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DAVIS, Calif. -- Saturday was Weber State's first ever trip to UC Davis and it wasn't a memorable one. UC Davis jumped out to a quick first half start and rolled to a 37-13 victory over the Wildcats. The loss drops Weber State to 0-5 on the season for the first time in eight years.
The first half struggles for the Wildcats continued as Weber State was unable to stop the Aggies or put much on the board. The Aggies came out and dominated from the start, scoring a touchdown just 1:45 into the game to take a 7-0 lead. They tacked on a field goal and led 10-0 after the first quarter.
The Aggies blew the game open in the second quarter with three straight touchdowns all by running back Dalton Turay. He scored from one-yard early in the quarter then had a touchdown run of five yards and one yard to give the Aggies a 31-0 lead with 1:37 to play in the half.
Weber State was able to get some offense going in the final minutes of the half and Mike Hoke found Erik Walker for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed and UC Davis took a 31-6 lead into the half.
The Wildcats have still not scored a point in the first quarter this season and have scored just 12 points in the first half in the five games.
After a scoreless third quarter UC Davis added two field goals to take a 37-6 lead before Hoke added a two-yard touchdown run with under 5:00 to play.
The ‘Cats committed five turnovers on the game with three interceptions and two fumbles.
"I was surprised with how we started and how we reacted to what they did," said WSU head coach Jody Sears. "We got caught right on our heels at the beginning and we didn't make enough plays in the first half to put ourselves in position and give ourselves a chance. We have to get in position to make plays. The only way we can get through this is to keep fighting our way out of it."
Weber State actually finished with more yards than the Aggies, posting 360 yards of total offense, compared to 342 for UC Davis. WSU also had more first downs than UC Davis but the Aggies did sack Hoke four times for a loss of 37 yards.
Hoke finished the day 26-42 for 268 yards passing and one touchdown but also threw three interceptions. Walker led the receiving corps with three catches for a career-high 88 yards and one touchdown. C. J. Tuckett finished with 11 carries for 40 yards rushing and had four catches for 37 yards.
Defensively Anthony Morales once again led the team in tackles, finishing with 11 on the night. Tony Epperson added 10 tackles and continues to lead the nation in punting after three punts for an average of 51.3 yards per punt. Devin Pugh had one interception and the ‘Cats recorded four tackles for loss.
"We aren't making enough plays and are making too many mistakes and mental errors," Tuckett said. "You make too many mistakes and you can't win. We just need to come out with more energy and trust our fundamentals. We have to pick ourselves up. We can't feel sorry for ourselves. We have to move forward."
The game was the first conference home game and first Big Sky victory for UC Davis, who joined the league this summer. It is also their first win over Weber State in three games.
The Wildcats is now 0-5 for the first time since 2004 when they began the season 0-8. The Wildcats will be back home at Stewart Stadium next Friday night for a home game against 4-0 Cal Poly.
