UC Davis, QB Caden Pinnick bounce back from stunning loss to top Idaho in Big Sky
A week after suffering a stunning loss to a team from the Gem State, the UC Davis Aggies got right back on track with a satisfying effort in Moscow.
Behind 248 yards passing and three touchdowns passes by Caden Pinnick, the FCS No. 10-ranked Aggies defeated the Idaho Vandals 28-14 on Saturday night in the Kibbie Dome.
UCD lost to Idaho State 38-36 in Yolo County on Nov. 1, a crushing blow for the team’s Big Sky Conference championship hopes, but the Aggies remain solidly in the FCS playoff hunt by improving to 5-1 in the Big Sky Conference and 7-2 overall. The only unbeaten teams left in the Big Sky are powerhouse Montana State and Montana.
Pinnick had a late-game interception against Idaho State and was intercepted twice on Saturday, but he was otherwise on his game. The redshirt freshman from Del Oro High School in Placer County completed 21 of 27 passes for 248 yards, with scoring strikes of 8 yards to Samuel Gbatu Jr., 11 yards to Ian Simpson and 3 yards to Stacy Dobbins, and he had a 22-yard scoring run for a 20-7 lead. Pinnick rushed nine times for 40 yards.
Gbatu had seven receptions for 110 yards, and Jordan Fisher rushed 21 times for 104 yards for UCD, which moved to 6-1 against the Vandals in a series that dates back to 1997.
UCD can greatly enhance its chances of reaching the FCS playoffs for the fourth time since 2018 if the Aggies win out, though FCS insiders said the team could likely still get in with a loss at No. 3 Montana State.
UCD plays the Bobcats in Bozeman next Saturday, Nov. 15, on ESPN2.