UC Davis Football opens 2025 With Week 0 match up; face Mercer in FCS Kickoff Classic
Jan 14, 2025, 7:13 AM
UC Davis football will go head-to-head with fellow FCS Quarterfinals participant and nationally-ranked Mercer in the 2025 FCS Kickoff Classic in downtown Montgomery, Ala., the Week 0 event is scheduled for Aug. 23, 2025, at the historic Cramton Bowl.
Game time, ticket information and television coverage will be announced later.
“We are very excited to have Mercer and UC Davis play in the 2025 FCS Kickoff,” FCS Kickoff executive director Johnny Williams said. “Mercer is a former FCS Kickoff Classic champion, while UC Davis gives us a presence from the West Coast. We encourage both schools/ fans to support their teams in Montgomery next fall.”
OPENING ON THE 𝘕𝘈𝘛𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘈𝘓 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘎𝘌 😤
📰 – https://t.co/v2mMPW4q5O#GoAgs | #Shredville pic.twitter.com/1JkPw7gvSK
— UC Davis Football (@UCDfootball) January 14, 2025
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Mercer will make its second appearance in three seasons, having used a swarming defense to knock off North Alabama, 17-7, in a lightning-altered game that opened the 2023 college football season. UC Davis football is the first California-based school to play in the FCS Kickoff Classic.
The Aggies had the program’s best season in terms of wins since making the move to Division I in 2007. First-year head coach Tim Plough led the Aggies to landmark wins over than-ranked No. 5 Idaho and No. 7 Montana (in Missoula, Mont.) and helped guide the Aggies to a home playoff victory, the second in program history. Senior running back Lan Larison led the nation in all-purpose yards and senior quarterback Miles Hastings became the first Aggie to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season, both earning Walter Payton Award finalist nods.
“We have tremendous momentum with our football program and are excited to showcase Aggie Pride on a national stage in Montgomery, Alabama, next year,” said UC Davis Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. “Competing in the FCS Kickoff during Week Zero at a historic venue not only amplifies our visibility but also highlights everything our remarkable student-athletes from this top 10 public university have to offer.”
Both schools wrapped up historic 2024 campaigns as national seeds in the quarterfinals round of the FCS Playoffs on Saturday. The fifth-seeded Aggies (11-3) dropped a tough 35-21 contest at fourth-seeded South Dakota, while the seventh-seeded Bears (11-3) fell 31-7 to second-seeded North Dakota State.
UC Davis will look to come into the 2025 season led by returning starters safety Rex Connors and wide receiver Samuel Gbatu, Jr. While it may be a new look Aggie squad, Connors and Gbatu, Jr., were big contributors during the season, with Connors finishing with 115 total tackles and Gbatu, Jr., finishing second on the team with 779 receiving yards to lead all Aggie receivers in 2024.
Mercer opened its 2024 campaign with six-straight victories on the way to capturing the Southern Conference championship – the first league title in program history – on the way to securing its second-straight appearance in the NCAA postseason. The Bears lead all 123 FCS teams in five defensive statistical categories, including a program-record 25 interceptions and a rushing defense that surrendered just 71.6 yards per game.
The Bears are set to return 11 starters for the 2025 season, including seven on the offensive side of the ball. Among the returners for the Orange & Black is rising sophomore quarterback Whitt Newbauer who threw for 1,398 yards and 12 touchdowns on 101-of-179 passing as a rookie. Newbauer took over as the starter under center in time for MU’s Week 9 win over then-No. 23 Western Carolina in Macon.
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