UC Davis prepares for FCS Playoffs vs. Illinois State
Dec 4, 2024, 7:05 AM
(UC Davis Athletics)
(UC Davis Athletics)
The road to an FCS Championship continues this weekend for the UC Davis football team as the Aggies prepare to face Illinois State on Saturday afternoon.
UC Davis head coach Tim Plough joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross to preview the matchup, discuss how the first-round bye benefited his team, share his thoughts on running back Lan Larison being left out of the finalists for the Walter Payton Award, 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.
More UC Davis football coverage from Sactown Sports
No. 5 UC Davis football had 13 Aggies named to the Big Sky All-Conference teams as part of the Big Sky’s postseason awards, with six named first team, five going to the second team and two earning honorable mention.
Seniors running back Lan Larison (unanimous), tight end Winston Williams, defensive lineman Zach Kennedy and defensive back Kavir Bains, along with redshirt junior linebacker David Meyer and junior defensive back Rex Connors (unanimous) were all named to the first team following stellar seasons by all six.
On the second team, seniors quarterback Miles Hastings and defensive lineman Evan Bearden joined juniors offensive lineman Eli Simonson, linebacker Porter Connors and kicker Hunter Ridley as the Aggie representatives. And seniors Ernesto Nava (OL) and Princeton Toki (DL) earned honorable mention.
Larison, a Walter Payton Award finalist was a two-time Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honoree and was named the Big Sky Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Currently Larison leads all running backs in the nation in both receiving yards (755) and receiving touchdowns (six) and he leads the nation in total all-purpose yards (2,132) and all-purpose yards per game (177.7).
And he set program records for career and single season all-purpose yards. Larison ranks first in the nation in all-purpose yards, all-purpose yards per game, fifth in rushing yards, seventh in rushing yards per game and 10th in rushing touchdowns. He ranks first in the Big Sky in all these numbers.
Williams was a force all season, finishing with career highs in every receiving offensive category, ending with 235 receiving yards on 31 receptions. He tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns on the team, hauling in six scores, leading all tight ends in the conference and he finished just one behind Dartmouth’s Chris Corbo for most receiving touchdowns by a tight end in the nation.
Defensively, Kennedy as a driving force and leader for the Aggies all season long and he racked up 25 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass break ups, five quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and he blocked a kick. The Aggie edge defender played nearly every snap defensively, and his quarterback hurry against then-ranked No. 5 Idaho on a possible game-tying two-point conversion forced a bad throw by the Idaho quarterback to seal that early season win for the Aggies.
Read more below:
Upcoming UC Davis Schedule
- FCS Playoffs: Saturday, December 7th vs. winner of No. 12 Illinois State – 1 p.m PT
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