MOSCOW, Idaho -- Junior quarterback Hunter Rodrigues completed 23 of 29 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns in his first Aggie start, while senior linebacker Connor Airey led the defense with 10 tackles, a sack and an interception, as UC Davis opened its 2021 spring season with a 27-17 upset of No. 19 Idaho in Big Sky Conference football action at the Kibbie Dome.

Rodrigues, a human development from Rocklin, hit Carson Crawford for two of those TD strikes and Jared Harrell for the third. His 7-yarder to Harrell with 4:28 left in the third brought UC Davis to within a 17-14 deficit, then an 11-yarder to Crawford midway through the fourth served as the go-ahead to bring the Aggies on top by a 20-17 margin.

Junior running back Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. rushed for 145 yards, while Crawford finished the day with eight catches, 120 yards and the two scores. Crawford, a former high school quarterback, also threw for a 36-yard connection to Jared Harrell during the Aggies' first offensive series.

In addition to Airey's contributions, defensive backs Chris Venable and Isaiah Thomas had tackles totals of eight and seven, respectively. Thomas also recorded an interception at the end of the first half, stopping a Vandal drive to the UC Davis 27-yard line. For his part, Venable added a pair of pass breakups to his stops.

Idaho crafted a 10-0 lead to start the game, opening with a 47-yard Logan Prescott field goal then adding a Mike Beaudry touchdown pass to Logan Kendall. Meanwhile, the Vandals stopped a UC Davis drive on their own 2-yard line with 3:19 left in the first. The Aggies got on the board in the final minutes before halftime when Rodriguez hit Crawford for a 25-yard touchdown. Thomas' interception halted Idaho's final possession before the break, keeping the score at 10-7.

The Vandals extended their lead to 17-7 on Mike Beaudry's nine-yard run with 9:04 in the third. However, UC Davis responded with a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive of its own, culminating with Harrell's touchdown. Freshman Lan Larison carried the ball four times for 19 yards to start the series, then Rodrigues hit Crawford, Khris Vaughn and McCallan Castles moved the Aggies to the Idaho 22. Gilliam replaced Larison in the backfield, with a 6-yard rush giving UC Davis a first-and-goal at the Idaho 7. Rodrigues found Harrell in the end zone, putting the Aggies within a single possession.

UC Davis then took the lead in the fourth on another methodical march down the field. Gilliam carried the ball five straight times to push the Aggies past midfield, then Rodrigues hit Castles on a 24-yarder to the Idaho 11. Rodrigues then hit Crawford on the right side of the end zone for the go-ahead.

Larison added a nine-yard touchdown with 3:12 remaining to extend the UC Davis lead to its final of 27-17. He had rushes of 10 and 13 in that series, following a 24-yard Gilliam run. Larison, a Caldwell, Idaho, native playing in his home state, finished the game with 66 ground yards.

UC Davis continues its spring 2021 season with a road game at Weber State on March 13. Game time is noon Pacific.
 

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