2018 UC Davis Aggies football team
The 2018 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Dan Hawkins, the Aggies compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the Big Sky titlewith Eastern Washington and Weber State. UC Davis received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs where, after a first round bye, they defeated Northern Iowa in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to Eastern Washington. The Aggies played home games at Aggie Stadium in Davis, California.
| 2018 UC Davis Aggies football | |
|---|---|
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Big Sky co-champion | |
NCAA Division I Quarterfinal, L 29–34 vs. Eastern Washington | |
| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 7 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 8 |
| Record | 10–3 (7–1 Big Sky) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Tim Plough (2nd season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Robert Tucker (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Aggie Stadium (capacity: 10,743) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Weber State +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Eastern Washington +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 UC Davis +^ | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 Montana State ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montana | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Arizona | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 2 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sacramento State | 0 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason
Polls
On July 16, 2018, during the Big Sky Kickoff in Spokane, Washington, the Aggies were predicted to finish in ninth place in both the coaches and media poll.[1]
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 134 (6) |
| 2 | Weber State | 124 (3) |
| 3 | Northern Arizona | 121 (3) |
| 4 | Idaho | 101 (1) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | 94 |
| 6 | Southern Utah | 91 |
| 7 | Montana | 82 |
| 8 | Montana State | 76 |
| 9 | UC Davis | 64 |
| 10 | Cal Poly | 40 |
| 11 | Northern Colorado | 30 |
| 12 | Idaho State | 29 |
| 13 | Portland State | 21 |
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Washington | 651 (27) |
| 2 | Weber State | 636 (19) |
| 3 | Northern Arizona | 535 (1) |
| 4 | Montana | 496 (2) |
| 5 | Idaho | 483 (3) |
| 6 | Southern Utah | 449 (1) |
| 7 | Sacramento State | 415 |
| 8 | Montana State | 391 (1) |
| 9 | UC Davis | 331 (1) |
| 10 | Idaho State | 170 |
| 11 | Cal Poly | 169 |
| 12 | Northern Colorado | 166 |
| 13 | Portland State | 103 |
Preseason All-Conference Team
The Aggies had two players selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team.[2]
Keelan Doss – Sr. WR. Also selected as the preseason offensive player of the year.
Wes Preece – Jr. TE
Award watch lists
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Payton Award[3] | Keelan Doss | WR | SR |
| Jake Maier | QB | JR |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at San Jose State* | W 44–38 | 12,675 | |||
| September 8 | 7:00 p.m. | San Diego* | Pluto TV 245 | W 54–21 | 7,305 | ||
| September 15 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 9 (FBS) Stanford* | No. 23 | P12N | L 10–30 | 31,772 | |
| September 22 | 7:00 p.m. | Idaho | No. 21 |
| ELVN | W 44–21 | 8,179 |
| October 6 | 11:00 a.m. | at Northern Colorado | No. 16 | Pluto TV 241 | W 49–36 | 4,155 | |
| October 13 | 4:00 p.m. | Idaho State | No. 14 |
| Pluto TV 245 | W 44–37 OT | 10,849 |
| October 20 | 4:05 p.m. | at Cal Poly | No. 10 | Pluto TV 244 | W 52–10 | 8,503 | |
| October 27 | 1:00 p.m. | at Montana | No. 6 | SWX | W 49–21 | 24,141 | |
| November 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Northern Arizona | No. 6 |
| Pluto TV 245 | W 42–20 | 7,890 |
| November 10 | 1:05 p.m. | at No. 5 Eastern Washington | No. 4 | SWX | L 20–59 | 8,789 | |
| November 17 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Sacramento State | No. 9 | ELVN | W 56–13 | 2,482 | |
| December 1 | 4:00 p.m. | Northern Iowa* | No. 7 |
| ESPN3 | W 23–16 | 8,306 |
| December 8 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Eastern Washington* | No. 7 |
| ESPN3 | L 29–34 | 5,503 |
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- The game against Sacramento State on November 17 was moved to Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada due to unhealthy air quality as a result of the Camp Fire in Northern California.[4]
Game summaries
At San Jose State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggies | 14 | 21 | 2 | 7 | 44 |
| Spartans | 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
San Diego
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toreros | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Aggies | 7 | 13 | 7 | 27 | 54 |
At Stanford
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Aggies | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 9 (FBS) Cardinal | 0 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
Idaho
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| No. 21 Aggies | 14 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 44 |
At Northern Colorado
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Aggies | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
| Bears | 0 | 10 | 0 | 26 | 36 |
Idaho State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 9 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 37 |
| No. 14 Aggies | 7 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 7 | 44 |
At Cal Poly
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Aggies | 0 | 31 | 7 | 14 | 52 |
| Mustangs | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
At Montana
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Aggies | 3 | 0 | 10 | 36 | 49 |
| Grizzlies | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Northern Arizona
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumberjacks | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
| No. 6 Aggies | 21 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
At Eastern Washington
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Aggies | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| No. 5 Eagles | 7 | 14 | 14 | 24 | 59 |
Vs. Sacramento State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornets | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 9 Aggies | 14 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
FCS Playoffs
Vs. Northern Iowa–Second Round
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
| No. 7 Aggies | 10 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
At Eastern Washington–Quarterfinals
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Aggies | 0 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| No. 4 Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 34 |
Ranking movements
| Week | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS FCS | RV | RV | 23 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Coaches | — | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 8 |
References
- "Eastern Washington Picked to Win the Big Sky".
- "Doss, Buss Headline Big Sky Football Preseason All-Conference Team".
- "FCS football: 2018 Walter Payton Award watch list". August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- "Causeway Classic relocated to Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada". www.ucdavisaggies.com. UC Davis Official Athletics Site. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- "NCAA Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
