From Bob Dunning's Substack article: "Montgomery, Alabama is a city that doesn't hide from its difficult past"

I noted above that I came to Montgomery to cover a college football game, but you should know that every UC Davis football player who made this trip - all 78 of them - spent the better part of Friday afternoon before Saturday's contest not studying the game plan or running practice drills, but paying rapt attention as they toured Montgomery's Rosa Parks Museum.

This is indeed the UC Davis way.

Four years ago before a game in Tulsa, the team toured that city's Greenwood Rising Museum that recounted the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre that killed hundreds and destroyed what was then known as the Black Wall Street.

https://www.thewaryone.com/p/montgomery-alabama-is-a-city-that?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2582284&post_id=171848134&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=31ratq&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

I noticed that as well...

The ESPN announcers said that the defensive player did something on that partially blocked FG that was illegal and should have been a penalty.

Mercer really dialed up the defensive pressure in the second half and we struggled with it and we came up empty on the 2 failed FG attempts and that hurt. As you said, Pinnick will get better and we certainly saw that he can make something out of nothing when a play breaks down. He's getting a baptism by fire playing against Mercer and Washington in his first 3 games so he'll certainly be battle tested by the time conference play starts. I hope the team takes their frustrations out on Utah Tech next Saturday.

From the Sacramento Bee article about the game:

Redshirt freshman quarterback Caden Pinnick, the pride of Del Oro High School in Placer County, dazzled in his Aggies debut after earning the job with a strong showing in the spring and in fall camp.

He completed his first nine passes in the first half as UCD stormed to a 21-3 lead. Pinnick passed for 141 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed for 62 yards on 15 carries and a score. Jordan Fisher led UCD with 84 yards rushing on eight carries, an average of 10.5 yards a carry.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/college/article311826951.html#storylink=cpy

I agree. If our lead would have been "insurmountable" then maybe the AD's would have agreed to give the Ags a win. The Ags won the first half but were losing the second half and Mercer was driving. They had all the momentum and the Ags were scrambling to hang on. We'll never know how it may have ended if the lightning hadn't interfered though.

From Bob Dunning's Substack article about the game:

According to UC Davis Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca, “The decision was made jointly by the two athletic directors after much discussion.

“It is possible late in the game to declare one team as the victor, but given that it was a one-score game and Mercer had the ball near midfield, that wasn’t going to happen.”

DeLuca added, “It’s a disappointing outcome for everybody to come all this way and not have a final decision. But on the positive side, we saw some really great plays and some emerging stars. Everybody is disappointed with the decision, but it’s been made and there’s a lot of football yet to be played.”

https://www.thewaryone.com/p/mother-nature-has-final-say-as-aggie?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2582284&post_id=171783099&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=31ratq&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

This No Contest could hurt both teams come playoff selection time.

The game was suspended with 8:37 left in the 4th quarter. Here are the stats up to that point:

So the game has officially been suspended and called a no contest?

Agree, right now Mercer has all the momentum and they have the Ags on their heels. How late would they allow the game to be restarted?

I'm excited about this team but there are so many uncertainties. I just hope we take care of the football, take advantage of our scoring opportunities and avoid injuries. I have a previous commitment today so I'll have to watch the replay tonight. I'm gonna try to avoid looking at Live Stats or this thread so I can really enjoy the game tonight. Go Ags!!!

The Aggies vs Mercer game is ranked as the #3 best FCS non-conference game in the 2025 season.

#3: No. 8 UC Davis vs. No. 11 Mercer (8/23)

The Week 0 FCS Kickoff has lacked compelling matchups, and a neutral site hasn’t helped. It’s still in Montgomery, AL, but it features two quarterfinal teams from last year. Both squads lose their starting quarterback, although Mercer’s DJ Smith is back after he started the first half of last season before being slowed by an injury. The Bears also return their No. 2 and 3 wide receivers and three offensive linemen who started at least six games last year. Defensively, they lose nine of their top 12 tacklers from last year’s unit but return All-American DE Andrew Zock. The Aggies return their leading wide receiver (Samuel Gbatu Jr.), All-Conference tight end (Winston Williams), and five OL who started at least eight games in 2024. Defensively, they return All-Americans Rex and Porter Connors while adding three FCS transfers who earned 2024 All-Conference honors and three FBS transfers with starting experience. As the SoCon eyes more respect from the playoff committee, a win over a Big Sky contender would be huge. And for UC Davis, it looks to prove it may be just as good as last year’s squad.[/quote]

https://herosports.com/fcs-football-2025-best-non-conference-games-bzbz/

From Bob Dunning's Substack Column:

Okay, raise your hand if you've never heard of Mercer.

Turns out Mercer, a private university, was founded in 1833, a full 17 years before California became a state. Affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Mercer has a strong academic reputation in the Deep South as the oldest college in the state of Georgia.

Because the FCS Kickoff will force the Aggies to play their first three games on the road, Plough indicated the risk/benefit debate landed squarely on the side of benefit.

"We could have played a home game instead, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to grow this university on national television as one of the few games this weekend. I hope everyone sees our gold helmets and hears all about UC Davis. We'll find out if we have the ability to play winning football in a tough environment against a nationally ranked team in a place we've never been before. I know we're talented and we're capable, but can we do it when they turn the lights on?"

Though both teams are from out of state, for unexplained reasons Mercer will serve as the home team, which means the Aggies will get to call the coin toss and Mercer personnel will be in charge of serving box lunches in the press box.

Whole article here: https://www.thewaryone.com/p/aggies-arrive-in-montgomery-ready?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2582284&post_id=171529386&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=31ratq&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Excellent article about Big Sky football:

https://www.si.com/college-football/how-big-sky-staying-true-old-school-roots-modern-college-football-world

From the Hornet Football Forum:

Sac State just doesn’t have the money. This latest pivot to potentially build the stadium around the existing horse racing grandstand at Cal Expo confirms we have a university president who is flying by the seat of his pants to make something happen, and this reeks of more desperation.

I don’t understand how Cal Expo, which is bleeding money ($2.6M in 2024, and halfway through 2025 $1.9, and just spent $22 M improving roofs and air conditioning systems, and, now will lose horse racing and the Sac Republic revenue next year, is in any strong financial position to contribute towards the building of a “Snapdragon type stadium.”

All reports indicate so far that the horse racing grandstand remains in place. I have watched many horse races and attended Country in the Park concerts there. For those events, a suitable venue, but for football, the seating is too low and too far back to watch.

The astroturf campaign for the Pac 12, and the roll of the dice on the FBS waiver with no apparent backup plan is teetering on its last legs. If not true, great, but perception is reality until proven otherwise.

All along, Dr. Wood has said FBS or Bust.

We are losing ground, except for the potential promise of a great 2025 football season; we are headed to an independent FCS schedule and an interruption of the Causeway Classic.

Good thing we will be in the Big West for when it does go officially Bust, and football goes the way of the dodo bird.

What we need now is a Miracle on J Street, which is right now feeling like a horror show.

https://bigskyfans.com/threads/athletic-facilities.13015/page-30#post-286388

WR's with great size and great speed are not easy to come by at the FCS level. Most of those elite players are taken quickly by FBS programs while smaller WR's with great speed are often overlooked by those programs.

I would rather have smaller WR's with great speed and quickness than bigger WR's who are not as fast. Sure, the taller WR's are a bigger target but, if they don't possess good speed and quickness, they're aren't as likely to be able to create as much separation as a smaller, faster receiver. Smaller receivers with great speed, quickness and good hands can create separation and get open which makes them just as good a target if not better. So I'm happy with smaller receivers who are speed burners...speed kills!

The weather forecast for the kickoff at 7 pm is 82 degrees with 76% humidity and a "feels like" temperature of 85 with a 15% chance of a thunderstorm.