Northern Arizona dashes FCS college football playoff hopes for No. 25 UC Davis Aggies

Joe Davidson
·2 min read

UC Davis got its most explosive offensive player back in the lineup Saturday afternoon, but even Lan Larison couldn’t save the No. 25 Aggies in a 38-21 loss to Northern Arizona inside the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff.

This was a Big Sky Conference contest the Aggies had to have to keep their NCAA FCS playoff hopes alive, but they were jolted by a 90-yard fumble return for a touchdown and got outscored 21-8 in the second half.

The Aggies fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big Sky, dealing a crippling blow to their playoff hopes with three games remaining.

Larison rushed for 101 yards on 24 carries in his first game action since suffering a knee ligament strain on Sept. 23 against Eastern Washington, a game in which the Idaho native rushed for 256 yards, the third most in program history, dating back to 1915. Larison missed three games, two of them losses.

UCD was driving in an attempt to take a 17-10 lead in the second quarter when Eloi Kwete stripped Aggies quarterback Miles Hastings of the ball. George Steele scooped up the fumble and raced 90 yards to turn the momentum, giving NAU a 17-10 advantage, a lead the Lumberjacks would not lose. NAU improved to 3-5 overall and 3-2 in conference with the Homecoming triumph.

“I just picked up the ball and ran as fast as I (could),” Steele told media after the game.

UCD’s biggest play was a 75-yard touchdown strike from Hastings to Trent Tompkins to pull the Aggies to within 10-7. Hastings hit Chaz Davis for a 34-yard scoring play with 7:15 remaining to make the score 31-21.

Hastings passed for 327 yards with three interceptions. Tompkins had an Aggies career-high eight catches for 148 yards and Davis had eight for 120. Tompkins produced 231 all-purpose yards, adding 32 rushing, 37 on kickoff returns and 14 on punt returns.

UCD outgained NAU 476-289, but four turnovers led to 13 Lumberjack points. NAU had three turnovers but stopped UCD three times on downs.

Linebacker Evan Tattersall of Granite Bay High School led UCD with nine tackles. Defensive back Jehiel Budgett of Monterey Trail High School in Sacramento had four tackles and an interception.

NAU posted its third victory this season over an FCS-ranked team after downing Montana and then-ranked Weber State.

UCD will host Portland State at 4 p.m. on Nov. 4, visit Idaho State on Nov. 11 and entertain rival Sacramento State in the annual Causeway Classic on Nov. 18.