Caden Pinnick dazzles at QB and UC Davis rolls Rhode Island in FCS playoffs
.JPG "UC Davis Aggies quarterback Caden Pinnick (12) throws the ball in the first quarter of a second-round NCAA Division FCS playoff game against the Rhode Island Rams at UC Davis Health Stadium on Saturday.")
Rhode Island’s first college football trip to the West Coast in the 130-year history of the program turned out to be a dud, and the Rams can fault Caden Pinnick and a fierce second-half defense for the experience.
With Pinnick firing five touchdown passes and the UC Davis starting defense pitching a second-half shutout, the No. 8-seeded Aggies rolled the No. 9 Rams 47-26 on Saturday night in front of 8,525 chilled fans at Jim Sochor Field in an NCAA Division FCS second-round playoff game.
As good fortune would have it, the Aggies scored a victory of sorts well before their 7 p.m. kickoff against the champions of the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.
Top-seeded North Dakota State, winners of 10 FCS national championships since 2011, including last season, was stunned by unseeded Illinois State 29-28. That means UCD (9-3) will host Illinois State (10-4) on Dec. 13 at 2 p.m. instead of traveling to the frozen tundra of Fargo, where the weather forecast next Saturday is -9 degrees. UCD beat Illinois State 42-10 in the playoffs last season.
A redshirt freshman from Del Oro High School in Placer County, Pinnick continued his stellar season, one that included being named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year. He passed for 266 yards and rushed for 99, and his five touchdown tosses were the most for a UCD player since Kevin Daft had five in a 1997 game against Texas A&M Kingsville.
Pinnick also became the first UCD quarterback to have five TD passes in a single game twice in the same season, doing so against Northern Arizona on Oct 11 in a 45-24 victory. Pinnick had two touchdown passes to Zach Jones, and one each to Samuel Gbatu Jr., Ian Simpson and Scott Nixon, The Sacramento Bee’s 2022 Player of the Year from Sheldon High School in Sacramento. Nixon’s father, Chris Nixon, was a UCD receiver in the 1980s before becoming one of the region’s top prep head coaches.
A pleased Tim Plough, the UCD coach, has talked all season about the grit and resolve of the Aggies, who have overcome a crush of injuries to produce one of the best seasons in program history. UCD blew the game open in the third quarter.
“We’re thrilled at the result, and we talked all week about earning another week together,” he said. “Just love this team so much and being around them. The thought of not having another with them, it’s tough to bear.”
Of Pinnick, Plough said, “Just really proud of Caden. Every week is a learning week for him. His best football is ahead of him.”
The coach also raved about Gbatu Jr., who had four receptions for 121 yards and went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season. Jordan Fisher rushed for 140 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown, his sixth 100-yard effort of the season as he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark.
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UCD senior linebacker Nate Rutchena had eight tackles, and he returned a fumble eight yards to help set up a score.
“Great teammates,” Pinnick said of UCD’s support crew. “Can’t do it without them. My success comes from a lot of other guys, and being out there with my guys is just true joy.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 11:58 PM.