DAVIS, Calif. – The No. 16-ranked UC Davis football team will host its first game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 16 against Southern Utah. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at UC Davis Health Stadium. Scott Marsh and Scott Gordon will have the call on KQCA My58 and ESPN+. Greg Wong and former Aggie standout quarterback Jon Grant will be on the air on KHTK and the Varsity Network.
Saturday will be highlighted by Community Day. This special occasion will shine a spotlight on the remarkable support for UC Davis Athletics from the communities of Davis, Woodland, Winters, West Sacramento, Dixon, and Vacaville.
The game will also mark the first contest the Aggies will be televised on KQCA My58 in the Sacramento market and surrounding areas. All UCD home games will be on KQCA and ESPN+.
The Aggies dropped their first contest of the 2023 campaign at nationally ranked Oregon State.
Lan Larison rushed for 55 yards and
Rex Connors posted 10 total tackles in his season debut.
UC Davis enters week three No. 16 in both the FCS Coaches Poll and Stats Perform Top-25.
Offensively, Larison leads the team with 164 yards on the ground with three touchdowns, averaging 5.3 per carry. Through the air,
Trent Tompkins leads all receivers with eight catches for 65 yards.
C.J. Hutton has now caught a pass in 25-straight games.
Defensively,
Kavir Bains and
Lamont Shamburger have both totaled 11 tackles as Shamburger has two for loss.
The Thunderbirds enter UC Davis Health Stadium 0-2, dropping a close contest at Arizona State, 24-21, then falling at BYU, 41-16. As a team, SUU has been outscored 65-37, put up 572 yards of total offense, and have allowed 765.
Individually, quarterback Justin Miller has thrown for 358 yards and two touchdowns. Braedon Wissler has rushed for 68 yards, while Zach Mitchell has 11 catches for 187 yards and a score. Defensively Tre Gola-Callard and Lacrea Pleasant-Johnson pace the team with 11 tackles apiece.
The Aggies and Thunderbirds are meeting for the 22
nd time as UC Davis holds a 12-9 all-time advantage. The Ags won the last matchup in 2019 on the road, 33-25. In that contest, UCD raced out to a 26-point lead to start the game as Jake Maier threw for three touchdowns and
Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. rushed for 140 yards and a score.
The Aggies have been great in home openers as they haven't lost in the first game of a season in Davis since 2015 (South Dakota, L, 27-17). In those home openers, the Ags have defended their homefield in impressive fashion. In the seven straight victories, UCD has scored 35 or more points in every contest and 50 or more in four of them.
Home Opener Results
9/17/22 SAN DIEGO W 43-13
9/18/21 DIXIE STATE W 60-27
3/20/21 CAL POLY* W 73-24
9/14/19 LEHIGH W 41-13
9/08/18 SAN DIEGO W 54-21
9/9/17 SAN DIEGO W 35-7
9/10/16 SOUTHERN OREGON W 52-35
Next weekend, the Aggies will continue their two-game homestand against Eastern Washington. The contest will mark Back to School Day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
