UC Davis runs and outguns Southern Utah in front of record crowd in home opener
With all five offensive linemen back in the trenches for UC Davis this season, why not run with power and authority, right?
That was the game plan on Saturday night in Yolo County as the FCS No. 9-ranked Aggies ran all over Southern Utah 50-34 in a nonconference contest, rushing for 357 yards and five touchdowns in front of an Aggies record crowd of 17,217 at UC Davis Health Stadium for the home opener.
Jordan Fisher rushed 12 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yarder for a 29-20 UCD lead in the third quarter.
Carter Vargas had six carries for 136 yards and two scores, including a 47-yard burst to make it 50-27 in the fourth quarter as the Aggies moved to 3-1. The team beat the Thunderbirds for the fourth consecutive time.
Caden Pinnick, the one-time Del Oro High School of Placer County star, completed 13 of 21 passes for 162 yards and two scores, hitting Winston Williams and Mitchell Dixon. Pinnick also rushed six times for 37 yards as UCD averaged a whopping 13.2 yards per carry in piling up 519 total yards.
UCD turned a 22-20 game at the half into a rout to take a 43-27 lead entering the fourth quarter on Back to School Night as the stadium was overflowing with people, including freshman students who moved into dorms last week with the assist of Aggies players.
As he has for much of his All-American career, Rex Connors led the Aggies with 13 tackles, 12 of them solo. His twin brother, Porter Connors, had eight stops.
Kalani Riddick and Jacob Psyk each had seven tackles for UCD, with Psyk and Sam Goligoski each recording two sacks.
Bronson Barron passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns for Southern Utah, and Joshua Dye rushed for 155 yards and a score.
UCD will host Weber State in a Big Sky Conference opener on Sept. 27.
This story was originally published September 20, 2025 at 11:15 PM.