Nov. 17, 2007
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Senior quarterback Matt Engle hit Brandon Rice on an 18-yard touchdown with nine seconds remaining in regulation to lift UC Davis to a 49-46 win over San Diego in a non-conference collegiate football game at Aggie Stadium Saturday afternoon. Engle finished the day with a career-high 409 passing yards and three touchdown strikes.
The Aggies conclude their first official Division I season with a 5-6 record. The Toreros, members of the Pioneer Football League, finish the year at 9-2 overall.
The Engle-to-Rice connection came on the first UC Davis possession after USD had taken a four-point lead with under a minute left. Torero senior Josh Johnson had capped a six-play, 81-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown to Wes Doyle at 0:36 in the fourth.
In all, the two teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of total offense. The Aggies finished at 591 yards and the Toreros registered 471 for the game.
"When you think of what the program stands for, it's that never-give-up attitude," said UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs. "The way the kids came out and made plays at the end, they never gave up. I think it's a real credit to the players just the way they fought to the bitter end."
For UC Davis, sophomore Bakari Grant posted season-best numbers of nine catches and 180 yards, while freshman Joe Trombetta picked up 101 rushing yards on 13 carries. Trombetta later gave way to fellow Aggie freshman Brandon Tucker, who tallied 44 yards and two touchdowns and hauled in three catches for 35 yards.
Johnson completed 18 passes on 32 attempts for 267 yards and five touchdown passes to lead the Toreros. Junior John Matthews enjoyed the bulk of Johnson's passing numbers, catching nine passes for 217 yards and two scores. Johnson also had 61 rushing yards in support of running back J.T. Rogan, who finished with 104 net ground yards. Defensively for USD, senior Ronnie Pentz had 10 tackles while Gabe Derricks and defensive end Julian Strickland each posted interceptions.
A total of six scoring plays highlighted the first quarter. The Toreros struck first with Rogan's 10-yard scamper just three minutes into the game and had a chance to bump the lead to 10 points, but Aggie defensive end Andy Rice blocked Hutch Parker's 27-yard field goal try.
No sooner than 14 seconds after Engle's eight-yarder to Brandon Rice gave UC Davis a 14-10 lead, Johnson hit Matthews on a 69-yard bomb on the next play from scrimmage, putting the guests back up by 17-14. Trombetta restored the UC Davis lead with his 53-yard touchdown run to end the opening frame.
Johnson's second touchdown, a 15-yard strike to Godfrey Smith early in the second period, put the Toreros ahead by a 24-21 margin. Derricks' interception set up that scoring drive, then an Eric Bakhtiari-Ben Thorne sack helped end the Aggies' next possession to protect the lead. UC Davis eventually regained the advantage on Tucker's 13-yard rushing touchdown at the 4:12 mark.
The two teams traded blows throughout the second half, with Tucker's second touchdown run pushing the Aggie lead to 42-31 at the 9:55 mark in the fourth. With less than seven minutes left, Parker connected on a 36-yard field goal, but the Aggies were charged with a personal foul on the coverage. USD accepted the penalty, took the points off the board, then promptly scored on Johnson's nine-yard throw to Matthews. Johnson cut the deficit to 42-39 by hitting Doyle for the ensuing two-point conversion.
In USD's final series, Rogan's 40-yard run put his team at the Aggie 12-yard line, setting the stage for Doyle's touchdown, lifting the Toreros to a 46-42 lead at 0:36. On the subsequent UC Davis series, Engle connected with Grant on a 26-yarder over the middle, found Rice on a 19-yarder to put the Aggies in the red zone, then spiked the ball to stop the clock with 13 seconds left. He then scored the game-winner to Rice with nine ticks remaining.
With his 409 yards, Engle became the sixth Aggie passer to eclipse the 400-yard barrier, and the first since J.T. O'Sullivan achieved the feat twice in the 2000 season. The 95 combined points is also to second-highest total in school history, edging the 94 points set in the Aggies 52-42 win over Sacramento State in 1995.
Saturday's game also represented the career finale for UC Davis assistant head coach Fred Arp, who concludes a 41-year career in the program.
