Sept. 6, 2008
Final Stats
CONWAY, Ark. - UC Davis receiver Chris Carter caught 13 passes for 189 yards - both career-highs - and scored two touchdowns on Saturday night, but No. 22 Central Arkansas was able to post a 24-21 nonconference football win before 10,188 fans at Estes Stadium after picking off a pass in the endzone in the final minute.
The late interception ended a final rally by UC Davis which trailed 17-0 in the third quarter before twice battling back to within three points. The Aggies started their final drive at their own 20-yard line with 4 minutes, 39 seconds remaining and moved to the Bears' 29 with under a minute to play. However, defensive back Anthony Gambles intercepted UC Davis quarterback Greg Denham's pass near the goal-line, preserving the win.
The loss dropped the Aggies to 0-2 while Central Arkansas improved to 2-0. UC Davis, which managed just 43 yards of total offense in the first half, exploded for 264 yards after halftime, mostly on the combination of Denham and Carter. The duo connected 10 times for 156 yards and a pair of scores as the Aggies rallied. Denham, making his first career start and playing in just his second collegiate game ever, heated up over the final 13 minutes to finish with 296 passing yards and three touchdowns, completing 30 of 45 passes.
Carter, who had previous-highs of 10 catches against Sacramento State and 127 yards versus Central Arkansas in 2006, tied another career-high with two touchdowns which also came against the Bears in the teams' previous meeting at Toomey Field two years ago.
Trailing by 17 points midway through the third quarter after a 26-yard field goal from Eddie Carmona, UC Davis got on the scoreboard a few minutes later when Denham found Carter in the corner of the endzone for a 19-yard scoring strike. The pair connected again at the end of the quarter when Denham found Carter for a 35-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-14 heading into the final period.
Running back Brent Grimes capped a brief 5-play, 59-yard drive just over a minute into the fourth quarter to help Central Arkansas build the lead back to 10 points at 24-14. The Aggies, though, promptly responded with a 10-play, 72-yard drive of their own to get back to within three when Denham hit Brad Bispo from six yards with 9:14 to go.
UC Davis forced a punt with just under five minutes remaining, taking over at its own 20. Denham completed 7 of 10 passes for 46 yards on the final drive and the Aggies converted two fourth-down plays to get within striking distance before Gambles was able to pick off Denham's pass to end the threat.
The Aggies' explosiveness on both sides of the ball countered a first half which saw them gain just three first downs and 43 total yards, including just eight on the ground. Central Arkansas scored the game's lone touchdown in the first 30 minutes when quarterback Nathan Brown hit Grimes for a short five-yard touchdown pass with 6:29 left in the second quarter. A 29-yard scoring connection from Brown to Darrius McNeal made it 14-0 with three minutes gone in the third while Carmona's field goal four minutes later gave the Bears' their biggest lead.
UC Davis, which got a game-high 11 tackles from linebacker Mike Morales, held Central Arkansas to just 171 yards in the second half after the Bears posted 212 in the first. The Aggies also limited them to to just 23 rushing yards after halftime.
"We tried to be a little more balanced in the first half but we didn't run the ball very well, and they were just putting their ears back and going," said Aggie coach Bob Biggs. "In the second half we mixed in the screen a little bit, tried to slow their pass rush down a little bit and our offensive line did a better job giving (Denham) protection. When he had time he threw very well.
The Aggies struggled rushing the hall, gaining just 11 yards on 20 carries. UC Davis finished with 307 yards of total offense while the Bears - who got 258 yards passing from Brown - finished with 383. Eric Ware had nine catches for 107 yards to lead the Bears' receiving corps.
UC Davis, which is the midst of playing four of its first five games on the road, will open the home portion of its 2008 schedule next Saturday against Portland State. The game, to be televised by Comcast SportsNet, will begin at 7 p.m., the first night game at Aggie Stadium.
