NATCHITOCHES, La. (Interstat) — Aidan Jakobsohn threw three touchdown passes and UT Rio Grande Valley used a fast start and a disruptive defense to beat Northwestern State 52-7 on Saturday in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Turpin Stadium.

The Vaqueros improved to 5-5 with the road victory. The Demons dropped to 0-10. UT Rio Grande Valley controlled the game from the opening quarter, built a large halftime lead and kept Northwestern State out of the end zone except for a special-teams score. The Vaqueros finished with 52 points and allowed 7.

Jakobsohn, a 6-foot, 188-pound quarterback from Ingleside, Texas, completed 15 of 20 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns. He found Jaydon Smith for a 4-yard score, Kyran Lee for a 35-yard touchdown and Tyler Day for a 3-yard touchdown. Smith finished with four receptions for 51 yards, Lee had five catches for 61 yards, and Day added one catch for 3 yards and a score. Tavian Cord caught two passes for 42 yards, and Braden Baize had two receptions for 28 yards and three punt returns for 29 yards.

UT Rio Grande Valley’s defense produced two interception returns for touchdowns and consistently disrupted Northwestern State’s passing game. TJ Neal intercepted a pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown, and Alijah Prosser returned an interception 90 yards for another score. Prosser finished with four tackles, two interceptions and a touchdown. Neal had three tackles, one interception and a touchdown. Jaiden Haygood led the Vaqueros with 13 tackles, Spencer Rich added eight stops, Jaxson Maynard made six tackles, and Marcus Heard Jr. had five.

Ja’Marcus Anderson recorded three tackles and two sacks, Nicholas Peace had three tackles, Josh Cashiola made four tackles, Keion Bryant added four tackles, and Nathan Huerta had two tackles, one sack and two quarterback hurries. Abdon Mata contributed two quarterback hurries, while Percy Jackson III had three tackles and one quarterback hurry. Clint Thomas Jr. had one reception for 5 yards. Carter Hewitt added a 17-yard kickoff return and one tackle.

Broderick Taylor led the rushing attack with six carries for 97 yards and added one reception for 3 yards. Brennan Carroll ran 10 times for 40 yards and a touchdown, and Fabian Garcia carried four times for 26 yards and a score. Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling punted three times for 120 yards. The Vaqueros also received tackles from Connor Carrigan, Marek Wojno, Jaden Wincher, DC Thompson, Christian Sabsook, Will Rogalinski, Withchiel Filamar, Jack Harwell, Keamonie Archie, Chase Alexander, Jordan Ford, Andrew Earls and DJ Shaw.

Northwestern State quarterback Zach Wilcke, a 6-foot-3, 194-pound passer, completed 28 of 50 attempts for 244 yards and rushed nine times for 12 yards. The Demons moved the ball in spurts but were hurt by turnovers and pressure. Camryn Davis caught four passes for 23 yards, Jimmie Duncan had two receptions for 15 yards, Amaaz Eugene added two catches for 8 yards and a 17-yard kickoff return, and Ben Buisson had one catch for 9 yards.

The Vaqueros opened the scoring on Neal’s interception return, then added a 7-yard touchdown run by Garcia and a 4-yard scoring pass from Jakobsohn to Smith. Jakobsohn connected with Lee for a 35-yard touchdown, and Prosser’s 90-yard interception return for a touchdown helped UT Rio Grande Valley pull away. Northwestern State got its only touchdown on A. Hall’s 93-yard kickoff return, and C. Evans made the extra point. Brysen Gardner made a 40-yard field goal and converted extra points for the Vaqueros. In the fourth quarter, Jakobsohn hit Day for a 3-yard touchdown, and Carroll scored on a 10-yard run.

Northwestern State’s defense was led by Danny Sears and Christian Williams, who each made nine tackles. KB Anderson-Dale had seven tackles, Joe Natali made six, and Reggie Roberson Jr. added four. UT Rio Grande Valley is scheduled to host Stephen F. Austin in its next game. Northwestern State will host Houston Christian in its next game before visiting Stephen F. Austin.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of UT Rio Grande Valley 57, Northwestern State 24. Interstat’s ELO system had projected UT Rio Grande Valley with a 94.1 percent probability to win.