We have two #18s, and TT wasn't credited.

That's Plough's job to also look long term (development).

They really have a problem with the duplicate numbers. Offense and defense are tough concepts for the stat keepers.. This is a multiyear issue.
The wrong info is now in the official NCAA stats as shown in the “final book” for the game so we can expect that Tompkins will never be credited with that catch in the team, conference or national stats. A link to the book: https://ucdavisaggies.com/documents/2024/9/14/37743.PDF

The defense through the first three quarters and the offense in the 3rd quarter looked like a top-15 team. The fourth quarter? Yikes. Seemed to be playing very conservative on offense thinking a 10-point lead was safe....until they switched QB's and the RB got loose. Then, we were back on our heels trying to milk clock and making enough mistakes to keep us from gaining momentum. Offensive line probably had their least productive game (3.3 rushing ave, 3 sacks, several major penalties). We had 89 net yards of rushing, which was boosted by Larison's 35 yard run. Still waiting to see Perez break free.

Toki went out for a bit in the 3rd quarter, and that seemed to be the time where their running game picked up steam. He played off and on after that, but i wonder if he was slowed down a bit.

we stayed aggressive on defense with blitzes getting lots of pressure...but....no sacks or blocked passes. we were SO CLOSE to getting a big loss and getting off the field, only to see the QB get loose and get the first down. they converted 9-17 on 3rd , 1-1 on 4th (i think it was 4th and inches).

I believe Rex will be back this week and he will stabilize the backfield. The Cal LB is eligible and he should help us get back to our normal alignments and get after the run game.

Need to get a full 60 minutes vs Utah Tech in front of the enthusiastic crowd and get this team rolling into the Idaho game.

The camera work on broadcast was HORRIBLE. Announcers were pretty good

Stats say Kennedy and Sam
Goligoski had sacks.

I can't find any game highlights. Does anyone have a link to LL great catch and run?

I found two clips on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_6_FZhuIiP/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_7NcWZOORN/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

What a contrast between the SUU HC DeLane Sanders and Tim Plough. Plough always looks for the positives win or lose and doesn't put his players down. Sanders comes across as angry and negative. Just look at the body language of the 2 players beside him in the SUU post-game presser. Who'd want to play for a coach like that?

https://www.youtube.com/live/ZvnvtYYdr-8?si=d1vSasF6i0Dc27tn

Well, i believe the other teams will take notice of that particular play. And that could be a good thing. Do the same play , a pump fake to the receiver, then the receiver does a go route.

I played only a bit of football, but why does a smart QB lock onto a receiver like that? There must be drills where they look left, look left, and then throw right. Or left, right, left.

https://www.youtube.com/live/ZvnvtYYdr-8?si=iCPHe9IjGLdpIrSr

Well, he certainly isn't into BS'ing, that's for sure....haha. If he's any kind of coach, he'll build 'em up after laying in on them...but yeah, those kids had their tails tucked a bit...

I've never been down to SUU, but it seems like a tough roadtrip. The night games are in the dark, and it looks desolate.
Picking up a win down there is big, as is any road Big Sky road game.

Aside- SUU is a glutton for punishment with the FBS games:

2018: U of A and Oregon State
2021: ASU and SJSU
2022: Utah
2023: ASU and BYU
2024: Utah and UTEP

Gotta pay the bills, I suppose.

Were they ranked last year?

I don't believe so. They finished 6-5
They started 0-3, losing to ASU, BYU and the Aggies in Davis.

Not saying that wasn’t a bad decision by Hastings, but after looking at that play again …..
The biggest mistake Miles made was a wide open Gbatu down the middle streaking last the safeties and all DBs. He did not appear to initially look to Davis on the field sideline, but rather an initial Quick Look over the middle, then to the sideline. Obviously a bad decision to throw there. The other thing I noticed was that Davis was just standing there with his arms to his side - I would think that after getting to that position without an immediate throw, a receiver would start making his way back to the QB to shorten the throw a bit and cut off the DB angle.

Anyway Miles certainly is not perfect and that pick and a couple of crucial sacks were not helpful (he did get a fair amount of pressure at times throughout the game) he was for the most part quite accurate and ultimately was an important part of the win.

C.J. Millican(LB) was also listed in a pass incompletion in which C.J. Hutton was the intended receiver. Hutton was wearing number 25 at the time and not his normal no. 1. This is from the ESPN app play by play listing. I am not sure who enters the data during the game. I would think it is the home team and with double numbers Millikan would come up before Tompkins alphabetically. Just a guess. From a UCD perspective. I would think it would be under the SIDs purview to provide correct data to the home team. Again, not sure just a guess. In any event I don’t think that level of detail is attributable to Plough - he has bigger fish to fry - specifically calling plays and winning games.

Someone from Davis should sign off on the stats before they become official.
Apparently the NCAA owns the stats database. That was the reason given to me by the Director of Communications Football as the reason they still had Eli Simonson listed as playing in no games in 2023, even though he started every game. David Collins , the person I exchanged emails with this Spring and Summer thought that the NCAA would fix that issue before the season, but it is unchanged,

Plough said something that i think makes a whole lot of sense, he said that at this point in the season, you want to gather wins, continue to get better as a team, and play your best football in November and December. Both Texas and Utah are good teams, my guess is that at the end of the season their records will reflect this. Although our wins against these two teams were not dominating, a win is a win. Also, it seems like we are banged up on the D side so if we "heal up" and blow out Utah Tech (like we should), we should be in good position against Idaho and the balance of the Big Sky.

Yes, getting the twins and others back is important. And we don't know when a WR runs the wrong route, makes MH job tougher, or when a nasty LB is on his backend.

Given Davis’ schedule is so loaded with tough late season games, beating the teams they are expected to beat early in the season is a must,
SUU was a tough opponent. In Sagarin’s end of season rankings last year they had a better rating than Davis, so not surprising the game was close.
i don’t think Texas A&M Commerce is going to have a record that contributes much to the Davis reputation. Losing to Grambling is embarrassing.
In both games the Davis defense gave up too many yards while holding a lead in the second half, so how they end games is something they need to improve.

The 89 yards rushing was a bit skewed by sacks but agreed there does need to be more rushing output. After rewatching the video, Larison’s catch on his touchdown run was spectacular.

Excellent special teams - loved the kickoffs into the end zone and punting was solid. It appears that Cade Cox instead of Altekruse punted that last punt - not sure why. Ridley was banging them confidently and Hutton’s kickoff return was pivotal in terms of field condition - Hutton is so dependable and gives 100% on every play.

Announcers mentioned it was the first time in 3 years that the Ags came from behind at the half. A gutsy win despite struggles at times. Need these sorts of wins if you want to aim for playoffs. Although this was not a league game, it sort of reminds me of the Idaho State win in 2018 when Idaho State missed a gimme field goal too.

Gathering wins? This isn’t the Oregon trail. How about we stop throwing across our body into traffic, put our hat on forward and tell the kids we’ll see them when the workday is complete? The defense has kept this team alive. The hc needs to stop patting himself on the back and provide the offense some direction. Every time Hastings takes more than 3 seconds to throw the ball the entire offensive staff owes the D 20 push ups.

I don't even understand this criticism. Bringing your kids to a post-game press conference made the team worse the following week? I don't think it impacts the team's performance in any meaningful way other than to reaffirm the idea that some things, like family, are more important than football. Sochor, Hawkins, etc. have all talked about how that culture sets UC Davis football apart and it's important for the players and other coaches to understand that.

The other two digs against Plough are similarly strange. I frankly don't care how a coach wears his hat or about his idiolect when he's talking about wins. As long as we're winning, he could proclaim "we're gathering ginormous dubyas" and it would be all the same to me.

I do agree our defense has been the reason for these wins. I don't think I've seen any quotes or clips of him patting himself on the back but it's probably worth mentioning that HCs are responsible for how their defense performs, too.

Good interview. I like the "No block, no rock" line. Plough comes off very approachable, and a different delivery.

Not a dig. Plough is the head man, some basic decorum is good. Better to be overdressed than under, and a hat forward is pretty minimal. I can't recall if I've ever seen a DI college coach w a hat backwards at a presser.

One more week to get tuned up for Idaho. Go Ags.

I noticed the backward hat at the press conference as well. Not to sound like a grumpy old man, but I had the same thought.