After lightning struck out first game, UC Davis football prepares for ‘opener’
Normally, a football game has a result — a winner and a loser.
That did not happen for the UC Davis Aggies in their opener Saturday night in Alabama.
Ranked No. 8 in the FCS, UCD’s game against No. 11 Mercer of Georgia in the FCS Kickoff Classic, hosted at the 103-year-old Cramton Bowl in Montgomery on ESPN, was declared a no contest in the fourth quarter of a 6-point game after repeated lightning strikes within city limits.
Each lightning strike meant a mandated 30-minute delay before play would have been allowed to resume, an NCAA guideline rooted in safety. The game was delayed more than 90 minutes. UCD led 23-17 with 7:46 left to play in the fourth quarter. The Aggies led 23-3 in the second half.
Despite players on both teams suffering cramps on a hot and humid night, both teams were willing to wait it out. Fans were instructed to leave the stadium while the teams headed back to their locker rooms.
UCD athletic administrators reached the pilot of their team flight with an understanding that this could last awhile.
City of Montgomery officials and the FCS Kickoff Classic administrators ultimately ruled that the game would not continue. Per NCAA rules, a no-contest game means the game technically did not happen and it would not go down on any official record.
There is no score, no results, no statistics — just lingering frustration for both teams. Mercer coach Mike Jacobs told media after the game that this was the “most expensive scrimmage in college football history.”
UCD this week prepares for a Saturday kickoff against Utah Tech in St. George, where weather will again be a subplot. The day’s high temperature is forecast to be 96 degrees, but without lightning strikes.
“I felt really confident that we were going to win the game,” UCD coach Tim Plough said Monday during his weekly news conference. “We knew what was going on behind closed doors, a lot at play, and the safety of players. I was told that if it was under five minutes (left to play when the lightning strikes started), then we would have won. If we were up by two scores, we would have (been declared the winner). We couldn’t wait it out forever.”
The coach added, “I felt we were clearly the better team.”
Plough said he was impressed with his team’s resolve and effort, including quarterback Caden Pinnick; the offensive line led by the 6-foot-6, 300-pound senior Eli Simonson; and the defense, anchored by All-American safety Rex Connors, who had 12 tackles.
A redshirt freshman out of Del Oro High School in Placer County, Pinnick impressed in his collegiate starting debut. He completed his first nine passes, and went 13 of 24 overall for 141 yards and a touchdown. He also had a scrambling and diving touchdown run in rushing for 62 yards total.
Jordan Fisher rushed for 84 yards, and he also blocked a punt that led to a 2-point safety in the third quarter.
No. 8 UC Davis (0-0) at Utah Tech (0-0)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
On air: Sactown Sports 1140; ESPN+
Of note: Utah Tech is in its 20th season as an NCAA member and sixth as an FCS Division I program, and the Trailblazers are hopeful of a reverse of fortunes, having gone 3-16 in openers while in its NCAA era after decades at lower levels. When the school was called Dixie State, the program competed in the junior college ranks. The school joined the NCAA’s Division II level in 2006. Utah Tech is coming off of seasons of 2-9 and 1-11. UCD is 2-0 against Utah Tech, including a 32-14 effort last season.
UCD won the first meeting 60-27 in 2021. Utah Tech will join the Big Sky Conference starting next fall. Trailblazers coach Lancer Anderson played for Idaho State of the Big Sky in the 1990s. Utah Tech is 1-17 lifetime against Big Sky teams. Utah Tech returns three quarterbacks who saw significant playing time in 2024, including Reggie Graff, who passed for 1,467 yards and rushed for 442 last season.