Sept. 8, 2007
Final Stats
PORTLAND, Ore. - UC Davis scored 23 unanswered points to erase a 17-3 deficit in the first half, then turned Portland State away on five straight plays inside the two-yard line in the fourth quarter, as the Aggies upset the No. 18 Vikings 26-17 on Saturday night in a college football game played before 12,022 fans at PGE Park.
The win evened the Aggies' record at 1-1 and ended a three-game losing streak on the road. Portland State, making its home debut under former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville, dropped to 0-2. UC Davis scored 17 points in a decisive third quarter.
Redshirt freshman running back Joe Trombetta accounted for 154 all-purpose yards, including 93 on the ground, and scored a touchdown while quarterback Tim Plough threw for 234 yards and two scores. The Aggie defense, meanwhile, collected nine sacks including two each from defensive linemen John Faletoese, James Amos and Patrick Michelier.
A 49-yard pass from quarterback Brian While to receiver Kenneth Mackins midway through the second quarter staked the Vikings to a 17-3 lead. However, Plough found receiver Brandon Rice with 1 minute, 25 seconds left before halftime as the Aggies went into the break down by just eight points at 17-9.
UC Davis struggled for much of the first half, giving up a pair of safeties on snaps that went over the head of punter Emmanuel Benjamin and into the endzone. Benjamin was tackled behind the goal line for the first safety while the second went out the back of the end zone. Both miscues resulted in Vikings scores on ensuing possessions as fulback Olaniyi Sobomehin ran in from a yard out after the first to make it 8-0 and Mackins scored on the long TD pass from White for a 17-3 lead after the second.
The Aggies, however, came out with renewed vigor after halftime. After holding Portland State on three plays on its first drive, UC Davis rallied back to a point when Trombetta rumbled 19 yards up the middle to cut the lead to just 17-16 at the 11:04 mark. A missed field goal attempt from 51 yards by Vikings kicker Chris Chalmers gave the Aggies the ball back on their own 34 and was followed by a 6-play drive that culminated on Benjamin's 39-yard field goal that put UC Davis in front 19-17.
The UC Davis defense continued its surge in the third quarter, sacking White twice for 13 yards in losses on Portland State's next possession, leading to a punt that returner Adam Cook brought back 33 yards to the Vikings 31. Plough then extended the Aggies' lead on the ensuing play, connecting with tight end Luke McDonough on a spectacular touchdown reception that helped make it 26-17. On that play, Plough threw for the right side of the goal line as McDonough extended to catch it while falling in for the score.
The fourth quarter brought one of the great goal-line stands in Aggie history after Portland State moved from its own 13-yard line to the Aggies' 2 with 6:22 left in the game. UC Davis stopped Portland State from scoring on a pair of running plays but the second try - which came on fourth down - gave the Vikings a first down inside the UC Davis 1. However, Sobomehin was stopped up the middle on first down, White couldn't get through on second and then Anthony Sampson curtailed Sobomehin trying to go outside on third down. Sobomehin then tried to go over the top on fourth down but was met by a host of UC Davis defenders, turning the ball over to the Aggies with 3:37 left.
Portland State had another chance after gaining possession with 2:21 to go but White was sacked for a 10-yard loss by Michelier and Amos, helping end the Vikings' last chance.
"We knew we had to fight today and we were not going to give up," said head coach Bob Biggs. "We kept talking about 'finish the game, finish the game.' which we haven't done in two years so it's awesome to win this kind of close game."
The nine sacks accumulated by the Aggies' defense resulted in 70 yards in losses for the Vikings. Besides the pair of sacks each by Faletoese, Amos and Michelier, UC Davis also earned sacks from Kenneth Brown and Chris Buck and a half-sack each from Ricky Owen and Tyler Pringle.
Trombetta, who rushed for 189 yards last week in the Aggies' 28-21 loss to Western Washington, carried the ball 19 times for 93 yards on Saturday, including a long of 27 yards. He added four catches for 61 yards, the longest reception being turned into a 41-yard gain.
Benjamin added a 31-yard field goal in the first half and averaged 41.0 yards on four punts, including punching three inside the 20.
White completed 23 of 40 passes for 279 yards but was picked off by cornerback Kenny Grifin. Tremayne Kirkland and Sobomehin each had five receptions while Sobomehin gained 81 yards on the ground.
UC Davis, which last won on the road in a 45-0 victory at Montana State, also picked up a win at Portland State for the first time in six games.
