UC Davis football: Previewing Saturday’s game vs. Utah Tech

Sep 19, 2024, 7:52 AM

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Following a season-opening loss to Cal, the UC Davis football team has rattled off two straight wins.

UC Davis football head coach Tim Plough joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to recap the Aggies’ win over Southern Utah, look ahead to this weekend’s matchup against Utah Tech, and much more!

Be sure to check out the entire interview with UC Davis head coach Tim Plough on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.

Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

Click here for full episodes of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross.

More on UC Davis football head coach Tim Plough

Tim Plough returns to his alma mater to become the 18th head coach in UC Davis football history.

The former Aggie quarterback brings a wealth of coaching experience and his brilliant offensive mind to UC Davis with 11 campaigns as an offensive coordinator under his belt. Plough comes to Davis from his most recent stint as an assistant coach at Cal, where the Golden Bears achieved six wins in 2023 to punch their ticket to a bowl game.

Prior to his time in the Bay Area, he served as the offensive coordinator and leader of the quarterback room at Boise State. He was a part of the coaching staff that recruited the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history in 2021, a group that ranked second in the Mountain West. His expertise was immediately put on display when he spearheaded the conference’s top offense that ranked seventh nationally in red zone offense, scoring on 92.5% of its trips to the red zone.

Under Plough’s mentorship, Broncos’ quarterback Hank Bachmeier reached career-high numbers in completions (252), passing yards (3,079), touchdowns (20), and passing yards-per-game (256.6).

Plough oversaw the development of First Team All-MWC receiver Khalil Shakir who notched career highs of 77 catches, 1,117 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. The offensive line excelled under Plough during his season in Boise as three linemen earned All-MWC honors in 2021. John Ojukwu received first-team honors while Ben Dooley and Jake Stetz garnered second-team recognition.

Plough had two separate stints at UC Davis, the most recent being his 2017-2020 stretch. He began his collegiate coaching career with the Aggies in 2008 as a student assistant and quickly climbed the ranks, becoming the offensive coordinator in 2010. He became the youngest offensive coordinator in the nation (FBS and FCS) when he was elevated into that role at the age of 25. Plough held that position through the 2012 season before moving on to Northern Arizona in 2013.

Plough returned to his alma mater to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2017 and 2018 seasons before he was elevated to Associate Head Coach for the next two seasons while maintaining his oversight of the Aggie offense. The San Diego native orchestrated one of the top passing offenses in all of the FCS, ranking sixth nationally in passing yards-per-game (309.2) in 2019. He led the squad to Division I era records in overall (10) and (7) conference victories and grabbed a share of the Big Sky title and the program’s first FCS playoff appearance in 2018.

Plough was a four-year letterwinner as a quarterback for UC Davis from 2004-2007. He became the starter in 2007 for his senior season. In that season, he completed better than 64 percent of his passes for 1,355 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“I am so honored and humbled by this amazing opportunity,” Plough said. “UC Davis is always in my heart and I’m a proud “Davis Guy.” I want to build on the wonderful program that Coach Hawkins has developed and carry that momentum he’s created into the future. I am extremely grateful for Chancellor May and Rocko for this incredible opportunity and for their belief in me. I can’t wait to get back to Shredville and find joy every day.”