NCAAF

UC Davis Aggies at California Golden Bears

· NCAA - Football
0-1, 0-1 Away
Final
13 - 34

California beats UC Davis 34-13 in season opener

Touchdown! Craig Woodson scores vs. UC Davis Aggies

The Golden Bears (1-0) shook off a rough start on offense with minus-1 yard in the first quarter to improve to 11-0 all-time against the Aggies (0-1).

“Getting out there on the field the first time, I’m sure there was a little bit of nerves going on," Cal coach Justin Wilcox said. “A good thing was, as we talked about on the sideline after the first quarter was over, it was like , ‘Guys, it probably couldn’t have gone too much worse. ... We got that out of us and then settled down and moved the ball down the field.”

Plummer threw TD passes of 3 yards to Jeremiah Hunter and 8 yards Jaydn Ott in the second quarter, and a 14-yarder to Mavin Anderson in the fourth quarter of his first appearance since transferring from Purdue.

Plummer finished 23 for 35 for 268 yards.

“I think we just got into a little bit of rhythm, did a little tempo,” Plummer said. “I think once we started to kind of see ourselves move that kind of gave us a little confidence and got them on their heels a little bit.”

Woodson helped take control of the game when he intercepted Miles Hastings on the opening drive of the second half and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown that made it 24-7.

Hastings threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Chaz Davis in the first quarter Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. scored on a 60-yard run in the third quarter for the Aggies.

Hastings finished 32 for 50 for 242 yards with two interceptions.

“It's not about being perfect, it's about being excellent,” coach Dan Hawkins said. “But we played hard. Guys battled. Thought we had a good camp. But it's a tough road so we got to learn from it, flush it and move on.”

THE TAKEAWAY

UC Davis: The Aggies were looking for their second win over a Power Five team since making the jump to Division I in 2004. They had a chance to build on a 7-0 lead lead after intercepting Plummer in the first quarter in Cal territory. But Trent Tompkins was stopped for a loss on fourth-and-1 from the 9 to thwart that chance. The Aggies were stopped again on a fourth-and-6 from the Cal 38 late in the second quarter.

California: The Bears figured to have some growing pains offensively after losing their leading passer, rusher and receiver from last season. Cal had 3 yards, three punts and one interception on its first four drives before Plummer found his groove.

FABULOUS FRESHMAN

Ott got the bulk of the running duties in his first college game and delivered with 104 yards on the ground, along with his TD catch.

“He’s an explosive guy," Wilcox said. “We are excited to get him some touches. ... We thought Jaydn getting on the perimeter might be tough for people to tackle them. I know it is for us.”

TURNAROUND TIME

The Bears were held to minus-1 yard of offense in the first quarter, the fewest for an FBS team against an FCS team in at least eight seasons.

That turned around in the second quarter when Cal gained 206 yards and had three straight scoring drives to take a 17-7 halftime lead.

UP NEXT

UC Davis: Visit South Dakota State on Saturday.

California: Host UNLV on Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch UC Davis Aggies vs. California Golden Bears?
  • TV Channel: Aggies at Golden Bears 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on .
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Golden Bears: 92.1%
Aggies: 7.9%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

UCD TD 1st Period 3:09 Chaz Davis 4 Yd pass from Miles Hastings (Isaiah Gomez Kick)
CAL TD 2nd Period 8:54 Jeremiah Hunter 3 Yd pass from Jack Plummer (Dario Longhetto Kick)
CAL TD 2nd Period 2:25 Jaydn Ott 8 Yd pass from Jack Plummer (Dario Longhetto Kick)
CAL FG 2nd Period 0:00 Dario Longhetto 32 Yd Field Goal
CAL TD 3rd Period 14:20 Craig Woodson 39 Yd Interception Return (Dario Longhetto Kick)
UCD TD 3rd Period 14:04 Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. 60 Yd Run (Isaiah Gomez PAT failed)
CAL FG 3rd Period 7:02 Dario Longhetto 41 Yd Field Goal
CAL TD 4th Period 7:19 Mavin Anderson 14 Yd pass from Jack Plummer (Dario Longhetto Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/302.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUCD https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/25.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCAL
19 1st Downs 24
7-18 3rd down efficiency 7-13
3-5 4th down efficiency 0-0
387 Total Yards 415
242 Passing 268
32-50 Comp-Att 23-35
4.8 Yards per pass 7.7
145 Rushing 147
27 Rushing Attempts 34
5.4 Yards per rush 4.3
3-31 Penalties 5-55
2 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 0
2 Interceptions thrown 1
30:01 Possession 29:59

Game Information

California Memorial Stadium

Location: Berkeley, CA
Attendance: 34,984 · Capacity:
Full Standings

College Football News

Why Cowboys are prime for regression in 2024

Why Cowboys are prime for regression in 2024

Dan Orlovsky breaks down why he thinks the Cowboys won't win more than 10 games in the 2024 season.

Adisa Isaac's NFL draft profile

Adisa Isaac's NFL draft profile

Check out some of the top highlights from Penn State DE Adisa Isaac.

Jayden Daniels hypes up Malik Nabers after his 40-yard dash

Jayden Daniels hypes up Malik Nabers after his 40-yard dash

LSU receiver Malik Nabers impresses on his 40-yard dash as quarterback Jayden Daniels celebrates with the receiver.

Why McAfee & Co. like the NCAA's proposal to ban player prop bets

Why McAfee & Co. like the NCAA's proposal to ban player prop bets

Pat McAfee and crew react to the NCAA's proposal to ban prop bets made on student-athletes.

NCAA president Charlie Baker calls for ban on college prop bets

NCAA president Charlie Baker calls for ban on college prop bets

NCAA president Charlie Baker is calling for a ban on college prop bets in states with legal sports wagering.