Teams: UC Davis vs. No. 2 Montana State
Records: Aggies, 2-3 (1-1); Bobcats, 5-0 (2-0)
Where: Aggie Stadium
When: 4 p.m.
Who to Watch: Montana State is fourth in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in rushing yards allowed, allowing an average of 63.4 yards per game. In order for the Aggies to come out on top this game, the Aggies’ entire group of ball carriers must be ready to dominate.
Turay must continue eating up yardage and challenge the Bobcats. He is coming off a three-touchdown week against Weber State.
Sophomore Colton Silveria, redshirt freshman Courtney Williams and senior Marquis Nicolis will also be expected to bring in a different dimension of the run game. So far the Aggies have been averaging 104.8 yards per game on the ground.
Did you know? This will be the first time that the Montana State Bobcats will be facing the Aggies at Aggie Stadium. The two teams have played twice before, with the Bobcats winning the matchup in 2006 by the score of 45-0 and then in 2010 by 38-14.
This will be the first time the two schools play each other as conference opponents in the Big Sky Conference as well.
Montana State has been a powerhouse in the conference and were predicted to finish first in conference. They have captured the league title the past two years.
Preview: This week the Aggies welcome Big Sky Conference foe Montana State, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the FCS poll. The Aggies are coming off a thorough victory over Weber State and are now set to face one of the best teams in the nation.
“Every game we come out to play and just keep ‘chopping wood,’” said senior defensive lineman Nick King.
This week the Aggies will be put to the test on their Homecoming week and Block CA student-athlete reunion against a Montana State team that boasts the best offense and second-best defense in the Big Sky. The Bobcats are averaging 40.8 points per game this year while stifling their opponents to 19.6 points per game.
The Aggies, who are 2-0 at home, will be determined to upset the heavily favored Montana State team at Aggie Stadium. The Aggies are led on offense by junior quarterback Randy Wright and a rushing attack that has split duties among a bevy of players.
The rushing attack will have a tough time going against a Montana State run defense that has allowed 40 fewer yards per game than anyone else in the conference.
The UC Davis defense is coming into the game coming off a shutdown performance over Weber State in which they forced four turnovers and four sacks. Senior linebackers Byron Gruendl and Jordan Glass are set to lead the defense against a steady Bobcat offense that leads the Big Sky in first downs.
Another aspect of the game that can be overlooked is special teams. Kick returner Jonathan Perkins will have a tough task of returning kicks against the strong special teams unit of Montana State.
The Montana State Bobcats are led by their starting quarterback Denarius McGhee, who was second team All-Big Sky last year, and boast a 24-5 career record. Their rushing game is led by Orenzo Davis, who just had his first game in which he rushed for over 100 yards last week against Southern Utah.
The Aggies are up against quite a challenge in their homecoming game, but if they can put points on the board, there’s no saying what sort of things can happen in head coach Bob Biggs’ final season with UC Davis.
— Jason Min
