UC Davis beats Sacramento State in 70th Causeway Classic. ‘Who’s got it better than us?’
Tim Plough has been joined by his three young sons several times after football games this season for postgame media sessions, and maybe Jackson, Camden and Bodi stick nearby to remind pop to stop by for extra servings of ice cream on the way home.
On Saturday night, Team Plough occupied the media table, savoring a 42-39 victory over Sacramento State in the 70th Causeway Classic in front of 16,239 fans, a spirited effort in a Big Sky Conference finale in a season to remember with a lot of season left to play for the Aggies.
The coach closed with, “Hey Plough boys, who has it better than us?”
In unison, the lads said, “Nooobody!”, punctuating the postgame theme Jim Harbaugh has used for years, be it as coach with the San Francisco 49ers, the Michigan Wolverines or this season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The storied Aggies do indeed have a good thing going, all of it rooted in the time-tested ingredients of effort and drive. Plough in his first season at his alma mater elevated a good program into a great one, maximizing the efforts of seniors on offense and defense, some of whom nearly transferred out after a trying 2023 season that included a Causeway victory but no FCS playoff.
Ranked No. 4 in the FCS, UCD capped what Plough deems the greatest regular season in program history, certainly in the 20-year history at this level after decades of good living in Division II.
At 10-2, UCD found out Sunday morning that it earned the No. 5 seed in the 24-team FCS bracket. The Aggies open with a bye and on Dec. 7 host the winner of this week’s Southwest Missouri-Illinois State opening-round contest. Plough said the Aggies “can make a run at this.”
Before the young Plough boys took to the media table, UCD’s four senior captains occupied seats, each of them paramount to the program’s dream season, and their grins masked their bumps, bruises, welts and scrapes from the rigors of a rivalry game and a long season. Those captains are offensive cogs Miles Hastings and Lan Larison and defensive anchors in defensive back Rex Connors and defensive lineman Princeton Toki.
A third-year starter soaring up Aggies all-time career passing marks, Hastings passed for 398 yards and three touchdowns to offset the 389 yards passing and five touchdowns by Sacramento State’s Carson Conklin.
Hastings hit Samuel Gbatu for a 7-0 lead and Winston Williams twice for leads of 21-7 and 35-24.
An All-American, Larison did more Lan Larison things, rushing 23 times for 148 yards and three scores, including a 59-yarder to seal it.
“Definitely a dagger,” Larison said of his late run with a laugh.
Larison also had four receptions for 69 yards, and his 2,000 all-purpose yards this season makes him a serious contender for the Walter Payton Award, which recognizes the top player in the FCS. Larison has 1,366 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns, and he leads all FCS running backs in receiving with 58 catches for 755 yards and six scores.
“If there’s a better player in the FCS, I haven’t seen it,” Plough said. “If he doesn’t win the Walter Payton Award, it’s a shame. He’s the best player in the FCS. He leads the conference in scoring. He was on our punt team, kickoff teams, and he recovered the onside kick (to help seal the game). He’s the best player in the country. He should go down as one of the greatest players in our history. I will always remember the type of person he is, his loyalty. I’ll remember his legacy as a player and as a person.”
Sacramento State finishes long season
Sacramento State limped home at 3-9, the program’s worst season since going winless in the Big Sky in 2018. That led to a coaching overhaul, bringing in Troy Taylor as head coach and Andy Thompson as defensive coordinator.
Taylor is in his second season as head coach at Stanford, and Thompson his second as Sac State head coach. The Hornets won Big Sky crowns in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and last season marked the program’s fourth consecutive FCS playoff berth.
Thompson endured a rash of injuries this season after his team was preseason nationally ranked, and they were ranked as high as 10th in September. But projected starters missed more than 80 games, though the fight remained. The Hornets did not lose for a lack of effort.
“A lot of hurt,” Thompson said in sizing up his club. “I appreciate the fight. Very resilient group. I was very proud of how they handled themselves, how they continued to get after it. These guys worked their tails off. They gave everything they had. There’s nothing to hang our heads about.”
Thompson said he wished his longtime coaching friend Plough the best of luck in the playoffs. Plough said he can feel for his friend. He was emotional talking about Thompson, so much so that his three sons looked at him to see if he was okay.
“To see a good friend ... going through a tough time, I love Andy to death,” Plough said. “I hope Sac State knows how lucky they are to have him. They’ll be back.”
The FCS selection show on ESPNU airs Sunday at 9 a.m.
This story was originally published November 23, 2024 at 7:19 PM.