Date: Saturday, October 22
Kickoff: Noon PT
Venue: Nottingham Field
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis football team (2-4, 1-2) hits the road to face Northern Colorado (2-5, 1-3) on Saturday, Oct. 22 with kickoff slated for Noon PT at Nottingham Field. Scott Marsh and Doug Kelly will call the action on Sactown Sports 1140 and the game can also be viewed on ESPN+. UC Davis has won three straight against Northern Colorado as the two teams will be meeting for the 12th time. The Aggies are coming off a convincing, 56-27 victory over NAU while the Bears have dropped three straight, falling to No. 4 Montana State, 37-14 their last time out.
SERIES HISTORY
The two programs will be meeting for the 12th time as the Aggies boast an 8-3 all-time advantage. UC Davis has won the last three contests and are 4-1 in Greeley against UNC. The two programs met last season in Davis where the Aggies handled the Bears, 32-3. UCD held UNC to just 256 total yards as Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. rushed for over 100 yards and the Aggies forced two Bears turnovers in the winning effort.
RECORD BREAKER
Senior running back Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr., broke G.P. Muhammad's 24-year-old career rushing record (3,589) when he bounced free on a 12-yard run on the second play of the first offensive drive for the Aggies against San Diego. Gilliam, Jr. finished the game with 106 yards on the ground to move his record total to 3,689. Gilliam, Jr. also broke the all-purpose yards (4,630) record at Cal, surpassing Muhammad's career mark of (4,629) by one yard in week one. The Merced native also etched his name atop the career touchdown record, finding the endzone for a school-record 41st time when he scored on a 38-yard run in the first quarter at No. 4 Montana State. Another record on the horizon for Gilliam, Jr. is the all-time points record at Davis. The running back, who has scored more points than any non-kicker in program history enters the UNC game 15 points away from breaking Brady Stuart's (2012-15) school record of 274 points. He also found the endzone twice against NAU to move his career rushing touchdown total to 36, four away from tying Preston Jackson's (1991-93) record of 40 touchdowns on the ground.
MR. 4,000
Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr., became just the 12th player in Big Sky history to rush for over 4,000 career yards. The Merced native raced past the milestone when he broke free for a 77-yard run against NAU. Gilliam, Jr. finished the game with 150 yards on the ground to move his career total to 4,077. The last Big Sky rusher to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark was Joe Protheroe of Cal Poly (2014-18). Only four players in conference history have run for over 5,000 yards.
THE KING OF SOLO TACKLES
Defensive back Devon King added two solo tackles against Northern Arizona to move past Jason Hairston's school record of 136 solo stops. King has registered five or more total tackles in four games this season and posted five or more solo tackles in three contests. Against San Diego in Week 3, King totaled 10 tackles that included seven unassisted stops. King enters the UNC game with 138 solo tackles.
AGGIES IN THE BIG SKY
UC Davis has continued its trend as one of the most disciplined teams in the Big Sky. After six games, the Aggies are the least penalized team in the conference with 23. On top of the penalties, UCD has been great at keeping Miles Hastings upright, coming into the NAU second in the league in least sacks allowed with just six. The Aggie passing attack remains one of the top units in the conference as UCD ranks second with only four interceptions thrown, second in completions with 164 and also second in passing offense with 284 yards per contest. The Ags rank third in total offense with 460.83 yards per game after their explosive output of 688 yards against NAU. The Aggies are third in yards per play at 6.37 and total offensive yards with 2,765 on the season.
INDIVIDUALLY IN THE BIG SKY
Several Aggies find their names near the top of the conference in numerous categories. Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. ranks second in the Big Sky with 107 rushing yards per game and is also second with 151.3 all-purpose yards per contest. Teammate Lan Larison checks in at fifth in the league with 112.8 all-purpose yards per game. Miles Hastings ranks second in the conference with 1,603 passing yards and a 267.2 average per game. Defensively, Rex Connors is second with three interceptions and fourth overall with nine tackles per contest.
CONNORS TWINS – AN AIR DEFENSE FAMILY
Redshirt freshman Rex Connors was named Big Sky Co-Defensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Ground FCS Freshman Player of the Week after his stellar performance in Week 2. Connors put together one of the finest defensive performances in recent memory for the Aggies. Against No. 2 ranked South Dakota State on the road, Connors registered 17 total tackles, including 10 solo stops in the defensive slugfest. On top of his 17 tackles, the Pleasant Grove, Utah native added two interceptions as the initial takeaway was the first of his Aggie career. The 17 total tackles are the most in a game in program history since at least 2007. In Week 3 against San Diego, his twin brother Porter recorded his first career interception when he picked off Judd Erickson deep in Aggie territory in the first quarter. The brothers have combined for 61 total tackles and four interceptions. Rex added his third interception when he picked off NAU in the redzone. Â
60-YARD STRIKES
In six games this season, the Aggies have showcased some explosive plays with three touchdowns over 60 yards. In the opener at Cal, senior running back Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. ripped off a 60-yard rushing score. The scamper was his longest since a 75-yard touchdown in 2019 against Portland State and the longest by an Aggies since an 86-yard score from Trent Tompkins in 2020. Sophomore running back Lan Larison hauled in a 68-yard touchdown pass from Miles Hastings in Week 2 at South Dakota State. The touchdown reception was the longest by an Aggie since Khris Vaughn caught a 76-yard touchdown in the Causeway Classic in 2019. Larison has been electric in his career, boasting a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 40-yard rushing score on top of his 68-yarder against South Dakota State. Against San Diego in Week 3, Josh Gale recorded his first career touchdown, racing past the Torero defense for a 62-yard receiving score. Gilliam, Jr. posted a career-long run of 77 yards against NAU.
COMPLETE BACKS
All eyes have been on arguably the most prodigious rusher in UC Davis history and the rushing record. Diving in deeper on the all-time leader in rushing and all-purpose yards, Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. has been an underrated receiver his whole career and is continuing the 2022 season in impressive fashion. The Merced native enters Week 7 leading the Aggies with 32 receptions and 258 receiving yards. Also out of the Aggie backfield, Lan Larison enters the UNC game third on the team with 207 receiving yards, including a 68-yard score. Larison is averaging a team-best 14.8 per reception based on pass catchers with seven or more receptions.
SPREAD THE WEALTH
In six games in 2022, the Aggies have started six different wide receivers. In the first game of the season at Cal, Justin Kraft returned from an injury-plagued career to earn the start while Chaz Davis caught his first career touchdown. In Week 2 at South Dakota State, Justin Poerio hauled in his second career touchdown reception on a nine-yard fourth quarter strike from Miles Hastings. In the big win against USD, three different receivers caught touchdowns, including career firsts from Matteo Perez and Josh Gale. C.J. Hutton caught 10 passes for 77 yards and a score against Weber State. Kraft posted a career-best effort at No. 4 Montana State with six receptions for 114 yards. Already, 16 different receivers have been credited with a catch, while seven different pass catchers have recorded 10 or more receptions and nine different Aggies have caught touchdowns.
THE "MAGICAL" TRENT TOMPKINS
In his time in an Aggie uniform, Trent Tompkins has done a lot of everything for the Aggies. Listed as a wide receiver in 2022, the sophomore was all over the stat sheet in 2021. The All-Big Sky second team selection at the all-purpose spot tied for the team-lead with six rushing touchdowns and ranked second on the squad with 448 yards on the ground. The Fresno native caught 12 passes for 77 yards and threw 18 passes for 102 yards and one score. Tompkins also returned two punts for 86 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown. In 2022, Tompkins has returned five punts for 23 yards, three kickoffs for 80 yards, rushed for 37 yards on 13 carries and caught 15 passes for 81 yards. In Week 3 against USD, Tompkins tallied 114 total yards and scored twice on two direct snaps.
HASTINGS SINCE CAL
Miles Hastings hasn't taken long to get comfortable as the Aggie's starting signal-caller. Since the Cal game, the sophomore has thrown for nine touchdowns and 1,347 yards with only two interceptions. Against USD, Hastings completed the first 10 passes of the game and finished 16-for-21. The San Marcos native posted his first 300-yard passing game of the season when he completed 21-of-26 passes for 328 yards and two scores against NAU. He also hauled in a receiving touchdown against the Lumberjacks.
COACHING MATCHUP
Ed McCaffrey is in his second season at Northern Colorado, sporting a 5-12 overall record in Greeley. The three-time Super Bowl champion came to UNC after two seasons as the head coach at Valor Christian High School. UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins has led the Aggies to their first two FCS Playoff appearances in school history and boasts a 33-26 mark in now his sixth season in Davis. This will be the second meeting between the two.
SCHEDULE GAZING
On top of opening the season on the road against FBS foe Cal, UC Davis entered the 2022 campaign slated to play four FCS squads that were ranked in the top-25, including three in the Big Sky. Of the four teams, three were tabbed in the top-10 in the preseason polls. At the week of each contest, UCD faced No. 3 South Dakota State, No. 4 Montana State, No. 12 Weber State and will face No. 3 Sacramento State. The three top-10 contests will all be on the road.
NEXT TIME OUT
UC Davis returns home for two straight games at UC Davis Health Stadium when the Aggies welcome Cal Poly for the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe on Saturday, Oct. 29 and then play host to Idaho State for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 5. Both games will kick off at 4 p.m. PT.Â
