College Sports

College football: UC Davis rolls Northern Colorado to remain in FCS playoff race

UC Davis Aggies running back Matteo Perez (19) tosses the ball in celebration while in a seated position after running in to score during the second quarter against the University of San Diego at the NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at UC Davis Health Stadium.
UC Davis Aggies running back Matteo Perez (19) tosses the ball in celebration while in a seated position after running in to score during the second quarter against the University of San Diego at the NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at UC Davis Health Stadium. xmascarenas@sacbee.com

The UC Davis Aggies have found a new gear, and the hope is that rolling momentum will propel them back into the FCS playoffs for the third time since 2018.

The Aggies blasted Northern Colorado 58-10 on Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field in Big Sky Conference action.

UCD moved to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Big Sky with its second consecutive offensive outburst. Miles Hastings completed 18 of 21 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard strike to Josh Gale, who caught the short pass and then was off to the races.

Hastings founds Whitney High School graduate Justin Kraft for a 19-yard touchdown late in the half for a 27-3 lead, Isaiah Gomez kicked three field goals, including shots of 43 and 46 yards, and George Moreno and Lan Larison had big plays to spark UCD, which has scored 114 points in its last two games. That’s the most in a two-game stretch in the program’s Division I era and the most since 2000. Last week, UCD beat Northern Arizona 56-27.

Moreno’s 40-yard interception return for a score gave UCD a 13-3 lead early in the second quarter, and Larison’s 75-yard scoring sprint made it 48-10 with 14:39 left to play.

Hastings also hit C.J. Hutton for a two-yard touchdown, capping a 41-point unanswered run, and Rex Connors paced the Aggies defense with 10 tackles and came up with his fourth interception of the season as UCD won its third straight over the Bears, who fell to 2-6 and 1-4.

UCD plays its next two games at home at Health Stadium, facing Cal Poly on Oct. 29 and Idaho State on Nov. 5. The Aggies likely need to run the table for a shot at the FCS playoffs.

Joe Davidson
The Sacramento Bee
Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.
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