DAVIS, Calif. -- Redshirt freshman quarterback
Trent Tompkins punched it in from four yards out to cap a 10-play, 75-yard game-winning drive with eight seconds remaining on the clock, erasing a three-point deficit and lift No. 15 UC Davis to a come-from-behind 31-27 victory over Idaho State on Saturday afternoon at UC Davis Health Stadium.
The Aggies moved to 3-1 overall on the year, driving down the field after the Bengals found the end zone with just 3:42 remaining to take the lead for the first time since early in the third quarter. Idaho State fell to 1-3 overall on the year with the loss.
UC Davis also improves to 5-0 in the all-time series with IS, a matchup that includes an equally dramatic overtime win on October 13, 2018.
Freshman
Lan Larison finished with 12 carries and 95 yards on the ground, scoring twice. His first came on a 40-yard burst off the left side, easily out-racing a defender to the end zone that made it 14-10, while the second came on a 33-yard burst after Idaho State's punter muffed a kick and gave the Aggies field position at the Bengals' 33 yard line.
Junior
Carson Crawford finished with four catches for 46 yards, while Lance Babb caught three balls for 25 yards.
Junior quarterback
Hunter Rodrigues finished 16-for-25 for 168 yards, completing passes to 11 different receivers, including a key 38-yard strike to
C.J. Hutton -- the longest reception of the day by an Aggie -- that sparked the game-winning drive. Rodrigues also had a 15-yard scamper for UC Davis's first score of the game.
Rodrigues' strike to Hutton moved the Aggies into Idaho State territory before an incompletion and two short runs put UC Davis in a fourth-and-one situation on the Bengals' 28. Coming in a quarterback, Tompkins found just enough room up the middle to pick up the first down, extending the drive.
Tompkins gained two more yards before Rodrigues found Crawford down the left sideline for 15 yards, and Larison chunked out a pair of three-yard gains before Tompkins punched it in for the winning score. Offensive guard
Jake Parks supplied the key block on linebacker Darien Green in the backfield, then Tompkins eluded a Jacob Jones tackle at the 2-yard line before crossing the plane.
With time left for a comeback attempt,
Chris Venable picked off ISU's Tyler Vander Waal as the clock hit zero.
Algery McGuire, a fourth-year defensive back who did not make his playing debut until this season, enjoyed a breakout performace with three tackles and another key interception for the Aggies. On a Bengal 3rd-and-10 inside the redzone, Vander Waal fired to the end zone for what could have been a go-ahead TD strike. However, McGuire stepped into snare the pass on the 4-yard line for his first collegiate pick.
The Bengals eventually did take a 27-24 lead on a 32-yard Vander Waal pass to Xavier Guillory with just 3:42 remaining in the game. This set the stage for the game-winning drive and Tompkins' punch-in at the 0:08 mark.
Larison's two touchdowns now gives him a team-high four for the season. Sophomore linebacker
Nick Eaton led the Aggie defense with eight total tackles, and was one of three players with sacks, along with
Luka Nixon and
Cam Trimble. Punter
Daniel Whelan booted a career-long 67-yarder, and pinned three inside the IS 20-yard line.
UC Davis finishes a three-game homestand with Eastern Washington on April 2. This will be the first Aggie athletics event to allow limited fan attendance during the 2020-21 school year. Team Aggie members and season ticket holders will receive first priority for tickets. Visit ucdavisaggies.com for more information.
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.
