They Needed a Win. They Got a Moment

The gunslinger returned, Tha Goods made history, and Broderick Taylor delivered a walk-off that gave the 956 plenty to celebrate.

Some wins look good on paper. Others just hit different.

Saturday night in Conway, UTRGV delivered one of those games the 956 will be talking about for a long time.

The gunslinger was back. The running game had some juice. Tha Goods was collecting tackles like overdue rent. And Broderick Taylor decided everybody had been in Arkansas long enough.

One snap. Twenty-five yards. Ballgame.

UTRGV 30. Central Arkansas 27. Overtime. First road win of 2026.

Garret Rangel returned under center and brought some rhythm to the offense, completing 24 of 35 passes for 241 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing score. The Vaqueros moved the football, spread the love, and finished with 418 total yards.

KDot (Kyran Lee) hauled in five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Braden Baize added a career-high 78 receiving yards, while Cameron Glenn came through with timely catches, including a 16-yarder that moved the chains.

And the backs? They were getting busy.

TJ Dement rushed for 78 yards on 13 carries, while Taylor added 68 yards and two touchdowns on just eight attempts, including a 14-yard score behind a beautiful block from tight end Mateo Grajeda.

UTRGV finished with 177 rushing yards, giving the offense the kind of balance that makes everybody’s job easier. Get those linebackers leaning toward the run, and suddenly there’s room to work through the air.

Now flip the field, because Tha Goods was EVERYWHERE.

Jaiden Haygood delivered a program-record 20 tackles, including 10 solo stops and two tackles for loss. Twenty tackles! Dude was practically introducing himself to every Central Arkansas ballcarrier.

Alijah Prosser was making noise, too, with an end-zone pass breakup and a third-quarter interception. Josh Cashiola and Nathan Huerta combined for a big third-down sack, while Haygood and Jackson Waid helped turn away another scoring opportunity.

UCA found running room throughout the night, but the Vaqueros tightened up when the field got short. That red-zone resistance became the difference in overtime.

And just when it looked like UTRGV had this one wrapped up, Conway had one more plot twist waiting.

Brysen Gardner put UTRGV ahead 24–21 late in the fourth quarter, but Central Arkansas answered with a field goal in the closing seconds to force overtime.

The Bears got the ball first and worked their way to the UTRGV six-yard line. But the Vaqueros held strong and forced a field goal.

That wasn’t just a defensive stand. That was the defense handing the offense a chance to win the whole thing.

Enter Broderick Taylor.

One handoff, one crease, and Taylor was GONE. The Bears were chasing, the 956 was celebrating, and UTRGV had finally brought one home from the road.

Touchdown. Walk-off. Road victory secured.

And Coach Travis Bush and his staff deserve their flowers, too. Getting Rangel back into rhythm, establishing a productive ground game, and keeping this team ready to respond after Central Arkansas forced overtime all mattered. The Vaqueros didn’t fold when things got uncomfortable, and the coaching staff deserves credit for having its guys ready to finish.

At 4–4, there’s plenty of football left, and Lamar is coming to The Vack. But that’s a conversation for another day.

Saturday belongs to the players, the coaches, and every fan who has been riding with this team.

The gunslinger returned. Tha Goods made history. And Broderick Taylor gave the 956 a memory worth replaying for years.

They needed a win. They got a moment.

And what a moment it was.

It’s time for Victory Barbacoa in the 956. A Sunday tradition like no other in my house.