DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis posted school records for total points and total offense, amassing 768 yards from scrimmage in a 73-24 win over Cal Poly in Big Sky Conference football action at UC Davis Health Stadium Saturday. The contest, the first home game of the 2021 spring, also served as the annual Battle For The Golden Horseshoe matchup for the year, and represents the 1,000th game in Aggie history.

The Aggies improve to 2-1 for the year, both overall and in league play. The Mustangs slip to 0-2 for the year and in the Big Sky standings.

The total of 73 points surpassed the old standard of 65, set by the 1985 UC Davis team against San Francisco. The 768 yards, which included 392 rushing yards, eclipsed the 697 set in the 2020 NCAA Division II playoffs against Mesa State. Additionally, the 10 total touchdowns broke a four-way tie of nine in the Aggie record book, while kicker Isaiah Gomez' 10 points after touchdown establishes yet another mark. 

The rushing total is four yards shy of the UC Davis benchmark of 396, set vs. Southern Oregon in 1952. The 34 total first downs also narrowly missed a record, with the 35 at Idaho State in 2012 remaining the standard. 

Junior quarterback Hunter Rodrigues threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. The human development major from Rocklin completed 19 of 23 passes for 265 yards. He distributed those completions to 14 different receivers, with slot receiver Carson Crawford (5-for-47) and tight end McCallan Castles (4-for-74) leading the way. 

Junior running back Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. ran for 105 yards on 17 carries, and scored both a rushing and a receiving TD. Redshirt freshman Trent Tompkins was one of four UC Davis quarterbacks to see action in the contest. He did not complete a pass, but ran for 91 yards and two scores -- including an 86-yard scamper with 5:42 remaining in the fourth.

Rodrigues threw his touchdowns to Castles (23 yards), Gilliam (2 yards) and Lance Babb II (38 yards), all in the second quarter. Another redshirt freshman, Miles Hastings, delivered Blake Thorpe's first collegiate TD reception with just under 10 minutes in the fourth. 

Besides the three ground touchdowns from Gilliam and Tompkins, senior receiver Jared Harrell ran in a 22-yarder to put the Aggies on the board, freshman Lan Larison punched in a 1-yarder with 50 seconds left in the first, Rodrigues ran in his own 2-yarder with 37 ticks remaining before halftime, and Tompkins posted a 5-yard scoring run in the third. Oddly, Tompkins only carried the ball twice, scoring each time.

UC Davis actually trailed twice in the contest. A fumble on its first possession led to a Colton Theaker field goal just 1:56 into the contest, spotting Cal Poly a 3-0 lead. Harrell's score made it 7-3 for the Aggies, but the Mustangs regained the lead on a 55-yard pick six with 7:48 remaining in the first. However, UC Davis responded with a run of 52 unanswered points that lasted through the third quarter.

Defensively, the Aggies held Cal Poly to 298 total yards, with just 89 on the ground. Cole Hansen, Luka Nixon and Bryce Rodgers each posted two sacks among the team's nine total. Meanwhile, senior Isaiah Thomas came up with an interception to end the first half. He had two picks in the Cal Poly matchup during the previous Golden Horseshoe matchup in 2019.

Saturday's game kicked off a three-game homestand that includes a March 27 date with Idaho State and an April 3 meeting with Eastern Washington. Each game kicks off at 1 p.m. and airs on local CW31.
 

---

ABOUT UC DAVIS:
With the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, more than 700 student-athletes represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation on one of 25 intercollegiate athletics teams.

UC Davis, a national leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, is centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley; and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.

Ranked annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.