DAVIS, Calif. -- Junior quarterback Hunter Rodrigues, senior linebacker Cole Hansen and senior defensive back Isaiah Thomas captured ROOT Sports Big Sky Conference Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week honors, respectively, completing a UC Davis sweep of the league's three weekly honors.
All three Aggies earned their honors for their performances in Sunday's record-setting 73-24 Battle For The Golden Horseshoe victory against Cal Poly. No. 21/25 UC Davis set benchmarks for total points (73) and total offense (768) in that contest, while also holding an opponent to fewer than 300 yards for the second straight week.
Rodrigues, a human development major from nearby Rocklin, completed 19 of 23 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns, while adding a 2-yard rushing TD of his own. In fact, all four of his scoring plays took place in the second quarter, in which he was a perfect 10-for-10 for 142 yards. UC Davis scored 28 points in that frame, part of a run of 52 unanswered that turned an early 10-7 deficit into an eventual 59-10 lead.
Hansen, a managerial economics major from Yorba Linda, led UC Davis in tackles for the second consecutive game. He posted eight total stops with 4.0 tackles for losses of 15 yards. Two of Hansen's TFLs were sacks: one against Jalen Hamler in the third quarter, the other on Hunter Raquet on a fourth-and-goal in the final stanza. The former Fullerton College transfer now paces the Aggies in tackles (23), TFLs (5.5) and sacks (2.0) through three games.
Thomas, a managerial economics fifth-year from Van Nuys, posted a 30-yard punt return for his sole runback of the game, his longest since his 34-yard scamper against Idaho State on October 13, 2018. That return also raised his career yardage total to 443, moving him ahead of Jesse Oliva for fifth in school history. Thomas also provided three solo tackles and his fifth career interception in Saturday's win. Oddly, three of those five picks have come against the Mustangs, following the two he had in the 2019 Golden Horseshoe meeting.
In another honor, freshman quarterback Trent Tompkins's 86-yard touchdown run was chosen as the No. 7 listing in ESPN SportsCenter's SC Top 10 on Saturday.
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.
