush from Rutherford, Alvarado kick good
1Q (9:24) | 9 plays, 23 yards, 2:53 | 30-yard FG by Alvarado
1Q (2:26) | 13 plays, 57 yards, 5:43 | 1-yard rush from Jenkins, Alvarado kick good

2Q (10:24) | 13 plays, 96 yards, 4:27 | 9-yard pass from Vidlak to Wayland, Alvarado kick good
2Q (00:00) | 14 plays, 57 yards, 7:09 | 29-yard FG by Alvarado

3Q (7:53) | 13 plays, 54 yards, 7:07 | 38-yard FG by Gardner
3Q (3:45) | 9 plays, 58 yards, 4:08 | 6-yard pass from Vidlak to Harris, Alvarado kick good
3Q (00:00) | 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:40 | 2-yard pass from Marburger to Diaz, Gardner kick good

4Q (7:14) | 16 plays, 75 yards, 7:40 | 10-yard pass from Rutherford to Wayland, Alvarado kick good
4Q (2:20) | 6 plays, 51 yards, 2:39 | 6-yard TD rush from Jakobsohn, Gardner kick good

POSTGAME NOTES

The 'Jacks reached 30 points for the seventh consecutive game
SFA entered with ten scoring drives this season of 10+ plays and added three more to that total for the second-straight game as the 'Jacks registered multiple 10+ drives in a game for the third time this season (2 vs McNeese, 4 at East Texas A&M)
The 'Jacks defense held the league's top statistical offense to just 215 yards with much of that production with the game out of hand in addition to holding the Vaqueros to 17 points and a scoreless first half
The 'Jacks ran 88 plays and is averaging 90 over their past two games
One week after possessing the football for more than 15 minutes than its opponent, the 'Jacks finished +16 against the Vaqueros
SFA totaled 448 yards at 5.1 yards per play, converted 13-of-19 third down conversions and scored on all seven of their redzone trips
Harris, Wayland and Green all went over 50 yards receiving with Green pacing with 68 yards on five catches, while Harris and Wayland hauled in seven receptions each
Jaydon Southard led an SFA defense with six tackles, while Aaron Sears and Malachi Williams followed with five each

ABOUT THE WIN

SFA's 7-2 start is the program's best nine-game beginning to a season since 2010
The 'Jacks are 5-0 in league play for the first time since the 1989 season
The seventh-straight victory marks the longest win streak for the 'Jacks since winning seven-straight games to start the 1995 season
It is the 40^th victory for the 'Jacks under Carthel which places the Texan fourth all-time on SFA's win list

RECORD BOOK REWRITING & MILESTONE MINING

Vidlak and Harris connected for the seventh time this season and for the 15^th time in the last two seasons
Vidlak's 203 passing yards moved the senior into tenth place on the all-time passing yards list as a Lumberjack
With two scoring strikes, Vidlak is a single TD pass shy of moving into eighth outright on the all-time passing TD list
Wayland hauled in two TD passes for the second time in his career (Houston Christian, 2024)
Harris is 188 receiving yards from seventh place all-time
Harris is three receiving TDs from fourth on the program's all-time TD catches list
Harris became the fourth 'Jack with 200 career receptions and is one shy of the third most in program history
Wimbley moved 167 yards from sixth on the all-time rushing list and moved into the program's top 10 all-time in all-purpose yards; 49 yards back of ninth in APY
Demmings recorded two PBUs to move into third on the all-time list; two back of the outright program record

UP NEXT
The 'Jacks head back to Houston for a November 8 matchup with Houston Christian. SFA meets the Huskies for the seventh time all-time and controls the series record at 5-1. The 'Jacks have won three-straight against HCU and are 2-1 against the Huskies on the road. It will be the lone afternoon start for the 'Jacks in the regular season. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Live coverage links will be made available at www.SFAjacks.com.

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