Score: No. 7 UC Davis 34, Cal Poly 27
Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Mustang Memorial Field)
Records: UC Davis 4-1 (2-0), Cal Poly 3-3 (1-1)
The short story: Using 14 points in the final 15 minutes, No. 7 UC Davis football pulled away from Cal Poly in the fourth quarter behind a huge night by
Caden Pinnick to retain the Golden Horseshoe for the ninth-straight time.
FIRST DOWN
- Caden Pinnick finished with a career-high 313 passing yards on 21-for-26 adding three touchdowns in the air. Pinnick also rushed for 60 yards and scored on the ground to finish with 373 yards of offense and four touchdowns
- The Aggies rushed for 141 yards and scored two on the ground
- Jayden Stanley and Jackson Sievers each had career games, finishing with 11 tackles a piece, the first time either has had over double-digit tackles in their careers
- Zach Jones caught two of Pinnick's touchdowns, finishing with 50 yards on three catches
- Stacy Dobbins led the Aggies with 89 receiving yards on three catches, including a game-long 45-yard reception
- Rayne Mayo Jr., found himself in on eight tackles, including being in on a tackle for loss
- UC Davis held Cal Poly under to just 71 yards rushing on 31 attempts and overall held Cal Poly to a season low 342 total yards. A new season low for the Mustangs when not facing a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent
WHAT HEAD COACH TIM PLOUGH HAD TO SAY:
"I'm really proud of the team tonight. It's been a crazy couple of weeks for us, including losing some players that are important to our team. We talked all week about being resilient and finding ways to win the game as a team. It may not be a pretty or perfect game, but we found a way to win this football game and that makes me proud of this group. All three phases had positive moments and all three phases have things to work on. But we can find joy in the fact that we have six more weeks to continue to improve as we move through a tough schedule."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Cal Poly took its opening possession 69 yards in 12 plays to quickly snag a 7-0 lead as the Aggies looked to get settled in the game
- Held scoreless through the opening period the Aggies were not phased, as their final possession of the first quarter bled into the second quarter UC Davis had eyes on six points
- Ian Simpson opened the second quarter with a 27-yard reception as he rumbled down the field hunting for contact to put the Aggies on the Cal Poly side of the 50-yard line
- On a third and 12 Pinnick showed off his talents, rolling to the right he delivered a dime to Zach Jones 36 yards in the deep right corner of the endzone to tie the game up and get the Ags on the board at 7-7
- Cal Poly's last lead of the game came on its next drive when they converted a 33-yard field goal to make it 10-7
- The lead did not last long, and the Aggies made sure of that on the next drive when they went 73 yards in 11 plays powered by four Pinnick completions including a touchdown pass to Gbatu Jr., to make it 13-10 Aggies heading into the break
- In Cal Poly's opening drive of the second half the Mustangs nearly drove the field for a touchdown but after getting inside the 15-yard line the Aggie defense slammed the door, forcing Poly to settle for a 30-yard field goal and a tie game
- Playing a familiar tune the Aggies again had a response, using a 35-yard pass to Dobbins to kick start the drive UC Davis would go 75 yards in eight plays to pull back ahead
- The drive was capped off by a six-yard pass by Pinnick that found Jones skirting the back of the endzone for six points and a 20-13 lead
- Using an eight-play drive of their own Cal Poly answered with a scoring drive of 71 yards that finished with a 24-yard touchdown pass
- The last score by the Mustangs meant the score was tied at 20-20 heading into the final period
- In the fourth quarter the Aggies firmly put their stamp on the game and their names once again on the Golden Horseshoe
- With their drive having started in the third quarter, UC Davis rolled into the fourth and Mitchell Dixon did the rolling. Taking a short pass over the middle from Pinnick, Dixon powered his way down the field, looking to deliver a blow to anyone wearing green.
- When it was done, Dixon had gone 31 yards and put the Aggies in position to retake the lead
- On the nine, Carter Vargas took the handoff and for one play swapped his number for former Aggie Lan Larison as he leapt off a Cal Poly defender on his way to streaking into the endzone for an Aggie touchdown to make it 27-20 with 11 minutes to play
- Cal Poly's next drive was defined by the Aggie defense, running only five offensive plays the Mustangs could only get one first down thanks to tight coverage and great tackling and it meant the ball would go right back to the Aggies
- In a clock eating drive, that again saw Dobbins bring in the breaking play pulling in a 45-yad pass on the second play of the drive, UC Davis took full control of the game
- And on the sixth play of the drive, Pinnick saw his opening and from seven yards out scrambled into the endzone and despite taking a late hit after crossing the goal line leaped to his feet ready for whatever the Mustangs had next for him and the Aggies
- Cal Poly would add a score late, but thanks to the Aggies forcing Cal Poly to burn its timeouts the Mustangs were forced to attempt an onside kick
- The kick bounced up and into the arms of Gbatu Jr., and as the Aggie senior cradled the ball he also cradled the Golden Horseshoe
- And after three kneel downs by Pinnick the Aggies had secured a 34-27 win and a ninth-straight season with the Golden Horseshoe where it belongs, in Davis
GAME NOTES
- The Aggies have now won nine-straight over Cal Poly and continue to own the longest winning streak in a rivalry that dates back to 1939
- Pinnick had career highs in passing yards (313), rushing yards (60), completion percentage (81%) and he tied his career-high in touchdown passes (three), completions (21) and rushing touchdowns (one)
- Jones finished with a career-high two touchdown receptions
- Stanley's 11 tackles was a career-high and his five solo tackles were also a career high
- Sievers added 11 tackles, 10 assisted and 1.0 tackles for loss for a career night
- Mayo Jr.'s eight tackles was a career-high
- For the fifth game this year the Aggies won the coin toss and deferred to the second half
- Pinnick's 300 yards are the most for an Aggie quarterback since Miles Hastings tossed 345 yards in his final game in the Blue and Gold at No. 4 South Dakota in the 2024 NCAA FCS Playoff Quarterfinals
- Pinnick becomes the first Aggie quarterback to complete at least 80 percent of his passes since Hastings completed 90 percent of his passes against Cal Poly in 2024
- For the first time this season the Aggies controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for 30:09 as compared to Cal Poly's possession time of 29:51
- UC Davis went 4-for-4 in the red zone, marking the fourth-straight game the Aggies have been perfect inside the 20
- It's the second game this season (Utah Tech) that the Aggies have held a team to under 100 yards rushing
