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Wednesday, February 19, 2025

A look into the historic season for UC Davis football

The Aggies were defeated by South Dakota in the NCAA quarterfinals

 

By Lucienne Brooker — sports@theaggie.org

A historic season for UC Davis football came to a close end in the NCAA quarterfinals with a loss to the fourth-ranked University of South Dakota Coyotes. The 21-35 defeat on Dec. 14 in Vermillion, South Dakota marked only the third loss of the season for the Aggies, where the team blossomed into a national contender. New Head Coach Tim Plough breathed new life into the team, inspiring them to only their second appearance in NCAA Division 1 quarterfinals in team history. Going into the tournament as the No. 5 seed was another recording-breaking moment for the team.

Despite an earlier-than-hoped exit from post-season playoffs, the team, coaching staff and fans experienced a groundbreaking season. The Aggies won 11 of 14 games, including a nine-game victory streak in the middle of the season.

Highlights included decisive wins over rivals Sacramento State University and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, as well as a rousing defeat of 12th-ranked Illinois State University at the UC Davis Health Stadium in the second round of playoffs. In the final match of the 2024 season, the Aggies fought hard to advance to the next round, but they were outmatched against a strong South Dakota team.

South Dakota scored first in the first quarter, but the Aggies were quickly able to fight back to tie the score at 7-7. Unfortunately for UC Davis, South Dakota cut off their momentum and capitalized twice to make the score 21-7. The Aggies cut the deficit to seven points again before halftime, however, a third quarter in which they failed to take advantage of any scoring opportunities set them too far behind to catch up.

South Dakota scored again in the third and then once more in the fourth quarter, pushing them to 35 points. While the Aggies also scored one more touchdown to increase their score to 21 points, they weren’t able to overtake the Coyotes’ lead. A final interception by South Dakota sealed their spot in the next round.

Despite the loss for the Aggies, there are a lot of positive takeaways from the game and the season as a whole. Trent Tompkins, a fifth-year communications major and wide receiver, finished the quarterfinal with a career-high 11 receptions. The Aggie defense was also able to limit scoring opportunities for South Dakota, denying them any points in several close calls.

“I appreciate these players and I’m grateful to be in a position to coach at a school I really love, and it was a good season for us,” Head Coach Tim Plough said in a UC Davis Athletics article. “So hopefully we can get back to work and figure out how to get back here again in the future. Despite the result, there was a lot of joy out there today.”

Several players received post-season awards. A total of 13 players were named to Big Sky All-Conference teams, including six to the first team. Lan Larison, a fourth-year managerial economics major and running back, and Rex Connors, a third-year human development major and defensive back, were unanimously picked for the first team.

Larison and Miles Hastings,  a fifth-year communications major and quarterback, were also named finalists for the Walter Payton Award. David Meyer, a third-year undeclared major and linebacker, was named a Buck Buchanan Award finalist and Hunter Ridley, a third-year communications major and kicker, was named a Fred Mitchell Award finalist after stellar performances from both players throughout the season.

Although the season didn’t end in a national championship, the future of UC Davis football is bright. Under Head Coach Tim Plough, fans look forward to more exciting football in 2025 and beyond.

 

By Lucienne Brooker — sports@theaggie.org

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