Score:  No. 6 UC Davis 45, No. 14 Northern Arizona 24
Location: Davis, Calif. (UC Davis Health Stadium)
Records: UC Davis 5-1 (3-0), Northern Arizona 4-3 (1-2)
 
The short story: In a back-and-forth high scoring affair, No. 6 UC Davis football powered past No. 14 Northern Arizona with 21 fourth quarter points and thanks to another 300-yard passing performance by Caden Pinnick and an Aggie defense that found the quarterback six times UC Davis locked up the homecoming victory.
 
FIRST DOWN

• Caden Pinnick finished with a career-high with 348 yards passing and five touchdown passes going an impressive 25-for-29
• Samuel Gbatu Jr., snagged 114 yards on nine receptions adding two touchdowns with a long reception of 47 yards
• Jordan Fisher totaled over 100 yards adding one touchdown with a long of 59 yards
• As a team the Aggies finished with a season-high six total sacks
• Jackson Sievers led the Aggies with nine total tackles, adding 1.0 sacks and 2.0 tackles for loss
• Jacob Psyk had another impressive game, totaled six tackles with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. The Harvard transfer added one pass break up and two quarterback hurries

WHAT HEAD COACH TIM PLOUGH HAD TO SAY
"I'm at a real loss for word about this team and what they accomplishing. To say we are down players would understatement, as this has been a season where we have lost a lot of key players. But the team continues to show that we have created an environment where everyone trusts and believes in each other. We are finding ways to win and I am really proud of this team and staff. That's a really good football team that we just played and we found a way. We talked about getting pressure on the quarterback, and that was something that we did well from the beginning to the end of the game. But it wasn't just one player, it was the entire unit making plays. Overall it was a tremendous effort from a group of guys that are down a lot of bodies. We really got the rhythm on our offense going in the second half, and I was proud of Caden Pinnick. He's grown up with being able to win the game from the pocket and win games with his legs. For us to keep winning games with what we are going through is a testament to this staff and the players and how hard they are working."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Aggies took their opening drive down 29 yards and got the scoring opened with a 42-yard field goal nailed through the uprights by Hunter Ridley
• Northern Arizona took the lead for its only time in the game when they went 13 plays for 65 yards capped off by a 20-yard touchdown pass to put the Lumberjacks up 7-3
• That play essentially ended the first period with NAU leading 7-3
• Back-to-back punts to by both UC Davis and Northern Arizona opened the second quarter before the Aggies wrestled back the lead on an expolosive drive by Gbatu Jr.
• In the opening play Pinnick hit Gbatu Jr., up the middle for 47 yards placing the Aggies near midfield. And three plays later Pinnick again found Gbatu Jr., streaking deep hitting him for a 31-yard catch and run as the Aggie receiver streaked down the sideline to cash in the first Aggie touchdown of the game
• Northern Arizona drove into the red zone on its next possession, but the Aggie defense locked in, keeping the Lumberjacks out of the endzone and forcing a field goal attempt that NAU missed allowing the score to stay at 10-7
•  The half came to an end with the Aggies creating a turnover and setting themselves up for a possible score before the break.
• Psyk caused the fumble on a strip sack before Nate Rutchena recovered the loose ball to give Davis the ball on the NAU 39
• Several plays later, Ridley lined up for a 50-yard field goal attempt, and despite sending it the ball floated just short of sailing over the cross bar
• With the half ending UC Davis held a 10-7 lead
• It did not take long for the Aggies to get on the board in the second half when on the first possession Fisher broke one up the middle. He went 59 yards up the middle to cash in for six immediately giving the Aggies early momentum to open the second half and a 17-7
• Northern Arizona answered with a touchdown drive that went 62 yards in six plays and ended in a seven-yard rush up the middle to make it 17-14
• UC Davis had an answer, and it came on the next drive
• Pinnick battled through a sack in the drive, maintaining his composure to set up an Aggie score
• On third and two from the UC Davis 49-yard line Pinnick took a shotgun snap and with some help from Fisher, Vargas and a quick slight of hands the Aggies found the end zone.
• After faking the hand off to Fisher, Pinnick shoveled a pass to Vargas who had gone in pre-snap motion and came across Pinnick's face who took the shovel pass 50 yards to the house to make it 24-14 Aggies
• In what was a back-and-forth quarter, NAU answered with a field goal from 32 yards out to make it 24-17
• UC Davis opened the fourth quarter by finishing a drive they started in the previous period, capping off a 75-yard 13-play drive to make it 31-17 in the blink of an eye
• Stacy Dobbins, who finished the game with 71 yards receiving, made the big play in the drive hauling in a 25-yard pitch and catch from Pinnick to kick start the drive's momentum
• Following a long kickoff return, Northern Arizona answered with a rushing touchdown from four yards out to make it 31-24, it would be the last time the Lumberjacks would find the scoreboard
• But on the next drive Northern Arizona had thought the momentum was moving in their direction
• On the first play of the Aggie drive after the NAU score, Vargas was stripped and ended up fumbling away the possession at mid-field
• The Aggie turnover meant the Northern Arizona was in position to drive and potentially tie the game midway through the final quarter, the Aggie defense had different plans
• On the next play, acting as the first play of the NAU drive, Khalani Riddick came flying in and with a swing of his fist punched the ball out creating a fumble that was quickly recovered by Jake Williams
• The Aggies then took the next possession down and put the final nail in the Lumberjack coffin, using six plays to go 47 yards
• The drive was capped off by Pinnick finding Dobbins from 10 yards out for six, making it 38-24 Aggies
• One more cherry was placed on top for UC Davis when Pinnick delivered Mitchell Dixon a birthday present with an over the shoulder touchdown pass to put the finishing touches on a 45-24 Aggie victory

GAME NOTES

• Pinnick's five touchdown passes are the most by an Aggie since 2018 when Jake Maier threw five in a game twice
• The six sacks are the most in a single game by the Aggies since 2021 when they reached the mark twice
• Dobbins' touchdown was the first of his career
• Pinnick set career highs in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions and completion percentage
• It was the second-straight game Pinnick has thrown for at least 300 yards and had a completion percentage of at least 80 percent
• Fisher's 100-yard game was his third of the season and career
• Gbatu Jr.'s 100-yard receiving game was his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and the fourth of his career
• Fisher now has three rushing touchdowns of at least 50 yards or longer
• The Aggies have now opened Big Sky play at 3-0 for the second-straight season
• UC Davis won its second-straight game on homecoming and it's their third homecoming victory in the last four
• Over the past three games, Pinnick now has thrown for 949 yards, tossed 10 touchdown passes and gone 62-for-82

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