UC Davis’ Ulonzo Gilliam Named Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week
Sep 4, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Feb 27, 2020, 10:03 am
OGDEN, Utah – In his first game as an Aggie, redshirt freshman running back Ulonzo Gilliam ran for 132 yards, scored two touchdowns on the ground, caught another and was responsible for 18 of his team’s 44 points to lift UC Davis to a 44-38 victory over San José State.
With that victory, UC Davis notched its third win over a FBS-level team in the program’s history, which led to Gilliam earning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors, as announced by league officials on Monday.
Responsible for the first touchdown of the season, Gilliam’s second score pulled the Aggies even with the Spartans at 14-14 near the end of the first quarter — the first of 21 unanswered points recorded by UC Davis. When he found the end zone for the final time that night with his first-ever receiving TD, that all but officially sealed the result for the Aggies since they were up 44-31 at the time.
Including his 59 receiving yards, Gilliam racked up 191 all-purpose yards against the Spartans.
Gilliam’s three touchdowns and 18 points are the second-highest totals in each category in the program’s Big Sky era, second only to 2017 Walter Payton Award finalist (and consensus All-American) Keelan Doss’ four TD/24-point performance vs. Sacramento State in 2016.
The Merced native now sits alongside Manusamoa Luuga on two all-time lists: The duo is responsible for the most touchdowns and points scored in a non-conference game against a D-I opponent. Both performances took place against FBS schools.
UC Davis will compete in the first of five home games on Saturday when San Diego visits Aggie Stadium for its 2018 home opener. Help create a home field advantage like no other by visiting UCDavisAggies.com to purchase tickets for this weekend’s home game.