Score:  No. 8 UC Davis 31, Utah Tech 24
Location: St. George, Utah (Greater Zion Stadium)
Records: UC Davis 1-0, Utah Tech 0-1
 
The short story: After tailing as much as 24-7 early in the second half No. 8 UC Davis used quick scores and a Drew Coefield momentum flipping interception to power back at Utah Tech to win the 2025 season opener on the road in thrilling fashion.
 
The Aggies scored 24 unanswered points in the second half, capped off by Samuel Gbatu Jr. scoring on a 60-yard touchdown reception from Caden Pinnick. UC Davis then held off a late drive by Utah Tech, sealing the win with an interception by Nate Rutchena.
 
FIRST DOWN

• Caden Pinnick went 21-for-31 with 253 passing yards and passing touchdowns
• Jordan Fisher finished with 105 yards rushing and one touchdown, his first career 100-yard rushing game
• Samuel Gbtau Jr., snagged a pair of receiving touchdowns for the second time in his career, grabbing four balls for 93 yards
• Rex Connors led the defense with 15 tackles while his brother, Porter, recorded 10 tackles
• The 17-point comeback is the biggest comeback for the Aggies since erasing an 18-point deficit at Montana in 2018
• Nate Rutchena had a solid evening, causing a fumble while snagging the game winning interception and finishing with six tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss
• Khalani Riddick was everywhere, finishing with seven total tackles and forcing one fumble
• The Aggies scored the final five times in the game, cashing in on five-straight possessions while causing Utah Tech to punt twice and throw an interception allowing for UC Davis to erase the Trailblazer lead

WHAT HEAD COACH TIM PLOUGH HAD TO SAY
"First thing I need to do is applaud Utah Tech, their coach has done a great job with that program, and they have improved a lot. Defensively today they gave us fits, playing an entirely new defense that took us time to prepare for. But that doesn't surprise us since they have a great defensive staff. And I thought that our defense did a great job of keeping us in the game in the first half. Our team showed a lot of fight to be able to come back and win a football game, and that's something you're looking for as a coach. And I was proud with how the team finished and responded, showing a lot of Aggie Pride tonight to finish the game. Now we focus on getting better and playing four quarters as we turn our attention to the next game."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Utah Tech scored on its second drive of the game, capping off a six play 15-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal
• But the Aggies had a quick answer to the Utah Tech score on their next drive, needing just two plays to take the lead
• On the second play of the Aggie drive, Fisher took a handoff up the middle and scampered past the entire Trailblazer defense for 66 yards and the first UC Davis touchdown putting the Aggies up 7-3
• During the opening 15 minutes the Aggies went 2-for-3 on third downs while holding the Trailblazers to just 1-for-4 on third downs
• In the second quarter, the Aggies struggled offensively turning it over on downs twice in the quarter
• But the defense was there to keep things in check, giving up just one touchdown off a short field. Unfortunately, that touchdown would give Utah Tech a 10-7 lead into the half
• The Trailblazers came out of the break and immediately scored 14 points on their first and third drives of the quarter to jump ahead of the Aggies 24-7
• While UC Davis found itself in an 17-point hole, at no point did they stop thinking they would come back and win the game
• And the comeback began on the next UC Davis possession
• Starting the drive on the Aggie 25-yard line at 8:01 in the third quarter, UC Davis would go on to drive eight plays for 75 yards highlighted by a Stacey Dobbins catch and run down the sideline. The Aggie sophomore tip-toed the line to stay in-bounds for a 31-yard reception that got the Aggies deep into Utah Tech territory
• Pinnick capped off the 75-yard scoring drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jones, making it 24-14
• The comeback was definitely on
• Fueling the comeback was the face that on the next possession the Aggie defense forced a three-and-out by Utah Tech to get the now streaking Aggie offense the ball back
• Using just three plays, having started on their own 49-yard line, the Aggies went 51 yards to pull within one score of Utah Tech, finishing off the drive on a 20-yard pitch and catch between Gbatu Jr., and Pinnick to make it 24-21
• The Ags were getting closer
• On the next Utah Tech drive, UC Davis secured the momentum when the Trailblazer quarterback let one float out to the left side just enough for Coefield to run into the pass, snagging his first career interception putting the Aggies inside the Utah Tech 30-yard line after a 31-yard return
• It was the final big moment of the quarter as two plays later the whistle blew to take things into the fourth quarter, much different than they were just 15 minutes prior
• The final quarter started with the Aggies driving deep in Utah Tech territory, sitting at the 25-yard line after the Coefield interception
• While the Aggies wouldn't punch one into the endzone, they did finish off the comeback with a 29-yard field goal sent through by Hunter Ridley, tying the game at 24-24 having erased the 17-point deficit
• UC Davis was almost foaming at the mouth wanting to get the ball back, and in just six plays the Aggie defense did just that allowing just one first down on the next Utah Tech drive to quickly return the ball to the offense
• Needing to go 81 yards to score a go-ahead touchdown the Aggies began to work their way down the field collecting three first downs while getting the ball to their own 40-yard line
• At that point it became the Gbatu Jr., show
• Taking a Pinnick pass in full stride down the right side Gbatu Jr., showed his speed outrunning a defender who had the angle, before breaking a tackle while cutting back inside to put the cherry on top of a 60-yard go-ahead touchdown reception
• The impressive catch and run by Gbtau Jr., put the Aggies ahead for the first time since the first quarter placing the score at 31-24
• Gbatu Jr.'s, touchdown also capped off 24-unanswered points, putting the Aggies back in front
• UC Davis held ground on the next Utah Tech possession, forcing a turnover on downs to get the ball back with 3:12 left
• The Aggies chewed some clock in the next possession before giving the ball back just under two minutes
• Looking to make their own comeback Utah Tech converted two first downs, moving across the 50 and getting as far as the Aggie 39-yard line
• It was here the defense slammed the door shut as Rutchena intercepted a Utah Tech pass to end any chances Utah Tech might have had to comeback
• The Aggies then ran three plays to end the game and lock up a season opening 31-24 comeback win on the road

GAME NOTES

• This is the biggest comeback by the Aggies since 2018 when they erased an 18-point deficit at Montana
• UC Davis remains undefeated all-time against Utah Tech, now sitting at 3-0 all-time
• That was the first win for the Aggies at Utah Tech in their first visit to St. George, Utah
• This win gives the Aggies a season opening win for the third time in five years
• Fisher's 66-yard run was the longest of his career and the 105 yards was his first career 100-yard rushing game
• Pinnick, in his first career start, set marks of 253 passing yards and he rushed for 14 yards
• Pinnick's three touchdown passes is the first time an Aggie quarterback has done that since Miles Hastings at No. 4 South Dakota in the 2024 NCAA Quarterfinals
• Gbatu Jr.'s, two touchdown receptions is the second time he's done that in a game in his career, having snagged a pair of touchdowns at Eastern Washington in 2024
• Rex Connors finished with a game-high 15 tackles and he had one pass break up
• Porter Connors racked up 10 total tackles and recovered a fumble to give the Aggies a pair of double-digit tacklers
• It's the second-straight season the Aggies have had at least one takeaway in the season opener 

UP NEXT FOR THE AGGIES: UC Davis remains on the road with a visit to Seattle, Washington and a matchup with the Washington Huskies. That game is set to get going on Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
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