UC Davis, led by Larison and Hastings, pounds Northern Colorado for 8th consecutive victory
Looking the part of a rested and refreshed outfit, the FCS No. 4-ranked UC Davis Aggies blasted Northern Colorado 59-7 on Saturday at UC Davis Health Stadium to extend their winning streak to eight in remaining unbeaten in Big Sky Conference play.
All-American senior Lan Larison rushed for 143 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns, including a dazzling 49-yard score off a direct snap for a 14-0 lead in front of 10,638 sun-soaked fans on a cool afternoon. It was Larison’s fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and the 11th of his career, and it was the fourth time Larison has rushed for at least three scores in a game during his career.
Senior third-year starter Miles Hastings passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns on 20 of 26 passing as UCD amassed 622 yards, rolled up 29 first downs and rushed for a season-high 309 yards.
The Aggies were led on defense by redshirt junior David Meyer, who had 12 tackles, 11 of them solo, including two for loss.
Larison’s other scoring runs were of 3 yards for a 21-0 lead and 7 yards for a 31-0 lead as UCD moved to 8-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big Sky with its fourth consecutive victory over the Bears of Greeley, who fell to 1-8 and 1-4.
Hastings hit Trent Tompkins for a 7-yard TD to open the scoring, found Josh Gale for a 40-yarder to make it 38-0 in the third quarter and hit Winston Williams for a 27-yarder to make it 45-0 a few moments later.
By then, Aggies first-year coach Tim Plough was cycling in reserve players.
“I’m proud with how we came out and played following the bye against a good team that I have a lot of respect for,” Plough said after the game. “We got some of the freshman in today, and we tried to get as many players as we could in during the game. We talked about the people in your circle either inspire or it becomes a cage. We have been focused on us playing well all season, and for this game our goal was to come off two weeks and see how well we can play with longer preparation.”
UCD on Nov. 9 plays at No. 9 Montana and on Nov. 16 hosts No. 2 Montana State in what could be a battle of teams with unbeaten Big Sky records.
UCD seeks its second Big Sky crown since 2018.
This story was originally published November 2, 2024 at 6:22 PM.