Date: Saturday, November 5
Kickoff: 4 PM PT
Venue: UC Davis Health Stadium
Theme: Senior Day | Salute to Heroes
TV: ESPN+
Radio: KTKZ 1380 am | Varsity Network

DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis football team (4-4, 3-2), winners of three straight, will host Idaho State (1-7, 1-4) on Saturday, Nov. 5 with kickoff slated for 4 p.m. from UC Davis Health Stadium. Scott Marsh and Scott Gordon will call the action on ESPN+ while Greg Wong and Doug Kelly hit the airwaves on KTKZ 1380 am. The Aggies have strung together three impressive victories, eclipsing 50 points in each win. UC Davis is coming off a 59-17 victory over Cal Poly in the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe. The Aggies, who are receiving votes this week in the Stats Perform Top 25 hold a 5-1 series advantage over the Bengals.

SENIOR RECOGNITION
UC Davis will recognize 20 student-athletes before the regular season home finale against Idaho State on Saturday. The student-athletes who will be celebrated are: Gunnor Faulk, Cam Trimble, Jaylin White, Da'Von Frazier, Jayce Smalley, Justin Poerio, Henry Reich, Cole Hansen, Tysean White, Isaiah Gomez, Zach Jones, Malik Banks, Nick Amoah, Connor Pettek, McCallan Castles, Robert Simkins, Cade Peacock, Antonio Olivieri, Devon King, Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr.

SERIES HISTORY
UC Davis holds a 5-1 record against Idaho State. The Bengals won their first game of the series last season in Pocatello, 27-17. The Aggies are undefeated in the series at home with a 3-0 mark, winning the last meeting in the spring of 2021, 31-27.
 
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 Idaho State game just two points away from breaking Brady Stuart's (2012-15) school record of 274 points. He also found the endzone twice against Cal Poly to move his career rushing touchdown total to 38, two away from tying Preston Jackson's (1991-93) record of 40 touchdowns on the ground. The running back enters the Idaho State game with 207 career receptions. With his eight catches against Cal Poly he became just the fourth Aggie to surpass 200 career receptions. 
 
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. Gilliam, Jr. enters the Idaho State game with 4,271 career rushing yards which ranks tied for eighth all-time in the Big Sky record book.
 
THE CHASE TO 1,000
Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. is no stranger to amassing 1,000 all-purpose yards in a single season. Neither is running-mate Lan Larison. Gilliam, Jr. enters the Idaho State game with 5,665 all-purpose yards and 1,185 this season. He eclipsed 1,000 yards against Cal Poly, marking his fourth season in an Aggie uniform to do so. Larison, who paced UC Davis in 2021 with 1,184 all-purpose yards, enters Week 9 with 918 yards this season. 
 
THE RED-HOT OCTOBER
UC Davis put together a 3-1 record in October, winning three-straight games to finish the month. The Aggies outscored the opposition, 197-95. Sophomore quarterback Miles Hastings threw for 1,224 yards with nine touchdowns and only one interception. Senior running back Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. rushed for 471 yards and five touchdowns.

50-50-50
The UC Davis offense has been lighting up the scoreboard in the last three games. The Aggies have eclipsed the 50-point threshold in three consecutive games, outscoring their opponents, 173-54. UCD has amassed over 680 yards in two of the games, putting up 688 total yards against NAU and then compiling 682 against Cal Poly. The last time the Aggies scored 50 or more points in three straight games was in 2000, when they scored 50 in four straight contests and eclipsed 50 points seven times during that 12-1 season.
 
BIG SKY HONORS
It is no surprise that with the three-game winning streak the Aggies have been recognized by the conference. For the second straight week, there was an Aggie student-athlete represented on the Big Sky Weekly honor roll. After the UNC game, Rex Connors was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. After the big game against Cal Poly, Miles Hastings was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week and Teddye Buchanan got the nod on the defensive side.
 
AGGIES IN THE BIG SKY
UC Davis has continued its trend as one of the most disciplined teams in the Big Sky. After eight games, the Aggies are the least penalized team in the conference with 33 and are seventh in the country at 4.12 penalties per game. On top of the penalties, UCD has been great at keeping Miles Hastings upright, coming into the Idaho State game second in the league in the least sacks allowed with just nine. The Ags have had a knack to causing turnovers and are tied for the most in the league with 17, sporting a 1.38 turnover margin per game that also ranks third in FCS. The Aggie passing attack remains one of the top units in the conference as UCD ranks third with only five interceptions thrown, first in completions with 209, completion percentage (68.98) and also second in passing offense with 301.50 yards per contest. The Ags rank second in the conference and fifth in the nation in total offense with 491.38 yards per game after their explosive output of 688 yards against NAU and 682 against Cal Poly. The Aggies lead the conference in yards per play at 6.95 and are second in total offensive yards with 3,931 on the season. Defensively the Ags are second in the league in red zone defense (74.19) and are tied for first with 17 forced turnovers.
 
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 104.50 rushing yards per game and is also second with 148.13 all-purpose yards per contest. Teammate Lan Larison checks in at fifth in the league with 114.75 all-purpose yards per game. Miles Hastings leads the conference with 284.88 passing yards per game and 2,279 passing yards. The signal-caller is also atop the league, averaging 280.75 yards of total offense per game. Defensively, Rex Connors is second with four interceptions and fifth with 8.43 tackles per contest. Isaiah Gomez, who is 6-for-6 on field goals and 24-for-24 on extra points in the last four games, ranks third in the Big Sky with 10 made field goals.
 
REX CONNORS RECOGNITION
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 7, Connors was recognized once again by the conference, garnering Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second time after his 10-tackle, one interception performance against UNC. Leading up to that game, Connors was named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List. The safety now has four interceptions on the season, which is the most by an Aggie defender since 2006 and currently leads the team with 59 total tackles.
 
60-YARD STRIKES
In eight games this season, the Aggies have showcased some explosive plays with seven offensive 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. At UNC, Larison ran for a 75-yard score. Against San Diego in Week 3, Josh Gale recorded his first career touchdown, racing past the Torero defense for a 62-yard receiving score. Gale bettered that with an 80-yard reception at Northern Colorado. Gilliam, Jr. posted a career-long run of 77 yards against NAU. The Ags were firing from long range against Cal Poly, scoring on plays from 59, 65, 52 and 67.
 
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 9 leading the Aggies with 43 receptions and is second with 341 receiving yards. Also out of the Aggie backfield, Lan Larison enters the Idaho State game fifth on the team with 234 receiving yards, including a 68-yard score. Larison is averaging 114.75 all-purpose yards per game.
 
SPREAD THE WEALTH
In eight 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. Lance Babb II hauled in his first career score on a pass from Grant Harper at UNC. Already, 16 different receivers have been credited with a catch, while seven different pass catchers have recorded 10 or more receptions and 11 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 11 punts for 36 yards, three kickoffs for 80 yards, rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries and caught 18 passes for 94 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 16 touchdowns and 2,023 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. He kept the hot hand at UNC, completing 18-of-21 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns. In his last three games, the sophomore signal-caller has completed 82 percent of his passes for 1,004 yards and nine touchdowns to zero interceptions.
 
COACHING MATCHUP
Charlie Ragle is in his first season at Idaho State. Ragle has spent a lot of his career in the Pac-12, most recently serving as the special teams coordinator at Cal. UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins has led the Aggies to their first two FCS Playoff appearances in school history and boasts a 35-26 mark in now his sixth season in Davis. Hawkins is 3-1 against the Bengals during his tenure at Davis.  
 
NEXT TIME OUT
The Aggies will head to Idaho to face the Vandals on Saturday, Nov. 12. Kickoff is schedule for 4 p.m. PT and will air on ESPN+.