Aggies start fast, finish strong to crush Cal Poly, 56-10

Hastings on fire as UCD wins sixth straight game

Through the first half of the season, UC Davis head football coach Tim Plough lamented the fact that the Aggies frequently did not get off to a fast start.

That tendency was evident with double-digit first-half deficits against Southern Utah, Idaho and Portland State, though the Aggies managed to rally and win all three of those games.

Plough had no such complaint Saturday evening as UCD scored early and often to rout Cal Poly, 56-10, in a Big Sky Conference game before a homecoming crowd of 10,515 at UC Davis Health Stadium.

The win, UCD's sixth straight, moves the No. 6 Aggies to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Big Sky and keeps them in line for a shot at the league title and on the path for one of the 24 bids awarded to the FCS playoffs that begin Nov. 30.

"That's the best we've looked this year," said the Aggie coach.

"If we play like that in all phases of the game, we can get anybody, and if we don't play like that, anybody can get us. I hope we have a lot more wins like this. Our guys are extremely competitive and they play hard together. We've been looking for this kind of consistency and playing for four quarters and we did that. I'm really happy with where we are."

Plough knows, though, that the schedule will suddenly become extra challenging when November rolls around and UCD finishes the regular season against No. 3 Montana State, No. 14 Montana and archrival No. 20 Sacramento State. The Hornets, however, are likely to drop from the rankings after falling, 35-28, to Eastern Washington Saturday night.

The Aggies already own a 28-26 win over No. 8 Idaho.