Lan Larison rushes for three TDs as UC Davis tops Idaho State in father-son coaching duel

Joe Davidson
·2 min read

The “Hawk Bowl” on Saturday afternoon in Pocatello was the first Father vs. Son head coaching duel in the 60-year history of the Big Sky Conference, and it came down to a running back both coaches know well.

Lan Larison rushed for a career-best 264 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns, including the winner with 2:05 remaining, to give UC Davis and coach Dan Hawkins a 21-14 win over Idaho State and coach Cody Hawkins in a thrilling Big Sky Conference contest inside Holt Arena.

UCD moved to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play heading into a regular-season finale next Saturday in Yolo County, where the Aggies will host Sacramento State in the 69th Causeway Classic with a shot at an NCAA FCS playoff berth. It would be the program’s third FCS berth since 2018.

Dan Hawkins saw his son star in high school in Idaho while coaching Boise State. Years later, he brought his son to UCD as an assistant coach before the 2018 campaign to help him rebuild the Aggies, which they did. The younger Hawkins served as UCD’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022 before landing the Idaho State job 11 months ago.

The Bengals are 3-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big Sky, playing their most inspired ball in years. That’s a credit to their 35-year-old coach, who is similar to his father and mentor in coaching approach and even how they talk of “being the best version of ourselves.”

Larison took a lot of direct snaps out of the backfield, including the winning 23-yard run that capped a 10-play, 92-yard drive, something Cody Hawkins said this week he anticipated. Larison rushed for 255 yards through three quarters Sept. 23 at home against Eastern Washington, but he was feared to be lost for the season with a blown knee suffered on a tackle.

It was just a knee strain, and the program let out a collective sigh of relief. The Idaho native missed several games to rehabilitate the knee and has come back strong, including rushing 25 times for 143 yards and three scores in a 37-23 home victory over Portland State on Nov. 4.

Against Idaho State, Miles Hastings passed for 126 yards for UCD, and Lamont Shamburger sealed it with an interception on fourth-and-3 with 26 seconds left as the Aggies won back-to-back games for the first time during this up-and-down season.