https://fbschedules.com/washington-state-adds-uc-davis-to-2028-football-schedule/

The Washington State Cougars have added the UC Davis Aggies to their 2028 football schedule, FBSchedules.com has learned. A copy of the football game contract with Washington State University was obtained from the University of California, Davis, via a state public records request.

UC Davis now has five future games scheduled against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents. In addition to Washington State in 2028, the Aggies will visit Washington in 2025, SMU in 2026, and UCLA in 2027 and 2029.

You guys are going to have a great year!

Aug 23 @ Mercer (FCS Kickoff Classic, Montgomery, AL)
Result: W 28–21

Passing: QB Aidan Williams – 22/35, 260 yds, 2 TD

Rushing: RB Ethan Cole – 18 carries, 100 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: WR Will Davis – 6 rec, 85 yds, 1 TD

Aug 30 @ Utah Tech
Result: W 35–17

Passing: Williams – 24/32, 275 yds, 3 TD

Rushing: Cole – 20 carries, 120 yds, 2 TD

Receiving: Davis – 7 rec, 95 yds

Sep 6 @ Washington (FBS)
Result: L 17–42

Passing: Williams – 20/40, 245 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing: Cole – 15 carries, 60 yds

Receiving: Davis – 5 rec, 75 yds

Big Sky Conference Games
Sep 20 vs Southern Utah
Result: W 31–14

Passing: Williams – 21/30, 255 yds, 2 TD

Rushing: Cole – 22 carries, 115 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: Davis – 8 rec, 110 yds

Sep 27 vs Weber State
Result: W 27–24

Passing: Williams – 23/36, 280 yds, 2 TD

Rushing: Cole – 16/85 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: WR C.J. Hutton – 6 rec, 95 yds

Oct 4 @ Cal Poly
Result: W 34–20

Passing: Williams – 20/28, 240 yds, 2 TD

Rushing: Cole – 18/105 yds

Receiving: Davis – 5 rec, 80 yds

Oct 11 vs Northern Arizona
Result: W 30–17

Passing: Williams – 25/33, 300 yds, 3 TD

Rushing: Cole – 15/90 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: Hutton – 7 rec, 110 yds, 1 TD

Oct 25 @ Northern Colorado
Result: W 38–21

Passing: Williams – 24/32, 290 yds, 3 TD

Rushing: Cole – 20/120 yds, 2 TD

Receiving: Davis – 6 rec, 100 yds, 1 TD

Nov 1 vs Idaho State
Result: W 42–14

Passing: Williams – 22/30, 280 yds, 4 TD

Rushing: Cole – 18/110 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: WR Marcus Reed – 5 rec, 80 yds, 2 TD

Nov 8 @ Idaho
Result: L 28–31 (OT)

Passing: Williams – 28/40, 320 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT

Rushing: Cole – 17/95 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: Hutton – 8 rec, 125 yds, 1 TD

Nov 15 @ Montana State
Result: L 21–35

Passing: Williams – 25/37, 310 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

Rushing: Cole – 15/80 yds

Receiving: Davis – 7 rec, 90 yds

Nov 22 vs Sacramento State (Causeway Classic)
Result: W 31–28

Passing: Williams – 23/34, 285 yds, 2 TD

Rushing: Cole – 20/110 yds, 1 TD

Receiving: Hutton – 7 rec, 105 yds, 1 TD

As @PortlandAggie pointed out, Rickey Johnson has committed to the Ags! Looks like they recruited him to play LB. GO AGS!

coach lou might be my favorite human

thanks y’all! Some sweet guests coming up. Coach Lou Bronzan, Former WR/ current in-game emcee Darius Livingston and Hero Sports Editor Sam Herder.

Jessup U. has the public prayer too. It struck me as unusual because other religious-affiliated schools I've been to for games (Saint Mary's, Santa Clara, San Francisco) don't do this. If not for the big chapel, a first-time visitor to University of San Francisco would scarcely know it has a religious affiliation. The campus looks kind of like American River College on a hill in 1970.

I think the different prayer practice is because USF, SMC, SCU are all featured prominently in the cities in which they are located, They attract all kinds of townies who may not be religious. They still want these fans' business. Rocklin is already a bit exclusive . So anyone who follows the private college baseball team from Rocklin all the way to Lincoln to watch them play is probably a close-knit group that knows the drill and is totally good with it.

Did the Catholic kids really play better ?

They have a public prayer before each athletic contest also.

I grew up in a small town in Indiana and the Catholic kids went to their own school through the 8th grade and then they attended the only high school in town with everyone. They had the biggest and most ornate church in the town and it all seemed shrouded in mystery to me as a kid.

In basketball, they always crossed themselves whenever they shot FT's and, when we would play them in middle school basketball, I always thought they had an unfair advantage shooting FT's because they had the Lord on their side! :rofl:

Listening to that episode, and how those guys hyped up our transfers, I'm confident we're going to win a national championship! In all seriousness, another fantastic episode. It's good to have Dwight back!

Tuesday, 7/8/25 night livestream on YouTube: Link

Let's get those views and Podcast downloads up for Brock and Dwight.

Just bought airline tickets to Atlanta for Mercer game. Looks to be about a 2 hour drive to Montgomery from the airport. Was initially thinking of driving with travel trailer (Cramton Bowl has hookups) but too much time involved even from east coast. Aggie side is western stands so late sun will be on opponents side. Tickets are cheap ($23 for GA) Even thought of “ESPN zone “ for $103 which gives you AC, some food (no host bar) and a general admission seat if you want to slum in the real stands for a while. Probably will go cheap route.

yessir!

[
Any pod subscribers join tonight and ask a question to our guests live if you’d like!

This is a really helpful post! The minor-league and college stadium relationships are interesting..

I saw the same thing, looks like he plays with the mindset "risk it for the biscuit" . I think it will be up to the coaching staff, style of play whether Max makes the squad. Nevertheless it was way cool to say an Aggie on such a big stage!

Black student enrollment at Salt State in 2024 was 7%

Is Salt State a typo or a new nickname for CSUS ? If it's a new nickname I would be very interested to hear about the origin. Are the students over-seasoning their food ? If a typo you should contact UCD about a potential side job in sports information/marketng because this is better than Bog Biggs Field. When are we going to see IC Davis or UC David from them ?

:rofl:

I think you’ve built a theory with too many holes. Your thesis seems to be that Sac State has the capacity and intent to provide a culturally supportive environment for Black athletes, and will become a de facto [H]BCU within the CSU system.

1) To be meaningful and effective, a culturally supportive environment for Black athletes has to be based on a culturally supportive environment for all Black students. Black student enrollment at Sac State in 2024 was 7%. More than the other schools you listed, but I’m not sure it’s a significant difference. I certainly don’t think that it’s enough to provide the type of environment you’re talking about. The University of Mississippi has a Black student enrollment of 12%. The University of South Carolina has 15% (Journal of Blacks in Higher Education). I suspect that a survey of those campuses might not reflect a particularly culturally supportive environment for Black students.

Yes, Sac State has been recognized by the State Assembly as California’s first Black-serving institution, and should be congratulated for its efforts to increase Black student enrollment and graduation rates. However, Sac has previously been designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution. With the reality of budget, cuts, faculty layoffs, class cancellations and increases in student fees that are occurring, new initiatives like the Black Honors College will be impacted, as will students from underserved populations. There will be completion for the decreasing available funding.

It also runs counter to the current Federal approach to education. A Black Honors College is very likely to be seen in Washington as a DEI program, which could imperial Federal funding at Sac State and possibly the entire CSU system. Even the hiring “a Majority of Black coaches in football and basketball” could be cause for a Federal investigation in the current climate. Sad, but that’s the reality.

2) Sac State is largely a commuter college. Less than 10% of Sac State students live on campus, which has to make it a challenge to create any type of student-centered campus identity.

3) The new identity that you’re saying is being developed at Sac State would be top-down driven. That is always artificial, and seldom becomes self-sustaining. To be authentic, any cultural environment is evolutionary and almost always bottom-up. Since the intent of CSU enrollment has always been to primarily serve a geographically local student population, there’s going to be a limit on the growth of the Black student population. Hispanic/Latino students make up the largest ethnic group at Sac State (38%). I doubt that will change, so if anything a culturally supportive environment for Hispanic/Latino students and athletes will predominate. Futbol everyone!!

4) Your current thesis seems to also run counter to your previous thesis that the new paradigm in sports is that of athletes and coaches (and probably administrators like AD’s and presidents) will be made up of people who ARE NOT personally committed to an institution. Rather they are committed to building their brand and maximizing financial/personal gain. They will immediately move to wherever the best offer is made. That means athletes, coaches, and administrators will not stay at an institution. I don’t believe that a revolving door of people can build or sustain a positive, supportive environment for athletes, regardless of their ethnicity.

Arsten played very well; worked hard, had a super shot from outside that was a meter off-line. He played well for himself, his country and a UCD alumnus.

I think there are a lot a valid comments here regarding my post about the new football culture at Sac and the various racial statistics of D1 football players. It's an interesting conversation.

My point of view comes from my own professional experience working with predominantly minority, junior college students at one point in my career. I'm a retired therapist and, for the last 11 years of my career, I split my time between my private practice and contracting with Sacramento City College to provide mental health counseling to students.

I have always been deeply interested in the dynamic interplay between our external environment and our individual biology and psychology and the profound effects it has on shaping our inner self, our personality and our world view. Multicultural influences adds yet another significant layer to all of this too. Oh well, don't let me get going on the "shrink" stuff! :lol:

Role models are particularly important to young people who didn't have successful role models who looked like them during their formative years. Sacramento City College offered College Success Courses that were available to all students but some were specifically aimed at various ethnic groups and they were taught by counselors who identified with those ethnicities. These classes were designed to help students learn the basic organizational, time management and disciplinary skills necessary to have a chance to succeed in college.

For example, there was a male, African American counselor who taught a College Success class aimed primarily at black males who were one of the highest risk groups to drop out. Many of his students took his class because he was black and they felt that he could relate to their cultural identity better than a non-black counselor. Similarly, various Asian students, Chinese, Hmong, Philipino etc, were drawn to the College Success Classes taught by Asian counselors and the same was true for Hispanic students.

So my point, regarding the current Sac football culture, is that many of the elite players they are getting may be strongly drawn to the culture that has been created by their largely African American football staff and an African American university president who are successful role models who look like them and share their cultural identity.

Regarding the lack of role models for blacks in coaching.
How many role models does one need? If 40% of the Div 1 football assistant coaches are black that would seem to indicate role models are not hard to find, even if one assumes that your role model should look like you.
Expecting the % of head coaches should be equal to the % of players in Div 1, ignores that coaches are drawn from a larger pool. There are a ton of coaches who didn’t play in Div 1.
The journey to becoming a head coach or AD often includes time coaching high school, division 3 schools, volunteering for no pay as an analyst. There are individuals of all races that take that career path, but one can’t assume they do so in proportion to demographics of players. Cultural issues affect who wants to do what in life.

Maybe he “committed” to Sac based on the superior academic experience offered there ,,,,,

My guess is that maybe:
- The SEC offers weren’t that good as a 160 lb. 6’2” (and weight is normally fudged upward in football) would end up as a pretzel in SEC football although he could fill out
-he knew he would ride the bench for a while if not most of his career at an SEC school
- and in either case Marion - who obviously is quite charismatic- sold him “I will get you to the NFL” spiel. 18 year olds hear what they want to hear and Marion won’t be around long enough for those he recruited to experience reality. He seems to always be one step ahead of his promises. The reality is that many of theses young kids think they are going to the NFL and the reality is that very few make it. I don’t think a lot of coaches care about the degree or academic/job preparation of the players, and in that sense the athletes get taken advantage of.

The majority of the top athletes that Marion has landed are black athletes and I think a big piece of why Marion is getting so many highly rated recruits is due to the inviting, inclusive, black culture that Marion and Wood have established. This culture speaks personally to many of the black athletes and it means a lot to them on a personal level.

Many black athletes come from disadvantaged backgrounds and college football can provide an avenue for success for them and, for many, their families as well. Both Marion and Wood represent huge success stories to them especially having overcome difficult circumstances that they can relate to.

Black athletes represent the largest racial group playing D1 football:

Data from the NCAA Race and Gender Demographics Database shows that among Division I men’s college football student-athletes in 2020, 36.5% were white, 48.4% were black, 3% were Hispanic/Latino, 0.3% were Asian.

However, black D1 football coaches are very much underrepresented:

Race and Gender Demographics Database shows that among Division I college football head coaches in 2020, 81.7% were white, and 15.6% were black, with other minority groups also severely lacking representation. For Division I College Football Offensive Coordinators, 82.7% were white, and 14.8% were black. For Defensive Coordinators, 74% were white, and 20.6% were black. Additionally, for all other assistant coaches, 51.8% were white, 40% were black, 1.1% were Hispanic/Latino, and less than 1% were Asian.

Culture means a lot to everyone. It's normal for people to feel more comfortable and connected with others who share similar experiences and values. It gives us a sense of identity and belonging and fitting in. Marion and Wood understand that and the Sac football culture is currently filling that need very well for many of the athletes they are landing.

PS: I am not suggesting that white athletes and other racial group athletes would not be welcomed to play at Sac...not in the least. I'm only saying that the current football culture at Sac has been heavily influenced by Marion's personality, coaching style and previous success and, along with all the FBS hype from Wood, this is very attractive to many black athletes in a sport that is heavily underrepresented by black coaches and role models.

https://insight.balancenow.co/diversity-of-college-coaches-and-athletes-college-football/

Couple of podcasts by Colter Nuanez and regional sportswriter sidekick about the upcoming Big Sky season. Colter is pretty in the know about big sky - much better than the YouTube interlopers. He is a fan of coach Plough. You’ll have to scroll through some other stuff.

Also available on Apple Podcasts. Show is “Nuanez Now”.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LTn4cMzXAVR2tuGrbs2ci?si=YyXLVRCARsSnhwdZSRaayA&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A4wBXFpIW0vjyBPuB2hapgm

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4BrPu4vT2E6TnfNNGo2XYJ?si=mpqXU-wkRJ6i48tnl-2loA&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A4wBXFpIW0vjyBPuB2hapgm

Before all these players sign, the schools are going to have to put in writing everything that is promised. Since the payouts will be directly from the schools for schools that opt into the House settlement, it follows that what these kids are being offered by public schools
will be public info. That will be interesting.

Aggie Pride subscribers; this one’s just for you. We’re teaming up with Zach McKinnell and Timothy Rosario from The Bluebloods for an in-depth episode on UC Davis football, Big Sky expectations, and what’s ahead this season. And as a thank you for your support, you’re invited to an exclusive livestream of the episode recording.

We go live Tuesday at 8:00 PM PT on Riverside.fm . Want to watch? Please DM me for the private link; this behind-the-scenes access is only available to our podcast subscribers.

Thanks for being part of the Aggie Pride community and see you Tuesday night!

They eat their own over on the Sac forum and they have a few members who do not like any "outsiders" to post anything on their forum. SochorField was actually able to make a few neutral posts about Sac before someone called him "a douchebag" and told him "to get the f... off their board."

@SochorField you seem to have struck a nerve over on the Sac forum :lol: