As UC Davis braces for Idaho in Big Sky football opener, Coach Plough hands out tickets
Tim Plough was a man of the people on Monday afternoon.
The first-year UC Davis football coach strolled across campus, offering up conversation, insight on blocking and tackling, and free game tickets for this week’s home showdown against FCS-ranked No. 4 Idaho.
The No. 11 Aggies last Saturday moved to 3-1 with a 32-14 effort over Utah Tech in front of a UC Davis Health Stadium record crowd of 14,832, and here comes the coach firing up the student body to match or exceed that showing. Plough reminded students that he was one of them once, an Aggie from 2004-07 and a history major who started at quarterback for the storied program as a senior.
“The crowd last week was great,” Plough said Tuesday during his weekly media session. “I challenge people to get involved. I was walking around campus, handing out tickets, trying to get more people to come to the game.”
Plough was the quarterback for UCD’s first team that broke in its sparkling new home digs after decades at grizzled, rickety and famed Toomey Field. He can speak from experience of the student experience at games.
“I remember coming here for the first game, walking down that tunnel, every seat filled on the student side,” Plough said. “I also remember walking out of the tunnel and there’s no one in the student side, so I know that feeling.”
And one more mandate from the coach as he calls for Aggies to show up and shout it out for a 7 p.m. kickoff in this intriguing Big Sky Conference opener: “We have been the most kind and supportive hosts in in the history of college football, and it’s time for us to not be as generous of a host and make it difficult on our opponent.”
Plough has stressed since the start of the season that in order for UCD to contend for its second Big Sky crown since 2018 and third FCS playoff berth in that stretch, the Aggies have to win their home games.
That’ll be no easy task against an Idaho program that received one poll vote this week as the top team in the FCS land. The Vandals of Moscow are the only FCS program this early season to record at least two FCS-ranked victories. The team has impressed from the start, falling to the FBS No. 3-ranked Oregon Ducks 24-14 in a season opener, a contest in which Oregon was favored by 45 points.
Idaho beat FBS-level Wyoming, 17-13; downed FCS-ranked No. 17 Albany of New York, 41-13; and last week defeated FCS No. 19 Abilene Christian of Texas, 27-24.
The Vandals have lost four straight to UCD and are 0-2 all-time on the road against the Aggies. UCD defeated Idaho 44-21 in 2018, when Plough was the Aggies’ offensive coordinator and the Aggies won a share of their first Big Sky crown after winning 30 conference championships in previous decades. This Vandals team already ranks as one of the school’s greatest.
“Their defense is outstanding,” Plough said of Idaho. “If they’re not the best defense in the country, they’re one of them. They deserve all the recognition, the attention, the ranking and the hype. It should be a fun weekend in Davis.”
That the coaches know and respect each other adds a bit more to the showdown. Jason Eck has worked wonders in elevating Idaho since his arrival in 2022. Plough said he got to know the equally as personable Eck away from the football field, including at Big Sky meetings, saying Eck has provided “truly remarkable leadership” for the Vandals.
“We joked about this game months ago,” Plough said of himself and Eck. “Hopefully, he remembers that and takes it easy on us on Saturday.”
Eck was stressing a similar theme during his Monday media availability in Idaho in praising Plough and the Aggies program.
“This will be a challenge, but that’s why you get into playing football or coaching football, you’re competitive and you like challenges,” Eck said. “It’s a good opportunity.”
He added: “We see these coaches a couple times a year. We have Big Sky meetings, so you hate sitting in there knowing you’ve never beat somebody. Even before that, I mentioned in the locker room after the last game that we had not beaten UC Davis since we’ve been here (as a staff), and then (someone) was quick to mention even since we’ve been back in the Big Sky, we haven’t beaten UC Davis.”
No. 4 Idaho (3-1) at No. 11 UC Davis (3-1)
When: Saturday, 7.p.m.
On air: Sactown Sports 1140 AM; ESPN+
Of note: UCD leads the all-time series against Idaho, 4-1...Idaho has lost players to the transfer portal to FBS programs and others to injury and rolls on, including 424 yards of offense against Abilene Christian when Jack Wagner passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns. UCD is averaging 26.2 points this season and has allowed 22 a game, the defense led by senior linebacker David Meyer, who leads the FCS in solo tackles...Preseason All-American running back Lan Larison has rushed for 403 yards for UCD and Miles Hastings has passed for 1,082 yards and six TDs, giving the Aggies as good of a 1-2 punch as there is in the FCS...Hunter Ridley has made 10 consecutive field goals and is a reliable weapon, his four first-half field goals against Utah Tech helping his team take an 18-0 halftime lead.
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 12:25 PM.