Local college football notes: UC Davis to visit rival Cal Poly

Gold watch or Golden Horseshoe.

It's all the same for Bob Biggs. And as the UC Davis football coach approaches retirement, Biggs is looking forward to gathering some hardware.

The annual game between the Aggies and Cal Poly – with the winner awarded the Golden Horseshoe – is Saturday at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo at 6:05 p.m.

Biggs has 11 wins as head coach against Cal Poly. The only school his teams have beaten more often is Causeway Classic rival Sacramento State (15).

"Sac State has been our rival, but Cal Poly is a great rival, too," said Biggs, whose teams have won six times in San Luis Obispo. "There have been so many great games vs. Cal Poly. Our universities and our programs have a lot of similarities. Our guys know their guys and vice versa. Playing in the same conference all these years has been great for the rivalry."

This will be the first Big Sky Conference game for each school. Both played in the Great West Conference last season, with UCD beating the visiting Mustangs 24-17. The Aggies are looking for their fourth consecutive victory against Cal Poly.

Cal Poly's triple-option running attack – a rarity in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, according to Biggs – is ranked fifth in rushing at 324 yards a game.

In the triple option, the quarterback can hand off to a fullback for a run up the middle or roll out and either keep the ball or pitch it to a tailback.

The Mustangs have run four times as often as they've thrown the ball this season. That's why the Aggies have practiced harder for the run this week, Biggs said.

"We're usually in full pads only once a week, but we'll be in full pads three times this week getting ready for the triple option," Biggs said. "In the triple option, there are a lot of cut blocks, and we've got to be ready for them."

Biggs said his scout team offense takes great pride in mimicking the triple option during practices.

How the Aggies' defense holds up at the line will be key Saturday.

"Blitzing goes out the window (when you face the triple option)," Biggs said. "Everyone is responsible for their gaps. The triple option is a pain in the rear, to be honest."

Distant games – After losing 49-41 at San Diego State last week, North Dakota returns to the Golden State to play Sac State at Hornet Field on Saturday at 6:05 p.m.

North Dakota coach Chris Mussman doesn't want to hear any excuses about travel. This will be the seventh trip to California for North Dakota since moving up to D-I but the first time it will play back-to-back games in the state.

North Dakota is 1-5 in those contests, but five of those games have been decided by single digits.

"We're used to traveling like this," Mussman said during a Big Sky coaches conference call Wednesday. "We're staying in the same place we stay in when we come out to play UC Davis, so this will be a very routine trip for us. We're excited about our first Big Sky event for the university, and that's not lost on us."

The last time North Dakota played in Sacramento was 1972, when it beat Cal Poly 38-21 at Hughes Stadium to win the Camellia Bowl.

A Sac State victory would give the Hornets a 3-1 record for the first time since 1999. Sac State is 4-13 in Big Sky openers but 4-4 at Hornet Stadium.

Odiase rising – Hornets junior cornerback Osagie Odiase earned his first Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week award Monday.

Against Northern Colorado, Odiase had a career-high 11 tackles, recovered a fumble that one play later was converted to the Hornets' first score and stopped a Bears drive with an interception at the Sac State 3-yard line.

A three-year starter from Santa Fe Springs, Odiase has 104 career tackles and five interceptions. He is the only active Hornet with more than one career interception.

Odiase and Sac State's secondary will be tested Saturday by North Dakota quarterback Marcus Hendrickson, who threw for 434 yards against San Diego State.

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