DAVIS, Calif.-Saturday, No. 4 Weber State (5-2, 3-0 in Big Sky Conference play) seeks to remain perfect in Big Sky Conference action as they visit the No. 22 UC Davis (4-4, 2-2 in Big Sky) Aggies for a 5:00 pm MDT kickoff.
The Wildcats rank 54th nationally in scoring offense (29.1 points per game). With injuries throughout the season to junior quarterback Jake Constantine (75-119, 592 yards, 2 TD’s/3 INT’s) sophomore signal-caller Kaden Jenks has been superb. Jenks has completed 54.4 percent of his passes (43-79) for 458 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
Coming off of a performance which saw him run for an NCAA-best on the season 328 yards in a 51-28 win over Northern Arizona last Saturday, sophomore tailback Josh Davis (91 car, 620 yards, 7 TD’s) is having a solid season.
His 6.8 yards per carry ranks him 12th nationally. Redshirt freshman tailback Kris Jackson (48 car, 250 yards, a team-best 8 touchdown runs on 5.2 yards per carry) has also maximized his opportunities for the Wildcats.
Weber State sophomore receiver Devon Cooley (28 rec, 327 yards, TD) and junior receiver Rashid Shaheed (17 rec, 209 yards, 3 TD’s) have been solid targets for Wildcats quarterbacks on the season.
Junior kicker Trey Tuttle has made 10 of his 12 field goal attempts on the season and 22 of his 23 PAT’s for the Wildcats.
Defensively, Weber State continues to truly be among the elite teams in the nation.
The Wildcats rank 18th nationally in scoring defense (20.4 points per game) and are second in the country in turnover differential (+10), trailing only Incarnate Word (+13).
With their 20 sacks on the season, the Wildcats are tied for 14th with Prairie View A&M, Saint Francis (Pa.) and Mississippi Valley State.
Weber State is led in sacks by redshirt sophomore defensive end George Tarlas and senior defensive end Jonah Williams (5 sacks apiece).
Sophomore safety Brody Burke (2 interceptions) continues to lead the Wildcats in that category. In forced fumbles, junior safety Preston Smith, sophomore cornerback Eddie Heckard and Tarlas have two apiece to lead the squad.
The Aggies come into Saturday’s game familiar with Utah-based Big Sky school as they bested Southern Utah 33-25 last weekend at Eccles Coliseum of Cedar City.
UC Davis is 45th nationally (30.6 points per game) in scoring offense.
Senior signal-caller Jake Maier remains one of the best passers in the nation. He completes 66.1 percent of his passes (224-339, 13th nationally) for 2,514 yards (2nd nationally), 21 touchdowns (tied for 5th nationally with Jacksonville State’s Zerrick Cooper) and nine interceptions. Against SUU, Maier also exceeded 10,000 passing yards for his career, joining former NFL and CFL veteran J.T. O’Sullivan as the only Aggie passer to reach that plateau in school history.
UC Davis, of course, is known for passing prowess, but sophomore tailback Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. (159 car, 781 yards, 7 TD’s) is having a successful season. Gilliam also has 32 receptions for 227 yards and a touchdown.
Junior receiver Kris Vaughn (38 rec, 465 yards, 7 TD’s) has been the Aggies’ most reliable target in the passing game. Sophomore receiver Carson Crawford (33 rec, 428 yards, 3 TD’s), senior tight end Wes Preece (29 rec, 373 yards, 6 TD’s) have also been productive.
Senior kicker/punter Max O’Rourke has made 8 of his 10 field goal attempts on the season and 27 of his 29 PAT’s.
Defensively, UC Davis ranks 68th nationally in scoring defense (29.1 points). Redshirt freshman linebacker Nick Eaton (4.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles) remains the Aggies’ overall best player on that side of the ball.
Sophomore defensive back Devon King and junior defensive back Isaiah Thomas (2 interceptions apiece) lead the Aggies in that category.
The Wildcats lead the Aggies 4-2 all-time.
