College football: Former Folsom standout catches on with UC Davis receiving corps
It’s a good problem to have, really.
A wealth of skill players to hand the ball off to or to throw to and only so many downs to get it all in. This is a quandary that UC Davis coach Dan Hawkins deals with each week as he scans his play sheet of options. And there’s this: It is better to be talent-rich than talent-thin.
Take C.J. Hutton. The Folsom High School product in four games has 18 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, but that score was a big one. The sophomore receiver caught a 19-yard strike from Miles Hastings to pull UCD to within 17-12 of No. 12 Weber State on Saturday night late in the third quarter of a Big Sky Conference opener. The Aggies would not reach the end zone again, falling by that score in dropping to 1-3 in a season that still has plenty of legs left.
Hutton is one of six Aggies who has at least 12 catches this season. He is one of 13 UCD players to catch a pass and one of eight to catch a touchdown.
“We have a lot of really good football players,” Hawkins said. “It’s hard to get them all the ball.”
Of the speedy, driven and sure-handed Hutton, Hawkins said, “We have a lot of skill players that can catch the ball. C.J. is one of them. No one on our team loves football more than C.J. No one.”
Hutton was a two-sport star at Folsom High and the Sierra Foothill League MVP in both. The Folsom football teams he starred on went 40-3 with three SFL and two state championships, catching 54 passes for 1,026 yard and 11 scores as a senior. Hutton showed what he could do in the shortened spring season of 2021 at UCD, taking handoffs, catching passes and playing on kickoff returns. He had five starts at receiver last fall and played in all 12 games.
Hutton said he appreciates his role with the Aggies, of what he’s learned from players in his early UCD days and of his simple approach with the ball to, “find a hole and just go.”
Just go is the motto shared by all with the schedule and mountain still formidable. UCD faces No. 4 Montana State (3-1) in Bozeman on Saturday night, needing a victory to keep in the thick of the race conference.
The Aggies are a tough-luck lot. They have a 34-13 loss at Cal in an opener, a 24-22 loss at FCS No. 2 South Dakota State, a 43-13 win over the University of San Diego and the frustrating loss at to Weber State. Against Weber State, the Aggies missed three field goals and had no turnovers while forcing three.
“That was a tough one Saturday night, for a lot of reasons,” Hawkins said of the Weber setback. “Look at the stats and you think, ‘Boy, Aggies won that one,’ but we didn’t. We played hard. Some things we have to clean up, and that’s on me.”
UC Davis (1-3) at No. 4 Montana State (3-1)
When: Saturday, 7:15 p.m.
Where: Bobcats Stadium, Bozeman, Mont.
On air: SacTown Sports 1140; ESPNU
Quick hits: Montana State leads the series 6-1 with UCD winning the first meeting, 45-0, in 2006. ... Aggies quarterback Miles Hastings “has played a really high level,” Hawkins said. Hastings has passed for 1,041 yards and eight touchdowns with three interceptions. ... Montana State beat Eastern Washington 38-35 in its Big Sky opener as quarterback Sean Chambers sealed it with two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns. He ran for 178 yards and passed for 69 yards and a score. ... Montana State beat McNeese State 40-17 in an opener, rolled Morehead State 63-13 and lost at Oregon State 68-28.
This story was originally published September 29, 2022 at 8:00 AM.