SAN ANTONIO -- Thinking back on the events of Oct. 3, 2009, Dominic Hamilton recalls carrying himself with a confidence that likely seemed delusional in the moment.

Six weeks into its inaugural season, the University of the Incarnate Word's "Forever First" football team was going through some expected growing pains. After starting out with a thrilling 42-39 win in its first ever game against Monterry Tech, UIW dropped its next two games by the combined score of 89-17.

After falling to 1-3 following a tight 17-14 road loss to a ranked Langston State, a trip to Oklahoma Panhandle State had been a disaster. Down 21-7 at the half, two third-quarter turnovers led to two Aggie touchdowns, making it 35-7 and leading UIW to make a quarterback change.

If facing a 28-point deficit well into the third quarter wasn't daunting enough, freshman quarterback Eric Massoni would have to work without leading receiver Todd Walker, who was lost to injury in the first half.

But Massoni, who made his college debut a week before, didn't have to look too hard for a confidence boost. Hamilton, who by day's end would be on a path to becoming one of the top receivers in school history, recalls delivering a clear message to his teammates in the huddle.

"(There was) never a doubt we were going to win that game," he said. And moments after a touchdown drive, Hamilton reiterated "They better hope the clock runs out before we can come back on them."

What ensued was a historic comeback that still ranks as a signature moment in program history and a defining moment for the Forever First squad.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

While the modern college football landscape makes it easier to immediately bring in veteran talent, UIW's start was a truly ground-up affair.

While a few upperclassman would transfer into the program, coach Mike Santiago and his staff primarily built their roster with freshmen who'd arrived to campus in 2008, where they redshirted while only able to practice.

And though there was understandable difficultly in being unable to play for an entire season, players say the environment had a lot of benefits as well, with many of them taking the "Forever First" moniker to heart to this day.

"It was a lot of fun," said Hamilton, who doubled as the holder in the kicking game his entire college career. "Just a bunch of freshman, sophomores...young dudes getting in there and (getting to compete)."

Added Massoni: "We might not have been the biggest, fastest team...but we got an opportunity not a lot of people get. I took advantage. A lot of us did."

And in early October of 2009, that group saw its efforts pay off in a major way.



THE COMEBACK

With limited time to erase a four-touchdown deficit, the Cardinals needed contributions from all phases, and the group effort started immediately. After the Aggies made it 35-7, Trent Rios returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Panhandle 48, setting up a 1-yard J.J. Johnson touchdown run five plays later.

The lead then got trimmed to 35-21 early in the fourth, when a 10-play drive was capped by another 1-yard touchdown run, this one by Massoni.

Despite struggling for much of the day, even surrendering 284 yards on the ground, a defense built on a "bend-but-don't-break" mentality shutout OPSU over the final quarter-and-a-half. The driving force for that effort was Diego McClain, who finished with 6.5 tackles for-loss, which remains a single-game program record.

The unit also helped set the offense up in Aggie territory on two late drives that extended the game.

Starting at the 46 with just over four minutes left, UIW scored in just two plays. After hitting Kenneth Pryor for 17 yards, Massoni found Hamilton for a 29-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 35-28.

Following a three-and-out, Panhandle shanked the ensuing punt, setting the Cardinals up at their opponent's 21 with two minutes remaining. It took just 49 seconds before Massoni found Hamilton for another touchdown, this one on a 13-yard slant, tying score after the extra point.

"We knew they couldn't stop us on offense," said Hamilton, who caught five passes for 93 yards on the day. "(Once it was tied) it was like 'This is our game. We've got it locked up.'"

There was more than momentum on the side of the Cardinals heading into overtime. Prior to coming to UIW, Santiago, who spent 1999 to 2004 at Stephen F. Austin, was 8-0 in overtime games and expected his players to keep that record unblemished.

They succeeded. 

Starting out on defense, UIW got a second-down sack before Mike Sanders broke up a third-down pass in the end zone. This set up a 38-yard field goal attempt that was no good, leaving the Cardinals needing just a field goal to win.

The offense played it safe, moving just three yards on a pair of Massoni runs, but that proved to be enough. After making all five of his extra-point attempts, Thomas Rebold, out of a hold from Hamilton, delivered a 39-yard field goal to clinch the miracle 38-35 win.



LEGACY

The 28-point comeback remains the biggest in program history and changed the trajectory of the team and many of its players.

The game started a four-game win streak, which was the longest in program history until 2021.

It also kicked off one of the best receiving careers in UIW history. Hamilton, who was limited in the first three games of 2009 with a hamstring injury, is currently tied for third in program history in receiving touchdowns (13) and is fourth in both receptions (127) and yards (1,627).

He followed up the OPSU game with a seven-catch, 188-yard, two touchdown performance in a 38-20 win over East Central Oklahoma. This remained the most single-game receiving yards by a UIW player until 2021.

Helping him put that hot streak together was Massoni. After throwing for 151 yards, running for 32 and accounting for three touchdowns in the comeback win, he remained the starter and recorded three touchdown passes in each of the two next games.

The Cardinals finished that season a respectable 5-5 with several players earning national recognition. Defensive back Chaz Pavliska was a First-Team defensive back on the d2football.com All-Independent Team, while defensive end Alan Ford, safety Aaron Hernandez and linebackers McClain and Dakota Mawyer all made the Second Team.

This Saturday, the Cardinals will open the 2026 season at home against Oklahoma Panhandle State in the first matchup between the two since the historic comeback.

The programs have taken different paths in recent years. The Aggies remain at the NAIA level and are looking for their first winning season since 2018.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, made the jump to Division-I in 2013 and have become one of the more consistent FCS programs in recent years. They've won four Southland Conference championships since 2018 and put together an alumni base that includes 2025 NFL first overall pick Cam Ward and 2022 Walter Payton Award winner Lindsey Scott.

"It's so cool to see where the program was at the time to where it is now," Massoni said. "They're on TV now. It's awesome. And we helped set the precedent. We really bond over that."

Hamilton, who still lives in San Antonio, expects to be one of several players from the 2009 team in attendance Saturday, which promises to provide several nostalgic moments.

"That was just a sweet run we had," he said. "It was just a great moment for that Forever First class and that Forever First season for sure."

TICKETING INFO

Tickets for UIW Football are available now at tickets.uiwcardinals.com. Fans can purchase season tickets, single-game tickets, and group experiences today and join Cardinal Nation at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium.