If it were fair, Northern Colorado would provide the committee member on behalf of Big Sky. Historically slim chance of conflicting interest.

Episode 20 (!) is out. Scott Gordon breaks down the title game, and the season up until this point.

APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aggies-lose-big-sky-title-turn-to-causeway-classic/id1758625363?i=1000677364591

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/49xMIDh8l4zeKg3BHT0VfK?si=AdgehFeVQMCD1lfZw6TE-A

I didn't make this trip but I heard about a charter about 3 weeks ago, the Alumni association does it and I think it was down and back same day.
Usually we have charters for away playoffs games, this is the first one I remember being for a BSC game. Cats usually have pretty good turn out for CA games, we have a lot of alum and former players from CA

I will say this is quite the welcome change from the past couple years. I much prefer talk of "will we get the 4 seed or the 5 seed if we beat Sac" as opposed to "are we going to even make the playoffs".

Sac State is like our Montana vs Montana State. We don't like each other. Sac is the "dumb" school which gets a lot of local attention because they are in Sacramento proper whereas we are about 20-30 mins west. UC's and CSU's are both public schools but there is a lot of institutional dislike between the two systems.

For basketball, the Big West Conference wanted to add UC San Diego but was blocked by the CSU members who forced the BIg West to take Bakersfield as a package deal. CSU and UCs have the same number of schools in that conference and don't want to be out numbered. Bakersfield is like Butte in terms of how people view it. No offense if you are from there btw.

UC Davis is the Ag school with a research focus and our student body is mostly from all over CA or even out of state. Sac State is the city school with a local service area of Sacramento, Yolo (Davis' county) plus Alpine, Amador, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sierra,Solano, Sutter, and San Joaquin.

CSU's have to admit local HS and transfer kids who graduate or get AA/AS degrees from HS and community colleges in their service area whereas UC has no service area. Historically Sac is a commuter school (they do have dorms) and Davis is residential, much like Moscow, ID.

Sac has lower admission standards so they can get good players who don't qualify at Davis. Despite that, we own the all-time series with them, winning 2/3rds of the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeway_Classic

Cal Poly is more like a friendly rival. They are a CSU but have high standards and go after the same recruits and students that we do. They have an Ag focus but concentrate on technical instruction and have some of the best programs in forestry, architecture or engineering in CA, comparing well with UCs. We have been in the same conference longer and in all-sports but our rivalry is really football only unlike Sac's all-sports. Cal Poly, being isolated is a residential school. They are the mustangs which was our official animal until like a year or two ago.

Cal Poly hates Davis more than we do. When they lose to us, they don't get a team photo in their locker room. But still, they respect us and save their all-sports hate for UC Santa Barbara esp in soccer or hoops. We think of Cal Poly as that Cousin we want to beat but takes the same classes as you, has the same friends, etc. Sac is the polar opposite who has jock like vibes, slacks at school, and talks the talk despite being historically worse at athletics and academics. Cal Poly is our equal and the best CSU. Sac is a middling CSU with commuter students.

We work with Sac Students because they are in the same media market. Cal Poly grads have a shared focus with us but most probably move to Socal. They are 4 hours away and in a different media market.

Most Davis and Sac alums who don't follow sports tune in for the Causeway. Some show up for Cal Poly but the Causeway is the one game that was usually televised before the ESPN + / Pluto era. It is the one game that gets a lot of coverage in the Sac region despite being on the same weekend as the Big Game between Cal and Stanford (gets a lot of coverage in all Norcal markets).

Sac State also resents that we are Sacramento's UC and have our world renowned UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. We kind of resent that our campus has done a lot of focus on Sac rather than Davis especially playing at the Golden 1 Center for home games in basketball (Causeway Classic in hoops used to be the week of FB but the opposite team hosted) but we have to compete with Sac. We get a lot of favorable coverage in Sac in non sports but Sac gets a little better coverage in sports.

Sorry for the essay. I hate Sac way more but want to beat Poly also.

Recording in three hours with Scott Gordon. Send us your thoughts, comments, and questions to be included/ answered.

Agreed...but Slack has a bit of a history of this. As I recall, (always a big "if" at my age) when they moved to scholarships and to then D-1AA they were cocky about it. Again relying on what passes for my memory I recall Coach Mattos saying there may come a time when Sac could no longer play a program like Davis.

Don't let your mouth write a check your butt can't cash.

(Do I have to explain "writing checks" to the younger members here?)

I sure hope the bobcats don't have to play those guys again in the playoffs. I don't think anyone is going to want to draw them at this point of the season. Good luck in the causeway.

All I can say is that I think UC Davis should keep their #4 ranking. Definitely a top 4 team.

Wanted to make a little write up from after the game as a student sitting in the student section. Got there about 4:10 and they still had some of the 400-500 bandanas they were giving out to students. Grabbed those and wrapped them around our necks before heading to the Aggie Pack section. The stadium staff were standing at the bottom and tops of the rows handing out noise makers which was pretty great. The cowbells lined the seats too, which seemed to be a fan favorite, with a few folks around me conglomerating their 1 cow bell with 7 others that their friends had picked up to make a mega-cow bell, it was pretty funny. Noticed the center section took no time at all to fill up, with the edges slowly getting creeped by the oozing of Montana State fans and their frankly impressive levels of fan merchandise.

We had Batman, a group of frat members, and a guy covered completely in Aggie face paint rocking the crowd. By the end of the first quarter it had filled in pretty well, but it seemed obvious to me that most of the students didn’t follow Aggie Football much outside of knowing Lan Larison (someone had a custom I love lan t shirt) and Cori the punt dog. Highlights from the first half of the game in the students section was the reaction to our first touchdown (such a beautiful drive), and the fans trying to figure out how to distract the Montana State qb, while seemingly thinking his last name was “melon” haha. As the Bobcats started to take the lead, in the end of the first half, and continue it through the 3rd, I was really happy to see so many students stay. This team definitely has grit, and the fans seemed to believe that we could do something to come back (thanks to Coombs defense keeping us in it). Yeah we had some people screaming at Miles, and simply in awe of the punt return from Montana, but the fans seemed generally positive the whole time.

Some things I was not as stoked about was our fans chanting “f*ck Montana” for a considerable amount of the game, while we were down 20+…. we just looked embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing though was the Montana State players chirping back, and their coaches constantly having to tell a few of them to dial it down. It was just a ridiculous scene for a few minutes there after they went up 22 or whatever it was. Banter is good, but it’s just goofy at a certain point. By the 4th quarter I was blown away with how many students stayed, it made me so happy to see, especially considering the amount of crop tops and t shirts people were wearing around me as it got into the mid 40s out. Obviously the onside kick was electric, and our final drive was as well, but that 2 point conversion at the end that ultimately went sour, definitely deflated everyone (as expected).

I will say, it seemed to me they most students were wayyyy more into the game when they had something to shake or bang around to make noise instead of yelling when we only could have so many students in that section. I also think most students left the game impressed with the Aggies fight, which would be a great change in the students collective psyche to stay after halftime knowing we could come back…. If only we did! Either way, an amazing game out at UC Davis Health Stadium. Hoping we can rally the troops for a home playoff game if one comes our way, because this team definitely could have won that game, and I think our fans and students especially, should be enjoying this Sunday morning thinking about the future of Aggie Football.

Sac will be like a wounded animal fighting for its life next Saturday which makes them a very dangerous team. Their season has been a huge disappointment and many of their fans are calling for the heads of the coaching staff. They have speed and athleticism at the skill positions with the ability to bust a big play and they will be playing with their hair on fire. They have nothing to lose and a win over their biggest rival would be the highlight of their disappointing season. We need to be ready to match their intensity and play smart, error free football. A lot is on the line for the Aggies...

I look at that Hornet schedule, and I just see inconsistency and potential. Sac can be dangerous, but if Davis pulls away early they could also self-destruct, and it could get ugly depending on the emotions on the field.

Keys:
1. Play fast and error free
2. Defense shuts down the run, and limits the quick passing game
3. Turnovers
4. No injuries, work the rotation

Made it to the game with a couple other guys and our four young daughters (5 and under!). The girls did well for the most part but were delirious by the end and wouldn't have made it to overtime (I woulda tried). Now that I have kids, I see why the berms in the endzones make our stadium special.

Nice crowd, lots of non-football things to see and do, and long lines at concessions but hey, everything was open and so it felt like a real operation. I'll say the Cats are proper football fans and know how to make noise--louder than the Aggie Pack and definitely louder than the alumni section. They even made sure to chant GO CATS GO very loudly during all of the Aggie Pack cheers and giveaways.

Hate to see them lose, don't like moral victories, but the Aggies showed they deserve their ranking.

Sac State probably has to be one of the biggest disappointments of the season for all of FCS. I believe most outlets had them as a preseason top 10, but oh boy have they struggled this season. The combined records of the teams that they have beaten this year is 10-23.

@ San Jose State - L 24-42
@ Fresno State - L 30-46
vs Nicholls - W 34-7
@ Texas A&M Commerce - W 34-0
@ Northern Arizona - L 16-34
vs Eastern Washington - L 28-35
vs Weber State - W 51-48 OT
@ Idaho State - L 27-30 OT
vs Portland State - L 38-58
@ Montana State - L 7-49
@ Cal Poly - L 23-26

Now part of the Hornets woes comes from the fact that their starting QB, Kaiden Bennett, apparently quit the team in addition to his main competition, Carson Camp, hitting the transfer portal leaving redshirt freshman, Carson Conklin, to pick up the reins. By no means has Conklin really had a bad season despite being thrown into the fire. He's completed 61% of his passes for nearly 2500 yards with 23 TDs and 7 INTs. The Hornets have 3 main receivers to look out for Jared Gipson with 744 yards and 7 TDs, Anderson Grover with 680 yards and 6 TDs, and Danny Scudero with 527 yards and 4 TDs. Sac's run game is led by Elijah Tau-Tolliver who is closing in on 1000 rushing yards this season with 7 TDs. On defense the Hornets have been led by LB Will Leota who has been their do it all guy. He has 86 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 INTs, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

From the folks over on the Sac forum are saying, the Hornets are marred by injuries and many are calling for the heads of the coaching staff. It looks like things are kind of coming apart at the seams down the stretch for them which makes them dangerous in this Causeway Classic. They aren't making the playoffs and while Davis is a lock to at least make the post-season, they would love nothing more stall momentum and end their season on a high note.

GO AGS! BEAT THE HORNETS!

if I recall from 2018, they hit up the season ticket holders on the Monday after the selection show. Tickets to general public followed very soon. For what it’s worth, our bid for hosting requested 1:00 kickoffs but I don’t know how much importance that has. If we beat sac, we’ll get a bye - look back at 2018 when we got a bye after getting trounced at EWU.

Maybe we can play the causeway in Reno again! Still remember me and Finn successfully convincing the Silver Legacy sports book to turn in the selection show!

While such a close loss is disappointing, I'm actually incredibly encouraged about our prospects going into the playoffs. The Cats have been a JUGGERNAUT all season and the Ags have been the closest thing to shutting them the hell down. Their vaunted rushing attack held to 159 yards, their best offense in the country held to 333 yards, held them to their lowest point total of the season, and we dropped over 400 yards on their top rated Big Sky defense.

If only we hadn't allowed a punt return TD...

I think think this result will not impact our standing in the polls in any significant manner which is good. A win against Sac State and we should get at least 1 home playoff game. Here's to a deep run, boys!

Just getting back from the game. Packed house. Had the pleasure of being behind a boisterous but friendly Montana State fan waiting for Woodstock's and a beer. Outside of the Montana's he said this was the best stadium/atmosphere in the Big Sky by far.

We can nitpick things like the fact I could have a full conversation for 15 minutes waiting for food but the gameday atmosphere was special tonight and more importantly the product on the field was special. Incredibly proud of the fight the team showed to comeback.

We kept the Bobcats to their lowest scoring all season including vs FBS New Mexico (who btw just beat #18 WSU). I do think against elite defenses we'll need to buy Miles more time, and probably obvious, but we need to minimize turnovers

imo we're ranked correctly as a top 4-5 team. Really excited for the Causeway and can hopefully lock down a 4 seed.

Wow what a game. I'll definitely tip my hat to the Ags. That was the best team the cats have played this year, especially their run defense. Very impressive effort. Mad respect for that team. I'll be rooting for the Ags from now on. So glad they took care of the griz in Missoula.

Doubt it. NDSt's only loss is by 5 on the road vs. an 8-2 Colorado team. If our game had ended 30-8, then maybe. But that's still the clear top 5. Maybe you swap 1 and 2, maybe you swap 4 and 5. SDST is locked at No. 3 for now.

We're all Bison fans this week though. If we beat Sac and NDST beats SD, I bet we jump back to 4. SD is at home so it's a bit different than when they lost to SDST by 3 on the road. Now, if we beat Sac by, say, less than 10 and SD loses a nailbiter, maybe they stay in front of us (and probably rightfully so in that case).

But this week...

No. 6 Incarnate Word beat a 6-4 team by 7 on the road. Not moving up.
No. 7 Mercer got crushed by Bama. Not moving up.
No. 8 Idaho beat 3-8 Weber by 7 at home. Not moving up.
No. 9 Villanova lost to a 5-6 Monmouth. Moving way down.
No. 10 Montana beat 2-8 Portland St by 11 at home. Moving up 1 maybe by default.

I'd say outside of winning today, the results went about as well as possible for us. Beat Sac by literally any margin and I bet we're the 5 at worst. Put it on Sac and we're probably the 4 unless South Dakota beats NDSt. Man it would be really cool to get 2 home games at a minimum (assuming we win the first one).

Well, we damn near had a Miracle Game #2 for the history books. Really proud of the Ags not rolling over and then throwing a big scare into the Cats with that dramatic comeback. Great Aggie crowd that actually got into the game and finally made some noise. Big turnout of MSU fans. The game had a playoff atmosphere.

We shot ourselves in the foot with the TO's and the punt return breakdown in the first half and Miles was under relentless pressure and yet he still stayed poised. It looked like we were going to get trounced early in the 3rd but the Ags simply would not quit. Take away those TO's which gave the Cats great field position and we're right there with them or possibly even ahead.

This game showed me that we can hang with the elite teams and that we are deserving of a high seed in the playoffs.

How do you know the bobcats travel well? We run out of beer in the stadium!! Seriously.

I was impressed with our fan base. Louder and more engaged than normal, although the bobcats did their best to take the life out of the stadium!

I’ve been to almost all games at Aggie Stadium. That’s one that will stand out especially considering the circumstances and quality of opponent.

I don’t mind tipping my hat to the cats. Quality program, quality people. Much easier than watching Griz or Eagles celebrating

As you noted, Slack has only one thing to play for now, and it's not an invitation from the Pac-X conference.

you and Cat fans are always welcome here! Regardless of what happens today, good luck against the Griz.

I just watched a Montana state fan chug a gunrock ipa outside of mishkas at 10 a.m…. I love football

My final thoughts on this matchup. I think this will me a really good game for football fans that don't have allegiances to either team. The matchup of MSU's #1 offense against a defense that is playing at a very high level should make for a good game. Likewise the matchup of your highly rated Offense and our no-name defense will be interesting, how doesn't MSU contain Lan and and a very efficient passing offense.
Both sides of the ball will be an interesting game.

Finally, you guys have been great to talk with and I am happy that you have a top level team and hope that you can continue in future years, regardless of how this season ends. I have always viewed Davis and a high class team and am glad your program is where it is.

...and Let's Goooo!

My wife is throwing her parents a 50th anniversary party that day. The dinner portion of it is from 5-7. I've been trying to get her to let me skip the party if Davis plays at home that day but my argument that her parents have an anniversary every year whereas UCD isn't always in the playoffs didn't sway her at all. She said I could leave after an hour if it was a 7 p.m. game but we don't schedule 7 p.m games after October. Our playoff game in 2018 was at 4 p.m. So basically I'll have to hope there's a TV in the room at the restaurant where we're having the party.

Things you have time to do only in retirement. My wife gets amused when I do stuff like this.

Hey all,

Haven't checked in here for awhile. Colter Nuanez from Skyline Sports. We cover Big Sky Conference football at skylinesportsmt.com . We also have a YouTube channel (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@skylinesports1861" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/@skylinesports1861</a>) and the Big Sky Breakdown podcast network.

Some of you might've seen, but we've been doing weekly YouTube/podcast hits with Coach Plough over the last 3 weeks. He's agreed to come on whenever we'd like, so expect more of that. Here's the links + some links for other UC Davis-related content.

Thanks for checking it out if you do!

This week with Plough


Last week with Plough & Miles Hastings
https://skylinesportsmt.com/around-the-big-sky-uc-davis-head-coach-tim-plough-qb-miles-hastings-on-matchup-at-montana/

Story about Lan Larison & others in Big Sky Football with cowboy roots
https://skylinesportsmt.com/cowboy-mindset-several-of-big-skys-best-come-from-ranch-rodeo-backgrounds/

Story about Montana State-UC Davis matchup
https://skylinesportsmt.com/uc-davis-rushing-d-making-waves-as-aggies-surge-to-9-game-winning-streak/

Some of our Top 10 in the last 10 years Big Sky videos, including some UC Davis players