| 2025 UC Davis Aggies football | |
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NCAA Division I Quarterfinal, L 31–42 vs. Illinois State | |
| Conference | Big Sky Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 8 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 8 |
| Record | 9–4 (6–2 Big Sky) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Paul Shelton (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Up-tempo/spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Matt Coombs (6th season) |
| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| Home stadium | UC Davis Health Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Montana State $^ | 8 | – | 0 | 14 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Montana ^ | 7 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 UC Davis ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sacramento State | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho State | 5 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Arizona | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Washington | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cal Poly | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Colorado | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weber State | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portland State | 1 | – | 7 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2025 UC Davis Aggies football team represented the University of California, Davis during the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Big Sky Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Tim Plough and played their home games at UC Davis Health Stadium in Davis, California. It was the Aggies' 106th season overall, and 14th in the Big Sky.
UC Davis finished the regular season 8–3 and received a bye during the first week of the FCS playoffs due to their No. 11 (No.8 by the playoff committee) ranking. After defeating the Rhode Island Rams in the Second Round at home, the Aggies would fall to eventual championship runner-ups Illinois State in the Quarterfinals, also at home. Due to the FCS Committee's ranking of the Aggies prior to the start of the playoffs, UC Davis was able to host two consecutive playoff games for the first time since joining Division I FCS in 2003, and the first time hosting a Quarterfinal since 2001.
UC Davis saw record average attendance this season, with an average of 12,991 fans per a game alongside the new stadium record of 17,217, which sets the highest attendance out of all of UC Davis's home venues. This season also saw the first time a linear ESPN channel had been hosted at a UC Davis home game, with the Second Round game against Rhose Island being shown.
On July 17, 2025, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Aggies were predicted to finish second in the Big Sky by the coaches and third by the media. [1]
| Player | Position | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Robbie Mascheroni | WR | Idaho State |
| Josh Gale | TE | Montana |
| Kavir Bains-Marquez | S | Pittsburgh |
| Blake Cotton | DB | Utah |
| Player | Position | Previous school |
|---|---|---|
| Cole Batson | S | Boston College |
| Nate Rutchena | TE | California |
| Derrell Porter | DL | Dartmouth |
| Jacob Psyk | DL | Harvard |
| Marquis Bell | DB | Liberty |
| Khalani Riddick | DB | Southeast Missouri State |
| Ty Richardson | DB | Tufts |
| Teeg Slone | S | Utah State |
| Josiah Allen | DB | UTEP |
| AJ Hasson | OL | Wake Forest |
| Dylan Mauro | P | Washington State |
| Roice Cleeland | OL | Washington |
| Round | Player Number | NFL team | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undrafted | 3 | New England Patriots | Lan Larison | RB |
| Undrafted | 7 | Ottawa Redblacks | Miles Hastings | QB |
| Undrafted | 1 | Edmonton Elks | CJ Hutton | WR |
On August 23, UC Davis was set to play in the FCS Kickoff in their first of three nationally televised games this season. With just 7:46 left in the fourth quarter, and Mercer having the ball with a 1st-and-10 at the UC Davis 48-yard line, the game was suspended due to lightning. [7] In the early morning hours of August 24, it was announced that the game would not resume, and that both teams had agreed to declare it a no contest despite the Aggies leading 23–17. [8]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 23 | 4:00 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Mercer * | No. 8 | ESPN | No contest | ||
| August 30 | 7:00 p.m. | at Utah Tech * | No. 8 | ESPN+ | W 31–24 | 4,629 | |
| September 6 | 8:00 p.m. | at Washington * | No. 8 | BTN | L 10–70 | 65,421 | |
| September 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Southern Utah * | No. 9 | ESPN+ | W 50–34 | 17,217‡ | |
| September 27 | 7:00 p.m. | Weber State | No. 9 |
| ESPN+ | W 34–12 | 12,238 |
| October 4 | 5:00 p.m. | at Cal Poly | No. 7 | ESPN+ | W 34–27 | 10,006 | |
| October 11 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 14 Northern Arizona | No. 6 |
| ESPN+ | W 45–24 | 9,937 |
| October 25 | 12:00 p.m. | at Northern Colorado | No. 6 | ESPN+ | W 27–16 | 4,412 | |
| November 1 | 1:00 p.m. | Idaho State | No. 6 |
| ESPN+ | L 36–38 | 10,973 |
| November 8 | 4:00 p.m. | at Idaho | No. 11 | SWX/ESPN+ | W 28–14 | 10,712 | |
| November 15 | 7:15 p.m. | at No. 3 Montana State | No. 9 | ESPN2 | L 17–38 | 21,777 | |
| November 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Sacramento State | No. 15 |
| ESPN+ | W 31–27 | 14,590 |
| December 6 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 8 Rhode Island * | No. 11 |
| ESPN2 | W 47–26 | 8,525 |
| December 13 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 17т Illinois State * | No. 11 |
| ESPN+ | L 31–42 | 9,216 |
| |||||||
‡New UC Davis Health Stadium attendance record.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Aggies | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| No. 11 Bears | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at Cramton Bowl • Montgomery, AL
| Statistics | UCD | MER |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | – | – |
| Total yards | – | – |
| Rushing yards | – | – |
| Passing yards | – | – |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | – | – |
| Time of possession | – | – |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Passing | – | – |
| Rushing | – | – | |
| Receiving | – | – | |
| Mercer | Passing | – | – |
| Rushing | – | – | |
| Receiving | – | – |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Aggies | 7 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 31 |
| Trailblazers | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
at Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | UCD | UTU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 18 |
| Total yards | 425 | 360 |
| Rushes–yards | 43–164 | 30–81 |
| Passing yards | 253 | 272 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21-31-1 | 28–44–2 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 27:45 | 32:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Passing | Caden Pinnick | 21/31, 253 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Jordan Fisher | 16 carries, 105 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Samuel Gbatu Jr. | 4 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TD | |
| Utah Tech | Passing | Bronson Barben | 24/39, 222 yards, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Bronson Barben | 9 carries, 28 yards | |
| Receiving | Kaden Eggett | 3 receptions, 58 yards |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Aggies | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Huskies (FBS) | 14 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 70 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, Washington
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | UCD | WASH |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 13 | 34 |
| Total yards | 218 | 628 |
| Rushes–yards | 24–76 | 46–324 |
| Passing yards | 142 | 304 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–28–1 | 19–30–0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 24:52 | 35:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Passing | Caden Pinnick | 8/16, 50 yards, TD, INT |
| Rushing | Carter Vargas | 5 carries, 43 yards | |
| Receiving | Mitchell Dixon | 2 receptions, 44 yards | |
| Washington | Passing | Demond Williams Jr. | 16/25, 254 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Jonah Coleman | 15 carries, 111 yards, 5 TD | |
| Receiving | Dezmen Roebuck | 4 receptions, 77 yards, TD |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderbirds | 7 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| No. 9 Aggies | 14 | 8 | 21 | 7 | 50 |
at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | SUU | UCD |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 28 | 18 |
| Total yards | 549 | 519 |
| Rushing yards | 233 | 357 |
| Passing yards | 316 | 162 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–43–1 | 13–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 36:59 | 23:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Utah | Passing | Bronson Barron | 23/43, 316 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Joshua Dye | 20 carries, 155 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Gabe Nunez | 8 receptions, 106 yards, TD | |
| UC Davis | Passing | Caden Pinnick | 13/21, 162 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Jordan Fisher | 12 carries, 170 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Samuel Gbatu Jr. | 3 receptions, 45 yards |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| No. 9 Aggies | 0 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 34 |
at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA
| Game information |
|---|
No scoring plays
|
| Statistics | WEB | UCD |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Total yards | 313 | 469 |
| Rushing yards | 138 | 175 |
| Passing yards | 175 | 294 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–24–0 | 17–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:27 | 25:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weber State | Passing | Jackson Gilkey | 14/22, 138 yards |
| Rushing | Davion Godley | 19 carries, 60 yards | |
| Receiving | Marvin Session | 3 receptions, 44 yards | |
| UC Davis | Passing | Caden Pinnick | 16/27, 288 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Carter Vargas | 8 carries, 55 yards | |
| Receiving | Samuel Gbatu Jr. | 4 receptions, 112 yards, TD |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 7 Aggies | 0 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 34 |
| Mustangs | 7 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
at Alex G. Spanos Stadium • San Luis Obispo, CA
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | UCD | CP |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 23 | 21 |
| Total yards | 449 | 342 |
| Rushing yards | 136 | 71 |
| Passing yards | 313 | 271 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–26–0 | 22–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:09 | 29:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Passing | Caden Pinnick | 21/26, 313 yards, 3 TD |
| Rushing | Caden Pinnick | 11 carries, 60 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Stacy Dobbins | 3 receptions, 89 yards | |
| Cal Poly | Passing | Bo Kelly | 20/37, 251 yards, 2 TD |
| Rushing | Trey Wilson | 11 carries, 33 yards | |
| Receiving | Logan Booher | 6 receptions, 101 yards, 2 TD |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Lumberjacks | 7 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 6 Aggies | 3 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 45 |
at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA
| Statistics | NAU | UCD |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Arizona | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| UC Davis | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Aggies | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Bears | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at Nottingham Field • Greeley, CO
| Statistics | UCD | UNCO |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Northern Colorado | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| No. 6 Aggies | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA
| Statistics | IDST | UCD |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| UC Davis | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Aggies | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Vandals | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID
| Statistics | UCD | IDHO |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Idaho | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 Aggies | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| No. 3 Bobcats | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT
| Statistics | UCD | MTST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Montana State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornets | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| No. 15 Aggies | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA
| Statistics | SAC | UCD |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| UC Davis | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
| Week | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| STATS FCS | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 8 |
| Coaches | 7 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 8 |