Follow UC Davis: Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Facebook

Aggies 'good' for Bison football? Hmmm.

"Anytime we're able to play a good opponent, it's good for the Bison," so says North Dakota State head football coach Matt Entz.

"Good for the Bison?"

Hmmm. Good how?

Good in that NDSU gets to further cement its reputation as the nation's No. 1 Football Championship Subdivision football school in the land?

Good in that the Bison get to work on fundamentals without having to beat up their own scout teams in practice?

Or good because a tasty meal always is satisfying?

It just seems like these guys — the FCS standard to which all others subscribe — never loses. Their 24-game winning streak includes the last two national titles and seven of the last eight crowns.

But on Saturday, that "good" opponent has UC Davis visiting the Fargodome. And these Aggies aren't going there simply for Bison fans' viewing pleasure.

Davis has a competitive track record against North Dakota State (4-6 overall) and comes in ranked No. 4 in both national polls.

As my colleague at The Davis Enterprise, Bob Dunning, hints this could be the greatest game in the history of Aggie football.

And Entz knows where his bread is buttered in this one — stop UC Davis quarterback Jake Maier.

The senior from La Habra is coming off a 389-yard, four-touchdown performance in Saturday's 41-13 win over Lehigh.

A heady as those passing yards were, it was Maier's fifth-best career showing — and the Aggie passing game has Entz throwing out superlatives and cautions that he rarely utters.

"(Maier) is very efficient with the football," the former NDSU defensive coordinator told his hometown paper The Forum. "He seems to have a really good understanding and command of the offense."

"Seems" to?

Entz continued: "We're going to have to play really, really good football to play with these guys."

And therein lies the magic about this Saturday (12:30 p.m. kickoff).

Aggie fans know all Blue-and-Gold stories here: All-American candidate Maier, a dandy running-backs tandem in Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. and Tehran Thomas, a pass-catching corps featuring tight end Wes Preece and top-rung receivers Jared Harrell, Khris Vaughn and Carson Crawford. From a play-calling perspective, it's downright impossible to beat the likes of UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins and offensive coordinator Tim Plough.

And don't forget, coach Robert Tucker's much-improved defense awaits a young North Dakota State offense.

Emerging Bison freshman quarterback Trey Lance, in polishing off No. 18 Delaware State, 47-22, last week, threw for three scores and a close-to-the-hip 18-of-23 for 195.

Another first-year performer, tailback Kobe Johnson, compiled 101 yards on the ground.

That said, Hawkins isn't so much worried about what the Bison — or any other opponent — might present. He says his crew is focused inward.

And Hawk told me he's happy with the progress: "The beauty of our program right now is ... we're really trying to meet our own standard and compete against that standard — not get so hung up on the scores or the result of what happens."

But Hawkins knows a win Saturday would be a huge brick in the cornerstone of the ongoing culture change in UC Davis football.

"We're looking forward in going back to Fargo, not only the benchmark for FCS football, but for all of college football. I certainly admire the work they've done there, the fan base, the great environment.

"So, it'll be good. It's been awhile since I've gone against the Bison," says Hawkins, who played and coached against them in other incarnations at UC Davis.

"I think every kid, when he's growing up and playing football, he (dreams about) these kind of matchups, so it will be fun, fun for our guys."

A little history: In what some call the most memorable game in Aggie football history, UC Davis beat then-12-0 North Dakota State in the 1982 playoffs to enter the Division II championship contest. The win was bittersweet, though, as Aggie quarterback Ken O'Brien was injured and missed the subsequent title game — a loss to Southwest Texas State. ... For four straight seasons (1982-85) the two schools met in the postseason — Hawkins as a fullback in '82 and as a Jim Sochor assistant those final three years. ... The last time the two schools met was in 2007, North Dakota State coming away victorious, 35-16.

Read more
"One for the ages: 1982" — https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/1982-uc-davis-ndsu-game-was-one-for-the-ages/

Editor's note: One of the most well-known and respected sports writers in the industry, former Davis Enterprise sports and managing editor Bruce Gallaudet joined the UC Davis Athletics staff as its feature writer in the summer of 2018. Since then, visitors to UCDavisAggies.com have enjoyed his unique perspective on campus student-athletes, coaches, teams, individuals, programs, events and projects that represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.