2021 UC Davis Aggies football team
The 2021 UC Davis football team represented the University of California, Davis as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The season Led by fifth-year head coach Dan Hawkins, the Aggies compiled an overall record of 8–4 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the Big Sky. UC Davis received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff, where they lost to South Dakota State in the first round. The Aggies played home games at UC Davis Health Stadium in Davis, California.
| 2021 UC Davis Aggies football | |
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NCAA Division I First Round, L 24–56 vs. South Dakota State | |
| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 17 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 16 |
| Record | 8–4 (5–3 Big Sky) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Cody Hawkins (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Matt Coombs (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | UC Davis Health Stadium (capacity: 10,743) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Sacramento State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Montana State ^ | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Eastern Washington ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Montana ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17 UC Davis ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weber State | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Arizona | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Southern Utah | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason
Polls
On July 26, 2021, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Aggies were predicted to finish sixth in the Big Sky by both the coaches and media.[1]
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weber State | (7) |
| 2 | Montana | (3) |
| 3 | Eastern Washington | (2) |
| 4 | Montana State | (1) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | (1) |
| 6 | UC Davis | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | |
| 8 | Idaho | |
| 9 | Idaho State | |
| 10 | Portland State | |
| 11 | Southern Utah | |
| 12 | Cal Poly | |
| 13 | Northern Colorado |
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weber State | (14) |
| 2 | Montana | (4) |
| 3 | Eastern Washington' | (3) |
| 4 | Montana State | (3) |
| 5 | Sacramento State | |
| 6 | UC Davis | |
| 7 | Northern Arizona | |
| 8 | Idaho | |
| 9 | Idaho State | |
| 10 | Portland State | |
| 11 | Southern Utah | |
| 12 | Northern Colorado | |
| 13 | Cal Poly |
Preseason All–Big Sky team
The Aggies had three players selected to the preseason all-Big Sky team.[2]
|
Offense Connor Pettek – C |
Defense Bryce Rodgers – DT |
Special teams Daniel Whelan – K |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2 | 4:30 p.m. | at Tulsa* | No. 23 | ESPN+ | W 19–17 | 15,085 | |
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at San Diego* | No. 14 | W 53–7 | 1,712 | ||
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Dixie State* | No. 14 | ESPN+ | W 60–27 | 9,865 | |
| September 25 | 5:00 p.m. | at No. 14 Weber State | No. 12 | ESPN+ | W 17–14 | 6,802 | |
| October 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Idaho | No. 8 |
| ESPN+ | W 27–20 | 11,622 |
| October 9 | 12:00 p.m. | at Idaho State | No. 7 | ESPN+ | L 17–27 | 5,206 | |
| October 16 | 5:00 p.m. | Northern Colorado | No. 13 |
| ESPN+ | W 32–3 | 10,963 |
| October 23 | 5:00 p.m. | at Cal Poly | No. 10 | ESPN+ | W 24–13 | 9,573 | |
| November 6 | 12:00 p.m. | at Northern Arizona | No. 8 | ESPN+ | W 40–24 | 6,088 | |
| November 13 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 7 Eastern Washington | No. 6 |
| ESPN+ | L 20–38 | 7,344 |
| November 20 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 11 Sacramento State | No. 10 |
| ESPN+ | L 7–27 | 12,315 |
| November 27 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 11 South Dakota State* | No. 14 | ESPN+ | L 24–56 | 3,681 | |
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Conference opponents not played this season: Montana, Montana State, Portland State, Southern Utah
Game summaries
At Tulsa
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Aggies | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| Golden Hurricane | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
At San Diego
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Aggies | 16 | 6 | 14 | 17 | 53 |
| Toreros | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Dixie State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trailblazers | 7 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
| No. 14 Aggies | 15 | 21 | 3 | 21 | 60 |
At No. 14 Weber State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 12 Aggies | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| No. 14 Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Idaho
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandals | 6 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| No. 8 Aggies | 3 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 27 |
At Idaho State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Aggies | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| Bengals | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
Northern Colorado
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| No. 13 Aggies | 0 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 32 |
At Cal Poly
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Aggies | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Mustangs | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
At Northern Arizona
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Aggies | 8 | 12 | 17 | 3 | 40 |
| Lumberjacks | 14 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
No. 7 Eastern Washington
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Eagles | 0 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
| No. 6 Aggies | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
No. 11 Sacramento State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Hornets | 7 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| No. 10 Aggies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Ranking movements
| Week | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS | 23 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 17 |
| Coaches | 21 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 16 |
References
- "Weber State Picked to Win Big Sky by Coaches and Media". July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- "UC Davis trio earns Preseason All-Big Sky". ucdavisaggies.com. July 26, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
- "NCAA Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
- "2021 Football Schedule". UC Davis Athletics. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
