Tim Plough: UC Davis Must Earn Its Confidence Back

UC Davis head coach Tim Plough isn’t looking for the Aggies to worry about rankings or playoff scenarios. After the team’s loss to Southern Utah, he wants them focused on fixing what went wrong and playing their best football against Northern Colorado.

“It’s really, really simple,” Plough said on The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross. “Defensively, we got to stop the run. We got to get off the field on third down. Offensively, we need to be more consistent at quarterback and consistent at finishing drives.”

The Aggies played one of their better halves of the season against Southern Utah, Plough said, but couldn’t carry that performance through the second half. UC Davis moved the ball, but failed to finish drives in the red zone and turned it over twice. The defense then struggled to stop the run in the fourth quarter.

UC Davis football

More from UC Davis head coach Tim Plough

A fake punt that came up a yard short also contributed to the swing. Plough said there weren’t major adjustments from either sideline; instead, the second half exposed issues with belief and consistency that have surfaced throughout the season.

The Aggies have been ranked for 40 straight weeks, and Plough said opponents now come into games expecting to beat them. UC Davis can’t rely on what previous teams accomplished, he said. This group has to earn that respect through its own work.

“Every team that we play now is kind of geared up to beat us,” Plough said. “You’re not surprising anybody.”

For Plough, rebuilding confidence starts with preparation. He wants each player to become a reason the team believes in itself, then carry that belief into Saturday by playing together and supporting one another. A win could help, but he said the team’s focus should be on its performance, not the result alone.

“It’s not so much the losses; it’s that we haven’t played well,” Plough said. “I don’t really care who we play; I care about how well we play.”

UC Davis will host Northern Colorado on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Plough said he has a feeling the Aggies will play well, but the team has to turn that confidence into preparation during the week. The opportunity to reset is still there; the Aggies need to show they can finish drives, protect the ball and stop the run for four quarters.

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

2026 UC Davis Football Schedule

• Saturday, October 24th – vs. Northern Colorado – 4:00 PM PT
• Saturday, October 31st – @ Weber State – 12:00 PM PT
• Saturday, November 7th – vs. Utah Tech – 4:00 PM PT
• Saturday, November 14th – @ Idaho – 1:00 PM PT
• Saturday, November 21st – vs. Cal Poly – 1:00 PM PT

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