Redshirt freshman quarterback Trent Tompkins completed 4 of 4 passes for 45 yards while adding a team-high 85 rushing yards, while wide receiver Carson Crawford hit tight end McCallan Castles for the go-ahead 30-yard touchdown pass with 8:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, leading No. 8/8 UC Davis to a 27-20 win over Idaho in Big Sky Conference football action at UC Davis Health Stadium Saturday night.

The Aggies improve to 5-0 for the year, matching the 2004 team for the best start by a UC Davis team in the program's past 20 years.

UC Davis was outgained by its guest by a 487-386 in total offense, but held the edge in making pivotal plays, especially in the fourth quarter. Tompkins saw action throughout the contest but took over at quarterback for the final series of the third quarter. He threw a 16-yard pass to Khris Vaughn, ran for a 21-yard scamper of his own, then rushed or threw for the remaining 25 ticks, culminating in a 10-yard equalizer touchdown to senior receiver Jared Harrell with 14:08 left in the fourth. 

The Aggies then took the lead at the 8:05 mark when Tompkins pitched to his left to find Crawford in the backfield. Then Crawford, a former high school quarterback, launched a pass to a diving Castles in the end zone for the go-ahead score.

On the ensuing possession, Idaho quarterback Mike Beaudry, freshman running back Elisha Cummings and junior receiver Cutrell Haywood marched their way down to the Aggie red zone, then opted for a field goal with 4:14 left. Senior Erron Duncan blocked the Logan Prescott 34-yard attempt, and Devon King smothered the ball on the Aggie 37. King, a freshman All-American in 2018 who is making a comeback from a season-ending injury last spring, later came up with the game-clinching interception in the final minute of the contest.

Redshirt freshman Miles Hastings made his first collegiate start, replacing junior Hunter Rodrigues and responding with 144 yards on 15-for-27 passing. He also threw a five-yard touchdown to tight end Garren O'Keefe for the latter's first scoring play. O'Keefe, a managerial economics honors student from nearby Colfax, entered the game with career totals of six receptions and 49 yards in his three-plus seasons. Defensive tackle Chubba Maae also had one of UC Davis' first highlights of the game when he blocked Prescott's point after touchdown on Idaho's first score of the game.

Harrell led the Aggie receiving corps at 6-for-62 and the 10-yard catch from Tompkins in the fourth, while Vaughn added five grabs for a team-leading 69 yards. Safety Chris Venable, linebacker Teddye Buchanan and linebacker Cole Hansen each posted eight tackles on defense, while Nick Eaton and Zach Kennedy teamed up on a 13-yard sack on a 2nd-and-20 situation late in the third.

UC Davis returns to action with a Big Sky Conference game at Idaho State on Saturday. A 6-0 start would become the program's best since winning 12 straight to start the 2000 season.