Now in his fourth season as Incarnate Word's head coach following four years as a Cardinals assistant, Clint Killough has found that the offseasons often prove long, with eight months of grinding to reach 12 game opportunities.
A competitor is always itching for the next challenge, Killough said, and for the Cardinals that task was bouncing back from the disappointment of last year's 5-7 campaign. Killough instructed UIW's players to keep their focus internally through the offseason, and returning defensive lineman Terrell Elliott said the group harped on short-term memory to put those struggles in the past.
Bringing an overhauled roster into a new season, UIW officially turned the page on Saturday at Benson Stadium, kicking off 2026 by setting a program scoring record in a 76-14 rout of NAIA opponent Oklahoma Panhandle State.
"Most of the 5-7 guys, they aren't here. They're gone," Elliott said. "We brought a whole new roster in, and I think those guys came to eat, and those guys helped us get better and forget that 5-7 season. Now, it's in the past."
READ MORE: How Emmett Brown earned UIW's starting quarterback job
UIW made quick work of its overmatched opponent. After the Cardinals forced a three-and-out to open the game, Jayden Hibbler allowed the punt to bounce off his chest for a fumble, but he still had plenty of time to scoop the ball up and snake through the defense for a 58-yard return touchdown.
The Cardinals racked up 41 points in the first quarter on just eight offensive plays, adding a defensive score when Jeremiah Young returned a fumble for a touchdown. Oklahoma Panhandle State finished the opening quarter with 7 yards of offense.
"I personally think we could have put up a hundred," Elliott said, "but I guess they took it easy on them."
Incarnate Word wide receiver Price Morgan (7)carries the ball during the NCAA football game against OPSU Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, at Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. (Sam Grenadier/Sam Grenadier/San Antonio Expres)UIW was initially scheduled to play Saturday's opener against North Dakota State, agreeing last year to a high-profile home-and-home series that would've seen the Cardinals make a road trip to Fargo, N.D., in 2028.
But after an extended run as one of the standout programs in the FCS, winning 10 national titles since 2011, NDSU announced in February that it was jumping to the FBS level in 2026 as a member of the Mountain West Conference.
The program nixed its previous FCS nonconference matchups, leaving UIW scrambling to find a new opponent. Killough said general manager Cody Dunn "probably called 100 different institutions," starting at the Division I level. Some offered UIW the opportunity for another away date, but that would've left the Cardinals playing five of their first six games on the road.
A home matchup against a lower-level NAIA opponent seemed like a more enticing option.
"We probably called every FCS school in the country that had an open week as well as the FBS. And we just really didn't get any bites that late in it," Killough said. "I thought it was important for our guys from a travel standpoint, from an early bye standpoint to have a home game to start this thing. So, this is what we ended up getting."
MORE COLLEGE:How Jeremiah Bailey earned a single-digit jersey as a newcomer at UTSA
The schedule will quickly grow more daunting, as UIW across the next five games travels to face No. 25 Northern Arizona, No. 13 Stephen F. Austin, No. 20 Lamar and FBS opponent Texas State, led by former Cardinals coach G.J. Kinne.
UIW has bye next week and a home date against Houston Christian on Sept. 19 but otherwise will be on the road until a matchup with UTRGV on Oct. 17.
The Cardinals are more accustomed to being the class of the Southland Conference rather than the unranked team chasing. UIW's 5-7 record last season matched the regular-season loss total from the previous four years combined, and the Cardinals snapped a streak of 57 straight weeks ranked in the top 25.
UIW was not ranked in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 to open 2026 and was not one of 18 additional teams receiving votes.
"I think we're going to leave this game here, and we're going to get ready for this next school," Hibbler said. "Continue working, man. I really feel like this fall camp and this spring that we had, it really set us up for success. I feel like we continue to keep going, and not get too conservative, really just continue to grow."
One major question hanging over the Cardinals is the status of linebacker Declan Williams, an all-Southland first-team selection last season who was added to the roster during preseason camp.
Williams returned following the injunction issued by a U.S. District Court in Colorado that allowed a fifth season of eligibility for college players who started their careers in 2022, aligning with the NCAA's new "five-for-five" eligibility system. But that injunction was paused when the NCAA was granted a stay by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Aug. 21, for now stripping players like Williams of their extra year of eligibility.
Williams' path to a fifth season of play hinges on his own case filed against the NCAA in San Antonio's 166th district court. A hearing regarding a temporary injunction is scheduled for Tuesday.
Williams remains listed on the roster but was not included as part of the Cardinals' initial depth chart. He watched Saturday's game from the sidelines wearing his jersey and black shorts with no pads.
"I'm about as educated as everybody that has a Twitter account or an X account, you know what I mean? One day they can be eligible, the next day they can't," Killough said. "Hopefully we get some clarity on Tuesday, and then we'll go from there."
SubscribeThere’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at UIW turns page to 2026, cruising to season-opening rout.
Leave a Comment