College football: UC Davis back on track, rolls Northern Arizona
Needing a victory it absolutely had to have, UC Davis delivered on Saturday night.
The Aggies rolled up a season-high 688 yards and got an army of players involved in beating Northern Arizona 56-27 at UC Davis Health Stadium in front of 9,152 fans to climb right back into the FCS playoff race, provided the victories keep coming.
If this effort was any indication, that’s more than likely with a favorable schedule looming.
UCD came in a tough-luck 1-4 with close setbacks to soon-to-be No. 1 North Dakota, No. 6 Weber State and No. 7 Montana State. But the Big Sky is so highly regarded that should the Aggies make a run, or even run the regular-season table, they can enhance their hopes of reaching the postseason for the third time since 2018 with their body of work.
“I was happy for our guys,” a relieved UCD coach Dan Hawkins said. “It’s good for them to have a little excitement, a little joy, have some fun. They’ve worked hard. It was great to see so many guys play and get involved and to score in a number of different ways.”
The variety of end-zone visits included Miles Hastings. He passed for 328 yards on 21 of 26 passing and touchdown strikes of 24 yards to CJ Hutton and 11 yards to Josh Gale, and the quarterback even caught a touchdown. On the play, Lan Larison caught a lateral from Hastings, who then scanned a number of options before finding Hastings for a 49-6 lead. Hastings wasn’t the intended target, and he also wasn’t going to drop that ball.
“We like the exotics,” Hawkins said of trick plays. “They’re fun. I’m an out-of-the-box guy, and we’re at a school where kids are super creative. No one wants to show up and watch us hand it to the fullback up the middle all the time. People will leave the stadium.”
Unless that guy taking the ball up the middle is Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. The senior opened the second half with a 77-yard burst up the middle down to the NAU 3, pushing him over 4,000 career rushing yards at UCD. He then capped it with a touchdown run. Gilliam rushed for 150 yards and two scores. Larison rushed for 86 and two touchdowns, including a 47-yard sprint for a 14-6 lead.
“It’s a very good feeling, sharing the ball, everyone playing well, and it’s a start in the right direction for the rest of the season,” Larison said.
Hutton, out of Folsom High School, ran for a score and exemplifies his team’s do-anything mantra.
“We know what’s at stake,” he said. “We looked like the team that we know we are. It was a much-needed win. We needed to show some signs of life, and we did. Everyone knows we were 1-4, but we’re a much better team that our record. This gives us a spark. This is what we’re capable of.”
Thirteen UCD players caught passes for 410 combined yards. Nine Aggies carried the ball for 278 yards. UCD had 90 plays.
UCD’s remaining Big Sky schedule: at Northern Colorado, home against Cal Poly, home against Idaho State, at Idaho and then at Sacramento State in the annual Causeway Classic on Nov. 19. Northern Colorado, Cal Poly and Idaho State are a combined 2-9 in the Big Sky while Idaho and Sacramento State are a combined 6-0 in conference.
“Our backs are against the wall; we know that,” Hawkins said. “We’ve got to win out for a chance to get in the playoffs. We just need to be the best that we can be, the best version of ourselves.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2022 at 7:38 AM.