Still in disbelief... I will admit that I was way off in my prediction and the inspired team that executed better won the football game. Working from the questions posed on the Aggie Pride Podcast postgame autopsy, "Why we lost" and "What we lost":

WHY WE LOST: Because we lost in all three phases of the game:

Great teams don't give-up Special Teams TD, especially blocked punts with a scoop and score cherry on top. TEAMS THAT BLOCK A PUNT TYPICALLY WIN AT A 90% CLIP. ISU did. Ags also had a PAT blocked. Unacceptable.

Defense got gashed in the 1st quarter, mostly by draw/delay run plays vs. a very light box. Our LBs played on the fringe of the box on many snaps, giving ISU an equal numbers advantage (5-on-5) at times. IDAHO STATE RUSHED FOR 111 YARDS ON 5 CARRIES IN THE 1ST QUARTER AND SCORED ON A 15 YARD RUSH ON THE FIRST PLAY OF THE 2ND QUARTER EN ROUTE TO 21 POINTS ALLOWED IN 16 MINUTES! When we finally settled in the second half, we were stunting our DL and playing heavier to the box with the LBs. Too little/too late. My guess is that ISU ran more than they showed leading into the game and we took the bait to stop the quick passing game which sacrificed run defenders. Who knows. Pass rush was non-existent. We adjusted eventually, but the damage was done and the Special Teams score happened.

Offense was sloppy. We all know about the turnovers, but two sacks are almost as bad as turnovers. Procedure penalties hurt. More slop. All contributing factors. What especially sucks is losing a game you should win because of self-inflicted wounds and bad football. I believe in CP. Is he perfect? No. Is he tall? No. Does he make mistakes? Absolutely. He is also a 20-year old kid playing the most difficult position in sports. He's going to screw some things up. But does he give UC Davis the best chance to win football games in 2025? ABSOLUTELY.

It felt like the Ags were waiting for the momentum to shift (maybe because they're so comfortable in close games) while the Bengals created momentum and made things happen. It came in spurts for Davis, especially in the second half (desperation, perhaps), but it felt flat. Nothing to do with injuries or crowds or coaches. That part has to come from the players.

WHAT WE LOST: A first round bye, and, most likely, any opportunity to host a home playoff game. Those of you who understand bracketology better than me can straighten me out, but I feel like we need to go 2-1 to even make the playoffs, and the possibility of hosting at, say, 8-3 is unlikely. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Sickening and maddening weekend.

So, per Coach Hawk II, the players are playing and not the coaches:

Teams that commit to running the ball at the Bengals have great success. Throwing out UNLV (FBS) and Lincoln (maybe the 2nd worse college football team in America behind Simpson up in Redding. Yes, there is a football team there), Southern Utah went for 323 on the ground, Montana State went for 328, and NAU with a very average rushing attack went for 200+. Against UNC, the Aggies looked to have a lot of success with an outside zone play. Great answer for all the 5 down fronts in the BSC. Pair that with their usual inside zone, gap schemes, and jet sweep packages, commit to 12-15 carries between the tailbacks, and we will win this game going away.

Conversely, teams that attempt 45+ pass attempts per game (removing the 20 attempts vs. hapless Lincoln) don't stand much of a chance to win vs. Top 25 teams especially. The Bengals QB is a dealer, but they don't play with Tight Ends, they throw it too much, and play with tempo which typically equates to a lot of opportunities for opposing offenses.

This game will go 3.5 hours+ in an Aggie ass whippin' of the Bengals...

That's the coolest part and great that Plough acknowledged that and spoke about how the guys rallied around him. He will never forget that day and that feeling. That is what it is all about, and like you said, GOOD FOR GRANT! Go Ags!

Two road scrimmages to start the season.
SMU is a wild matchup
JDur is correct, Stetson is a lame ass game
Schedule the Montana game for a noon or 1pm kickoff in September
The rest is very favorable
Sorry to see Sac State go but like Poly at the end

Go Ags!

Our back-up QB now has some real world experience heading down the stretch, whether we see him this week or need him in a spell for future games. Having 60 minutes under his belt will no doubt slow things down, plus he got to deal with some adversity, and most critically, LED THE TEAM TO VICTORY! Those things build trust and confidence w/teammates and coaches, and improve our depth at the most important position if nothing else.

Makes sense. I've never been a cramper so no idea what that feels like when trying to throw a football with people chasing me. Kudos to Harper for gutting it out

Run the damn ball, it makes life so much easier. If it is Harper at QB, it makes his life easier, it opens the play action game, and, like Coach said, gives you the read option aspect of the offense. Harper ran it well the other day, and even had one or two nice ones after the cramps started.

Great call on the Mercer reference, DrMike. Saturday had a similar feel but it just didn't feel like UNC was ever threatening like Mercer was. The second half execution at QB was not good; most of those incompletions were above and/or behind the receivers, many of whom were wide open. I'm no QB guru so I'm not going to speculate as to why he started missing. Plough gave credit to Lamb and their defense, but there were a lot of missed opportunities.

Nothing screams fun like having band kids and a bunch of parents on campus

Parent & Family Weekend in Davis, maybe the Fun Police are flexing

Take the chalk in all these games. Only potential upset is in Cheney where it will be 55 and potentially wet. I think Sac runs it well enough to handle that but you never know, it takes a while for 71 guys to gel.

I hear you, and the FG drive was even more impressive because the entire stadium knew they were running the football. Maybe I was using subliminal influencing in hopes to impress my affection for the run game on the powers that be. I just know we ran the ball when we wanted/needed to.

I've never heard of a defense being labeled as "gross". A man will say strange things after he's been panda'd

Thoughts from UNC:

Can't say enough about the plan that Coombs & Co. put together for the Bears. The only real threat was from our own turnovers and from the RB as a late checkdown or swing pass receiver in the pass game. #3 was LOCKED DOWN by Cofield and friends, and the game never felt as close as the score. Some missed tackles and plays but otherwise outstanding performance.

The QB played well when we were on script in the first half and he extended a few plays with his legs. Second half was abysmal. Plough gave credit to Lamb for halftime adjustments, but he was protecting his guy. Too many receivers running open with balls sailing all around them.

Kudos, however, to the commitment to the running game. The O-Line dominated, and the Wide Zone scheme was particularly effective against UNC. We looked like the '23 Niners. Our RBs are legit dudes, our TEs are legit dudes, and our OL can roll people when given the opportunity to get into a groove like they were on Saturday. Look for more of the same with some added play action moving forward, we are on to something.

Loved seeing the touchbacks, the coverage on the squib, and the money field goal to salt it away.

Rumors of Northern Colorado's ascendance are greatly exaggerated... They looked slow and smallish to me.

Here's to the Griz embarrassing them further

I need to learn how to use that bullet point function. Sorry for the mess. Go Ags!

I agree on the uniform combo, gold/white/gold time.

I agree that our Corners will be tested, especially by #3 on vertical shots.

I disagree with the analysis that the UCD defense is "unsound". That refers to scheme, and not only are the game plans sound, but our adjustments tend to be even better.

I stand by my original take last week that their OL is average at best. They had better get it out quickly tomorrow. Expect quick throws to the perimeter, screens, dink and dunk with some shots mixed in.

I would hate to prepare for Plough coming off a bye.

I believe they probably learned something from their trip to the park in the Portland-suburbs last season.

I don't see this being closer than a two TD game. I think the closest comp is Southern Utah, and I would rather face an elite receiving threat than a great RB any day.

I absolutely agree that anything can happen in that game. Friday night games are weird for college football, but the Griz will come into that thing with a chip on their shoulder. Montana pays FBS teams to go to Missoula. They did beat the Huskies in Seattle a while ago, but the last four years they tend to play two tougher (Dakota schools primarily) FCS games and two FCS creampuffs.

Bold, I won't be surprised if you're right. Too bad there won't be any students there, they could re-create the Lil' Yachty debacle in celebrating to dub

Great job on the pod and the interview with Coach. He is so real that it really elevates the conversation. Thank you guys for what you do and the insight you provide.