No. 6 UC Davis delivers knockout to Eastern WA. Aggies were 0-11 all-time vs Eagles
On Friday night, UC Davis football coach Tim Plough told his team about a heavyweight boxing match for the ages and implored the Aggies to come out swinging against a team the program had not been able to solve.
That issue is now solved.
Inspired by Muhammad Ali’s legendary championship bout knockout victory over heavily favored George Foreman 50 years ago in the “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire, the FCS No. 6-ranked Aggies scored a breakthrough victory over Eastern Washington on Saturday in Cheney, Washington.
Using a 28-point second quarter and monstrous efforts from its offensive stars, UC Davis downed the Eagles 48-38 in a Big Sky Conference contest on the red Roos Field, halting an all-time, 0-11 streak to the Eagles dating back to 2005.
Coming off a personal-best effort in beating Cal Poly last week, senior quarterback Miles Hastings continued his hot streak. The third-year starter passed for 329 yards and four touchdowns, two to Samuel Gbatu, who had four receptions for 134 yards as the Aggies won their seventh consecutive game to move to 7-1 on the season and 4-0 in the Big Sky. UCD is in a first-place tie in the Big Sky with No. 3 Montana State. The teams play Nov. 16 in Davis.
UCD’s winning streak is its longest since moving up from Division II to FCS-level Division I-AA in 2004. The loss this season was an opener at FBS-level Cal in Berkeley.
Senior All-American running back Lan Larison rushed for a season-high 182 yards on 29 carries for UCD, including a 53-yard touchdown sprint. This came a year after the Idaho native went down with a knee injury against Eastern Washington in a game at Davis after rushing for a lifetime best 255 yards. Larison returned to action last season and earned Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year honors. He has been nothing short of superb this season.
Larison has rushed for 639 yards and five touchdowns. He also has five receiving touchdowns. Against Eastern Washington, Larison had five receptions for 75 yards. He recovered Eastern Washington’s onside kick attempt and had four consecutive carries to help run out the clock as the Aggies rolled up 549 yards of offense.
The Aggies have a bye on Oct. 26 and host Northern Colorado on Nov. 2.
“It’ll be good for our souls and our minds,” coach Plough said after the game in Cheney. He praised his coaches and players and spoke of Aggie pride and how sweet it is to beat Eastern Washington, particularly on the road where the Eagles are hard to beat on their famed red field.
This story was originally published October 19, 2024 at 8:08 PM.