UC Davis Aggies beat the University of Idaho Vandals in a nailbiter on home turf
By Diego Cerna – (sports@theaggie.org)
The No. 14-ranked UC Davis Aggies went up against the No. 4-ranked University of Idaho Vandals in the much anticipated Big Sky Conference football game of the week on Sept. 28. This game also held the annual first-year field run where UC Davis first-year students rush the field right before the game starts.
The University of Idaho opened up with back-to-back touchdowns on their first two drives, jumping out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Aggies responded during their second drive with a red zone touchdown thrown by Miles Hastings, a quarterback and fourth-year communications major, to Chaz Davis, a wide receiver and fourth-year psychology major.
After a missed field goal by the Vandals, the Aggies marched down the field again to the one-yard line where Lan Larison, a running back and fourth-year managerial economics major, punched in his team’s second touchdown to tie the game. Larison’s touchdown also moved him into a three-way tie for fourth most touchdowns scored in UC Davis football history with a total of 28 touchdowns in his career.
Up 17-14, the University of Idaho looked to push their lead at the Aggies’ 25-yard line until Kavir Bains, a defensive back and fourth-year managerial economics major, intercepted a pass to shut down any hope of scoring before the end of the first half.
With the Aggies receiving the ball on the opening kickoff to start the second half, a planned fake-reverse handoff made space for C.J. Hutton, a wide receiver and fourth-year managerial economics major, to run 72 yards on the return. With good field positioning, Hastings threw a lob to Larison who made a rolling catch in the end zone for another UC Davis touchdown.
On back-to-back Vandals possessions, Lamont Shamburger, a third-year defensive back and undeclared major, and Porter Connors, a linebacker and third-year human development major, snagged two interceptions, adding to an imposing performance by the Aggie defense.
Additionally, at the end of the third quarter, Hastings hit Winston Williams, a tight end and fourth-year psychology major, up the middle to give UC Davis a two-possession lead.
When all seemed lost for the Vandals, a fourth-quarter rally field goal and a touchdown with less than a minute to go made the score 26-28. The Vandals were just a two-point conversion away from sending the game into overtime, but pressure from Zach Kennedy, a defensive edge and fourth-year managerial economics major, forced the potentially game-tying throw out of bounds to seal the Aggies’ first-ever victory against a top five-rated team.
Hastings threw for an impressive 248 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with eight different receivers and five who had over 30 yards that night. This historic win gave new Head Coach Tim Plough his first-ever win in the Big Sky Conference.
“The feeling of winning games at Davis feels different when you win games anywhere else,” Plough said in the post-game press conference. “Whether they’re a top five team or ranked 150th, every win for the Aggies is really special to me.”
Plough remains optimistic about UC Davis’ hopes for the season despite not having played their best football prior to their victory over the University of Idaho Vandals.
“A good friend of mine told me that you’re either winning or learning and luckily we’re doing both right now,” Plough said. “Hopefully we can do that throughout the year.”
