UC Davis Edged In Thrilling Season Opener
Sep 3, 2019, 8:47 AM | Updated: 8:47 am
BERKELEY, Calif. – UC Davis fell 27-13 to California on the road Saturday afternoon in its season opener at Memorial Stadium.
The loss brought the Aggies record to 0-1 overall on the season.
Sophomore Ulonzo Gilliam paced the Aggies rushing attack by accumulating 89 yards and one touchdown over the course of the game, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Junior sociology major Tehran Thomas also added 12 yards on the ground.
Senior communication major Jake Maier’s most prolific target in the ballgame was sophomore Justin Kraft, who caught three passes for 58 yards.
Senior sociology major Nas Anesi led UC Davis on the defensive side of the ball, recording five tackles, 0.5 TFL, one forced fumble, and one recovered fumble. Freshman Nick Eaton added six tackles, 1.0 TFL, and one forced fumble and sophomore human development major Devon King had six tackles, 0.5 TFL, and one interception in the loss.
UC Davis got on the scoreboard first and opened up a 7-0 lead. Gilliam rushed for a two-yard touchdown with 13:44 left in the first quarter to finish a four-play, 21-yard scoring drive. Senior communication major Max O’Rourke added the extra point.
UC Davis expanded the lead to 10-0 after scoring once again. O’Rourke finished off a 12-play, 42-yard drive by converting a 40-yard field goal with :40 left in the first quarter.
California then scored to take a 13-10 lead, before UC Davis scored again to even the game at 13-13. O’Rourke converted a 32-yard field goal with 11:24 left in the third quarter to finish a 10-play, 60-yard drive. UC Davis didn’t score again in the game and California tacked on 14 more points to finish off the game.
The Aggies won the turnover battle in Saturday’s game, forcing five turnovers while coughing the ball up two times, with UC Davis turning those takeaways into seven points.
UC Davis’ offense made the most of its trips to the red zone, scoring 10 points on two red zone appearances.