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The 19th ranked Idaho Vandals are coming off a big win against Eastern Washington during Week 1 of the college football spring season. Idaho welcomes UC Davis to their second straight home game this season. The Vandals are (9-3) at the Kibbie-Asui Activity Center for the last three seasons.
Idaho is ranked for the first time since rejoining the FCS in 2018. The Idaho Vandals are currently ranked 19th in the FCS. This is the highest Idaho has been ranked since the 1995 season when they were 17th.
The UC Davis Aggies were set to make their spring season debut against Cal Poly on February 27th. That game was canceled due to the COVID-19 issues that Cal Poly was facing at the time. The Big Sky Conference built two bye weekends into the spring season so they can reschedule postponed games if necessary.
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The Aggies are coming off a rough 2019 season where they posted a (5-7) record. UC Davis posted losing records both at home and on the road. The UC Davis Aggies lost all five games against ranked opponents last season.
The Idaho Vandals are ranked 19th in the FCS and it gives UC Davis the opportunity to rewrite their struggles from last season.
UC Davis Aggies vs #19 Idaho Vandals Head-to-Head
| FCS Football
The UC Davis Aggies and Idaho Vandals are set to meet for the third time this weekend. Their first meeting came back during the 1997 college football season when UC Davis was a 19th ranked Division II program. The Idaho Vandals were members of the Big West Conference.
UC Davis and Idaho met again during the 2018 season. This time both programs were part of the Big Sky Conference. The UC Davis Aggies brought home the 44-21 win against the Idaho Vandals. Saturday will be the tiebreaker between the two teams and should be a great contest.
UC Davis Aggies vs #19 Idaho Vandals Team News | FCS Football
UC Davis Aggies
The UC Davis Aggies are being led into their game on Saturday by head coach Dan Hawkins. Hawkins won the Eddie Robinson Award and Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 2018. He also led the Aggies to their first FCS postseason berth.
The Aggies are returning the majority of their starters on the offensive side of the football from their 2019 team. UC Davis will be led by quarterback Gunnor Faulk who will be making the second start of his college career. Faulk was on the Aggies roster in 2019 but did not see playing time.
UC Davis will return their best offensive weapon in running back Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. who led the team in rushing. Gilliam Jr. rushed for 1,249 yards and 11 touchdowns on 243 attempts. He added 57 receptions for 354 receiving yards and one touchdown.
The UC Davis Aggies will be returning their redshirt freshman linebacker Nick Eaton. Eaton recorded 56 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and six pass break ups. They're also returning their top defensive back in Devon King. King registered 77 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, and five pass break ups in 2019.
#19 Idaho Vandals
The 19th ranked Idaho Vandals are led by their head coach Paul Petrino. Petrino is entering his eighth season as the head coach of the Vandals. His overall head coaching record at Idaho is 23-49 and he brought home the Sun Belt coach of the year in 2016.
Idaho's offense is being led by graduate transfer quarterback Mike Beaudry who played his 2019 season at Connecticut. Beaudry posted a passer rating of 114.36 against Eastern Washington in Week 1. The Vandals quarterback threw for 296 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception in Idaho's first game of the spring season.
The Vandals were led in receiving by Hayden Hatten against Eastern Washington. Hatten registered six receptions for 138 receiving yards and one touchdown. Cutrell Haywood also put together a successful first week. Haywood hauled in four receptions for 70 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Idaho's defense is led by their two veteran linebackers, Christian Ellis and Tre Walker. Both linebackers combined to register 30 total tackles against Eastern Washington. They also combined for three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one hit on the quarterback.
UC Davis Aggies vs #19 Idaho Vandals Projected Starters | FCS Football
UC David Aggies:
QB: Gunnor Faulk
RB: Ulonzo Gilliam Jr.
WR: Chaz Davis, Carson Crawford, Lance Babb II
TE: Evan Bearden
#19 Idaho Vandals
QB: Mike Beaudry
RB: Nick Romano
WR: Hayden Hatten, Cutrell Haywood, Roshaun Johnson
TE: Connor Whitney
UC Davis Aggies vs #19 Idaho Vandals Prediction
| FCS Football
The matchup between the UC Davis Aggies and Idaho Vandals has the potential to be a close contest. Both teams are returning talent on the defensive side of the football and starting new quarterbacks. The Vandals have the better passing game but the Aggies have the better running game.
The game will come down to which defense can make the first stop in the fourth quarter. Idaho's defense was able to make that stop during their Week 1 meeting with Eastern Washington. The Vandals' defense will stand their ground again this weekend to bring home the victory over the Aggies.
Prediction: #19 Idaho Vandals 24, UC Davis Aggies 21
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