UTRGV football is using its bye week to sharpen fundamentals after going 2-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Last season, the Vaqueros reached their bye week at 5-1 overall. This year's record looks different, but the schedule was tougher. The team faced FBS opponent UTSA for the first time and then took on a strong Nicholls squad to open Southland Conference play.

Players say the early challenges helped them grow.

"That game really brought us closer as a team," Junior Quarterback Aidan Jakobsohn said. "As you can see this past week we kind of recuperated after that loss and looked at ourselves in the mirror because it's about us. We're a player led team."

Junior Linebacker Jaiden Haygood said the losses exposed areas the team needed to fix.

"I feel like those two weeks UTSA and Nicholls we weren't harpooning on little details like staying behind the line or clapping during stretching," Haygood said. "Ever since that we've been harpooning in the little details. Honestly one of our coaches said that small Vs make big W's."

UTRGV Head Football Coach Travis Bush said the bye week is structured like training camp to build on those small wins.

"Like you saw just good on good today," Bush said. "Just short quality over quantity. Short practices but really focusing on fundamentals and all about special teams. Details. Fundamentals."

Haygood said he is not treating the week as a break.

"Me personally I'm trying to get as much work as I can this week to get ready for next week," Haygood said. "I'm not trying to take a week off and get unconditioned. I'm trying to be in shape as much as I can so I can go out there and play another great game."

After the bye week, UTRGV has 8 more games left, one non-conference and seven in conference.

Jakobsohn said the focus heading into that stretch is simple.

"Play our brand of football and start fast," Jakobsohn said. "Because if we go out there every game and start fast, we can just come together and gel better as a team and just keep that momentum throughout the game and throughout the season."

The Vaqueros open that stretch on the road against East Texas A&M, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. next Saturday in Commerce, Texas.