I’m just back from hunting in Montana. 200 miles NE of Bozeman, go into any tavern or restaurant, and this is what you see. Can you imagine going into a restaurant in Bakersfield or Redding and seeing a UC Davis poster?

It was a must win road game against a team whose only FCS loss when starting QB Wood was to undefeated Montana. The game frustrated Davis fans because it potentially could have been a blowout, but it was still a solid win.

nobody, this unusual respect for the patriot league baffles me

“Of those 24 games, this is by far the best win we’ve had,” Plough enthused."

Judging by people's opinions on this game, I find that hard to believe.

Up 1-0 going into the half! Some great passes so far

re: playoffs it was a nearly must win so checked the box. A road win over a decent team is good. Eye test very erratic but unless it was 52-14 or something, I don’t think margin of victory at this point makes much difference

Plough is as good as anyone for creative play design.

Made it to my seat.

Explaining to my Dad the state of the season and we're both concluding that If we don't beat Idaho tomorrow, we don't make the playoffs. That damn Mercer result is killing us.

Hopefully WBB can kick the weekend at Idaho off in the right direction!

Nothing motivates a mediocre squad like hearing your HC is fielding other positions before the last leg of the season...

Afrer double OT, Ags win on penalty kicks.

I guess we lost some folks when ESPN screwed up the broadcast, but the Ags had an impressive second half, I think they have a solid starting five and some good depth as well. Tonight gave ma a better sense of how the team is shaping up. Marcus Wilson wasn't flashy but he shows signs of being a solid point guard and Sevilla is shooting from distance in a way that reminds me of Eli Pepper. Rocak and Cooper form as solid a pair of forwards as I've seen recently and Omer Suljanovic showed that he can be a force as well. I think Bob Williams will be doing the color for future home games and that's good too.

Post mortem -

Overall, except for the injury a good opener against a weak opponent. Got to go against players who didn't know them and the scheme. Freshmen and transfers got to see where they need to grow. Gonna get tougher quickly vs. Idaho, which beat Washington State yesterday.

1 ) The DNP's - Apparently Vic Baker injured an ankle; hopefully back soon. Ally Fitzgerald apparently was an active participant during the scrimmage at the Kick-Off event on Sunday, so maybe a precaution in a meaningless game, or her back acting up? Helen Matthews was All Defensive team as junior in the SoCon, sat out a year with injury and came back last season. Made the SoCon All Tournament team. Injured her shoulder during the finals of the SoCon tournament. So yes, good!! Hopefully all back soon.

2) Sahana Kanagasabay looked pretty good prior to her injury - like she would be a definite contributor off the bench, especially on defense. Quick, fast and aggressive. I think she re-injured the same knee she hurt as a freshman at Providence. Looked like it went out as she went up for a layup in the first half. Was sitting on the end of the bench for awhile in the early 2nd half. Pretty sure she's done. Just crushed watching it unfold.

3) Teoni Tsami seems to be on a minutes restriction as she works back from her knee surgery. Looked rusty and not confident of her knee, especially after Sahana went down. Understandable.

4) Ryann Bennett looks ready to be a force, both offensively and defensively. Obvious time spent on her body as well as her game. Physically a whole new look. Agree with Oldbandalum that she takes the offense to a different level.

5) Megan Norris is another who looks a little more muscular. After one dumb foul, had a solid game and stopped swinging at shots trying to block them.. Just went straight up and rejected a bunch. Missed some layups, or would have hade 20+.

6) Nya Epps was her usual dominant defensive player. Offense is still looks like it will be streaky. Wish Nya would more consistently finish at the basket. But looking to contribute more at that end.

7) Avery Sussex is another who looks like she worked on her conditioning in the off season. Moved much better on defense than at anytime last year. Seemed very focused on taking care of the ball (didn't force passes), executing what Jen Gross wanted on the offensive end and playing within the offense. As that becomes more instinctive, I think she'll play more in rhythm. Showed more comfort directing teammates and and "being in charge" than last season. She and Bennett obviously like playing together and seem to be building a rapport. Huge going forward.

8) Tegan Young was solid, and like Sussex will be even better once the Aggie offensivee and defensive schemes become more instinctive. She rebounds and looked for her shot more as the game went on.

9) With Sahana going down, Tsami being on a minutes restriction, and depending on the injury situation with Baker, Fitzgerald and Matthews, the freshman will need to contribute immediately. Again I agree with Oldbandalum that Emmy Ersdala and Sophie Lentfer impressed, albeit against weak competition - 10 pts, 9 boards, 4 assists between them. Both had time in both front and backcourt. Obviously still thinking through situations, but generally good decision-making. Lenfer especially looks like a young filly still figuring out movement.
Carrington Davis was surprisingly the last player off the bench - considering that her HS pedigree tracked Ryann Bennet's very closely. She does play behind Bennett, Epps and Sussex, while Ersdala and Lentfer can also play up front due to size. Still Lentfer was the first freshman guard off the bench. Showed more her second shift.

In related news, Bria Shine started for UC Riverside vs. Cal Baptist - 28 minutes, 7 boards, 3 assists in a losing cause. Getting to play and have her master's degree paid for. Go Bria!!
Clara Glad started for Eastern Illinois vs. Drake, also a loss - 30 minutes, 11 points 3 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals.

This I agree with. Maier and Hastings are great examples of this type of QB at Davis.

Pinnick has all the raw athletic stuff to a greater extent than those two great QBs. He is going to be a great one in year 3 & 4 if he continues to develop. He clearly has the work ethic.

the coaches chose Pinnick because he was the best quarterback in the preseason. He has proven he can lead an extremely explosive offense. If his only issue is missing a check down sometimes, then they obviously chose correctly. He’s an inexperienced QB with a horribly injured defense and still has us staunchly in playoff contention. Davis will be playing to win every game from here on out, which means we won’t be seeing the 3rd or 5th string QBs at all this year.

Still in disbelief... I will admit that I was way off in my prediction and the inspired team that executed better won the football game. Working from the questions posed on the Aggie Pride Podcast postgame autopsy, "Why we lost" and "What we lost":

WHY WE LOST: Because we lost in all three phases of the game:

Great teams don't give-up Special Teams TD, especially blocked punts with a scoop and score cherry on top. TEAMS THAT BLOCK A PUNT TYPICALLY WIN AT A 90% CLIP. ISU did. Ags also had a PAT blocked. Unacceptable.

Defense got gashed in the 1st quarter, mostly by draw/delay run plays vs. a very light box. Our LBs played on the fringe of the box on many snaps, giving ISU an equal numbers advantage (5-on-5) at times. IDAHO STATE RUSHED FOR 111 YARDS ON 5 CARRIES IN THE 1ST QUARTER AND SCORED ON A 15 YARD RUSH ON THE FIRST PLAY OF THE 2ND QUARTER EN ROUTE TO 21 POINTS ALLOWED IN 16 MINUTES! When we finally settled in the second half, we were stunting our DL and playing heavier to the box with the LBs. Too little/too late. My guess is that ISU ran more than they showed leading into the game and we took the bait to stop the quick passing game which sacrificed run defenders. Who knows. Pass rush was non-existent. We adjusted eventually, but the damage was done and the Special Teams score happened.

Offense was sloppy. We all know about the turnovers, but two sacks are almost as bad as turnovers. Procedure penalties hurt. More slop. All contributing factors. What especially sucks is losing a game you should win because of self-inflicted wounds and bad football. I believe in CP. Is he perfect? No. Is he tall? No. Does he make mistakes? Absolutely. He is also a 20-year old kid playing the most difficult position in sports. He's going to screw some things up. But does he give UC Davis the best chance to win football games in 2025? ABSOLUTELY.

It felt like the Ags were waiting for the momentum to shift (maybe because they're so comfortable in close games) while the Bengals created momentum and made things happen. It came in spurts for Davis, especially in the second half (desperation, perhaps), but it felt flat. Nothing to do with injuries or crowds or coaches. That part has to come from the players.

WHAT WE LOST: A first round bye, and, most likely, any opportunity to host a home playoff game. Those of you who understand bracketology better than me can straighten me out, but I feel like we need to go 2-1 to even make the playoffs, and the possibility of hosting at, say, 8-3 is unlikely. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Sickening and maddening weekend.

Sit behind who?! This has to be rage bait

Did you miss three consecutive POTW Big Sky awards?

this take makes no sense. Bro is literally one of the leading Jerry rice award candidates.

Let’s go Ags!!! So excited for basketball season to start again. I have been waiting!

so sad to see the Jays lose.

Men's soccer result from Davis. UCD 2, CSUS 1. Running Causeway score is now UCD 17.5, CSUS 0.

Next events are NCAA Regional Cross-country meets for men and women at Sacramento on November on November 14.

I will be there! Sadly another Ag alum bought tickets for himself but didn't know the time until he asked on Thursday. Told him 4pm and he's helping at a charity dinner at 6.

Home Teams 0-5 today (0-6 for the week)

Idaho 35 @ NAU 32 (friday)
MSU 55 @ UNC 7
UM 38 @ WSU 17
ISU 38 @ UCD 36
SAC 35 @ EWU 13
PSU 40 @ CP 35

Home teams out a little late on Halloween????
The old "we'll just go out for a little bit"...gets 'em every time :sweat:

Oh, no seed, not without complete craziness in the Top 16. Sac could earn a Top 16 spot if they win out...and they are running the ball well right now, though Eastern has been inconsistent on defense.

It certainly makes things harder. Not going to take the time to run through all the teams, but if they beat Sac and Idaho, they'll be in consideration at 8-3. At that point it comes down to style points. Beat those two teams by 2 TDs each and have a respectable showing at Montana St and you get a seed. Squeak by Idaho and Sac and lose to Montana St by 24, you're in the 9-16 range.

Finish 8-3 in the Big Sky, regardless of the exact scores of the games, and we'll get a home game. Might not be a bye though. 7-4, there's likely not a home game (unless it's something like a close loss to MSU, a close loss to either Sac/Idaho and an easy win).

Very good punt bounce pins ISU on the 12

ESPN+ has been dogshit this year