In the trenches with UTRGV Football

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EDINBURG — The UTRGV offensive line got some extra work in on a one-man sled after the seventh practice of Spring Ball on Thursday at the Vaqueros Performance Center in Edinburg.

The last person to hit the sled was co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Jeff Bowen.

Following Tuesday’s practice that was dominated by the defense, Bowen and head coach Travis Bush demanded more from the UTRGV offense.

The offense heard the message loud and clear and put together one of the best, if not the best, practice they’ve had as a unit this spring on Thursday.

“I think today was our best day yet. I love the energy, I love the passion,” redshirt sophomore tackle Gannon Lauer said. “For this being a group of mostly freshmen, these are some of the most mature freshmen that I’ve seen. Everyone is embracing it, has energy and passion, and I think this team can go a long way quickly.”

Highlights from Thursday’s 11-on-11 portion of practice included an interception from linebacker Jaxson Maynard, but after that, running backs Fabian Garcia, Caleb Blocker and Brennan Carroll strung together some big gains on the ground and UTRGV’s passing attack found some downfield success.

The Sharyland Pioneer alumnus and UTSA transfer Eddie Lee Marburger connected with Texas State redshirt freshman transfer receiver Xayvion Noland on multiple occasions and completed some nice passes underneath to Texas Permian Basin sophomore transfer receiver Justin Herman. He also got the ball out to tight end Ismael Flores Smith and checked the ball down to his backs when pressured.

Laredo United alumnus Atzel Chavez Jr. also dropped a couple dimes to receiver Christian Sabsook, a Corpus Christi Veterans alumnus and Air Force transfer.

The offensive success wouldn’t have been possible without the five guys up front, however.

“We got about 18 (offensive linemen), everybody coming from different areas,” redshirt freshman tackle Wes Thompson said. “Spring ball, lots of mistakes, but grit is how I would describe it. We had a bad practice Tuesday. Today, y’all saw it. We bounced back. We like to show out. We like to be mean. That’s what it takes on the offensive line. I think this group, we got something special for sure.”

There has been plenty of movement on the offensive line through the first three weeks of spring ball. The five are tasked with creating running lanes and giving time to the quarterback to find weapons downfield in the spread offense.

“Playing together, consistency, that’s the main thing we’re looking for, and really a mentality,” Bush said. “We talked about the pressures that we saw. Teams are going to do that. That’s part of the game and we got to be able to attack that and not fear that when people bring pressure. It’s really just their mentality, their grit, their toughness of putting your hand in the ground, coming off the football when we run the ball, and if people are going to bring pressure, we have to be ready to step back and punch them in the face.”

Lauer and Thompson have been holding down the right and left tackle spots, respectively. It took a few practices for them to work their way up the depth chart, but the 6 foot 4, 303-pound Lauer and 6 foot 6, 324-pound Thompson provide some nasty up front.

“It’s a me or you mentality. It’s either me or you, and at the end of the day, it’s bully ball,” the Tennessee Tech and East Mississippi CC transfer Thompson said. “We play like the Bad Boys Pistons is how I like to describe it. Nothing nice about the position, for sure. Receivers get all cute and stuff, at the end of the day, we like to bully. That’s what wins games and that’s what we will be about. For us now and in 20 years, bully ball, that’s what we got to be about.”

Redshirt sophomore T.K. Mina, an Arlington native who played his first two seasons at Texas Permian Basin and Navarro College, has worked his way into the first team center spot.

Sophomore Blinn transfer Abram Nicklas and Laredo United alumnus Jose Gonzalez-Vargas split time working as the first team left guard on Thursday. Central Catholic native Nick Hughes has also seen time as the first team left guard this spring.

San Benito alumnus Frank Medina, a redshirt freshman transfer from Texas A&M-Kingsville, earned his spot on the team by way of an open/walk-on tryout last summer. He’s now running with the first team at right guard.

“Building that chemistry is important,” Medina said. “Playing O-line, all five guys gotta do one job and that’s protect the quarterback. If one of us messes up, we all mess up, so we gotta communicate and talk to each other on the field and we’re improving everyday.”

Lauer is a Koloa, Hawai’i native and redshirt sophomore transfer from New Mexico State and Garden City Community College. He joined the team at the start of the spring semester and has been running as the first team right tackle.

“I love the palm trees. It reminds me of home,” Lauer said. “I love the Rio Grande Valley. The people are awesome, the food is great, the Tex-Mex, but everyone’s been super nice and I’m grateful to be representing UTRGV football and bringing some love to the Rio Grande Valley.”

UTRGV Football is two weeks away from holding its first Spring Game in program history at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17 at Brownsville Veterans Memorial High School in Brownsville. Tickets for UTRGV’s Spring Game are free and available at UTRGVTickets.com.

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