UC Davis running back Lan Larison, who rushed for three touchdowns and piled up 188 all-purpose yards, pulls away from the Illinois State defense. (Photo by UCDavisAggies.com)
By Barry Bottino
UC Davis spent just over 7 minutes Saturday pulling away from Illinois State.
When the Redbirds had three chances to respond, they fell short each time in a 42-10 season-ending loss Saturday in California in a second-round FCS playoff game.
No. 5 seed Davis used a 7:05 span starting late in the second quarter to turn a 7-0 deficit into a 21-7 lead. In the second half, 12th-seeded ISU (10-4) produced three consecutive 13-play drives that all advanced inside the Davis red zone.
The result? Two turnovers on downs and an interception in the end zone.
“I hate to end this way, but I’m really proud of my team,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said.
The Redbirds grabbed a 7-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the game when quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse connected with wide receiver Eddie Kasper on an 8-yard scoring pass. With a chance to go up by 10 points later in the quarter, Ian Wagner’s 47-yard field goal was blocked.
UC Davis (11-2) then scored 28 unanswered points, including 21 points in a span of 7:05.
“We had a lot of other opportunities to score,” Spack said of the block. “Those are big explosive plays. Davis made those plays today and we didn’t make enough of them.”
Aggies running back Lan Larison – who finished fifth in voting for the FCS Walter Payton Award — rushed for three first-half touchdowns and produced 104 rushing yards and 84 receiving yards.
Quarterback Miles Hastings, a sixth-year senior, was a thorn in ISU’s side all day, connecting with eight different receivers to finish 25-for-33 passing for 403 yards and three TDs. It was all part of a 558-yard offensive output for Davis.
“He’s accurate. He’s a veteran. He’s played a lot of snaps,” ISU safety Dillon Gearhart told WJBC Radio. “They were going fast with their tempo. It was tough to overcome.”
On its first drive of the second half, trailing 28-10, ISU moved the ball to Davis’ 6. But Rittenhouse’s pass on fourth-and-2 to Scotty Presson went for a 1-yard loss. A Rittenhouse interception in the end zone halted ISU’s next drive midway through the fourth quarter.
Rittenhouse finished the day 30-for-48 with 233 yards passing. He was replaced by backup Jake Rubley on the next drive, which moved to Davis’ 18 before an incompletion on fourth down.
Hampered by a left shoulder injury that forced him out of the game in the third quarter, ISU leading rusher Wenkers Wright finished with 68 rushing yards on nine carries.
“We tried to change what we do. We tried to pass the ball to open up the run. Usually we try to run the ball to open up the pass,” Wright said.
Illinois State reached the 10-win plateau for only the fourth time since 2000.
“You can’t get mad at 10 wins at the end of the day,” Wright said.
Game changers
4:29, 1st quarter: Wagner’s 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked by 6-foot-6 UC Davis lineman Eli Simonson.
14:55, 2nd quarter: Hastings’ 10-yard TD pass to C.J. Hutton put the Aggies ahead for good.
1:19, 2nd quarter: Larison scored on a 2-yard run – his third TD of the day – to give Davis 28 consecutive points and a 28-7 lead.
What it means
Illinois State’s season – and first playoff trip since 2019 – ends with a second-round loss.
UD moves into the quarterfinal round. The Aggies play at South Dakota (10-2) Saturday, Dec. 14. The Coyotes, the No. 4 seed, defeated Tarleton State, 42-31, in the second round.
Best ‘Birds
Prairie State Pigskin chooses the top three Illinois State players in the game:
Kasper, WR: Along with a career-high 11 catches, Kasper scored his first touchdown of the season.
Daniel Sobkowicz, WR: The junior surpassed 1,000 yards for the season by catching 10 passes for a game-high 111 yards.
Lavoise-Deontae McCoy, LB: The junior led ISU with nine tackles and two pass breakups.
What’s next?
Illinois State opens the 2025 season at FBS Oklahoma on Aug. 30.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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