A dominant fourth quarter performance wasn’t enough to bring the Aggies a victory
By Lucienne Brooker — sports@theaggie.org
A sold-out crowd of 14,000 watched the UC Davis Aggies fall to the Montana State University (MSU) Bobcats on Nov. 16 at the UC Davis Health Stadium. In what was billed as the “biggest game in UC Davis history,” Head Coach Tim Plough and his team hoped to extend their winning streak and make history. However, their performance wasn’t quite enough, as Montana State went on to clinch the automatic playoff bid from the Big Sky Conference and at least a share of the conference title.
It wasn’t a strong start for the Aggies, whose chances of conference championships and playoff berths quickly decreased. Although they managed to take an early lead with a touchdown from Ian Simpson, a third-year sociology major and tight end, the Bobcats easily responded.
One touchdown in the first quarter cut the Aggie lead to one point, and in the second quarter, the Bobcats turned up the intensity. They capitalized on poor defensive play by the Aggies and scored two touchdowns and an additional field goal, making the score 23-8 halfway through the game.
The Bobcats continued their momentum in the third quarter, adding to their point count with a fourth touchdown. With the score now sitting at 30-8, victory was slipping further out of reach for the Aggies. Each MSU touchdown was scored by a different player, showing a strong overall team effort.
However, the Bobcats’ win was not as comfortable as it seemed. With six minutes left in the final quarter of the game, Lan Larison, a fourth-year managerial economics major and running back and captain, scored a touchdown to cut the point gap to 15.
With two minutes left to play and still down by 15 points, a win appeared to be very unlikely. However, a long pass from Miles Hastings, a fourth-year communications major and quarterback, to Chad Davis, a fourth-year psychology major and wide receiver, saw the Aggies at the fourth-yard line with a scoring opportunity. Samuel Gbatu Jr., a third-year undeclared major and wide receiver, was able to score the touchdown — suddenly, the Aggies were back in the competition with a minute and a half to go.
While the Bobcats took possession and tried to run down the clock, Winston Williams, a fourth-year psychology major and tight end, was able to wrestle the ball away from MSU, leaving the Aggies with one more golden opportunity.
A pass from Hastings found Davis, who scored his first touchdown of the game to make it a two-point game. Although the Aggies had the opportunity to tie the match, they failed their two-point conversion attempt, and MSU was able to retake possession and run down the clock with a sigh of relief.
Despite the disappointing loss, there are plenty of positives for the Aggies to look back on after the game. A total of 13,947 attendees marks the biggest home crowd this season for a team that has struggled to draw a student presence at their games in the past. While the team had hoped they could deliver a win, most fans were just happy to have witnessed such a strong performance from their team.
UC Davis will play their final match of the 2024 regular season against the Sacramento State University Hornets in the highly anticipated Causeway Classic. The Aggies have performed well against the Hornets in recent seasons, defeating them 31-21 last November. Sacramento State has won only three games this season, so UC Davis is hoping for a chance to close out the season with a decisive victory. The game will take place at Hornet Stadium on Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.
By Lucienne Brooker — sports@theaggie.org
