Fresh off first Top 5 win in program history, UC Davis football can’t ease up on the gas
Coaches will tell you that you start to get a real sense of your team after a month of action.
At UC Davis, Tim Plough has had five weeks to size up his group along with his coaching staff. The Aggies are 4-1, riding a four-game winning streak after opening with a competitive loss at FBS-level Cal in Berkeley. UCD is coming off its finest effort, having defeated previous FCS No. 4-ranked Idaho, 28-26, in a Big Sky Conference opener that could go a long way in deciding the league’s pecking order.
And this: That was the first victory over a Top 5 team for UCD in the 20 years the program has competed at the FCS, and the reward includes being ranked ninth this week by the FCS.
Plough also understands that the momentum has to continue this week in Oregon, where tough-luck and winless Portland State will host the Aggies on Saturday afternoon. The Big Sky has for years seen heavily favored teams get bit on the road.
“We have to continue to improve,” Plough said during his weekly media session. “If we don’t we will have wasted the other night (beating Idaho). There are seven games left in the Big Sky, so our road is still very long and steep.”
Plough said the biggest thing he has learned about the Aggies in his first season as head coach at his alma mater is the will to excel.
“We are going to fight,” he said. “This team is going to compete. The top of the pyramid that we show every day is competitive greatness. That’s a real beacon of UC Davis football and has been for a long time. We are going to compete. (The team) has shown that every single week...what it takes to win games, winning the turnover battle, scoring in the red zone. We’re learning what it takes to win.”
Hastings soldiers on
Plough has also been moved by the resolve of his veteran quarterback. A senior who has started three seasons with the Aggies as he climbs up all-time Aggies career record lists, Miles Hastings was at his best against Idaho.
He passed for 248 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 51 for his career, fourth all-time for the Aggies. Last week, he passed Jon Grant (who does UCD color analysis on ESPN+ broadcasts with play-by-play voice Scott Marsh), and Khari Jones, the Sacramento native who starred for UCD from 1991-92.
Hastings led the Aggies from 14-0 down against Idaho by remaining cool against a fierce defense. He utilized an array of options, including receivers C.J. Hutton and Chaz Davis and running back Lan Larison, who had 100 yards of offense, rushing and receiving. Larison has 28 career touchdowns, tied for fourth on the Aggies’ all-time list. He is tied with G.P. Muhammad (1995-98) and Jermaine Rucker (1995-96).
“(Hastings) had a few rough quarters this season but against Idaho is how he’s played most of the season,” Plough said. “It was really fun for me to see the look on his face. Every quarterback wants a signature win, something from a legacy standpoint.”
The coach added: “I think Miles has gotten some unfair representation from his own fans and the media and people across the country without fully understanding what he’s gone through. It’s made him an extremely mature, focused player, and you’re seeing that. For us to be successful, he has to keep doing what he’s doing.”
Portland State’s woes
Plough will remind his Aggies that the Vikings will be no easy test, never mind the team’s struggles this season.
UCD since 2004 has gone 6-7 against Portland State, though the Aggies have won the last three meetings (37-14, 45-28 and 37-23). Dating back to 2010, Portland State had a five-game winning streak on the Aggies that led to UCD’s recent run of success.
The Vikings opened with a 70-30 loss to Pac-12 member Washington State, lost 43-16 to Weber State, canceled its Sept. 14 home game against South Dakota due to a team-wide whooping cough concern, got blasted at FBS Boise State 56-14 and lost a shootout last week at Chattanooga of Tennessee, 45-30.
Portland State fielded its first football team in 1947. The Vikings won their first conference championship in 1963 and their last one in 1992, the year they defeated UCD 42-28 in a Division II playoff opener. Their last two playoff teams were in 2000 and 2015. The program last produced a winning record in 2015, when Bruce Barnum was named Big Sky Coach of the Year. He is in his ninth season with the Vikings.
No. 9 UC Davis (4-1) at Portland State (0-4)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
On air: Sactown Sports 1140; ESPN+
Of note: Portland State quarterback Dante Chachere of Fresno eclipsed the 4,000-yard career mark for the Vikings last week. He also has 24 rushing touchdowns .Portland State played its first four games on the road, the first for that program since 1989. UCD defensive back Rex Connors returned from injury with a bang, recording 11 solo tackles against Idaho to lead the Aggies. His brother, Porter Connors, had an interception against Idaho (Lamont Shamburger and Kavir Bains also had interceptions). On the game-deciding 2-point conversion against Idaho, Aggies defensive lineman Zach Kennedy fought off a block to get after Vandals quarterback Nick Josifek, whose pass was too long, sealing it.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 11:08 AM.