UC Davis has not won consecutive games since starting 2-0 this season. Since then, the Aggies have won three Big Sky Conference games they should have and lost three that could determine whether they return to the FCS playoffs. They seem to only play their best against the also-ran teams.

The victories were against Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado and Portland State. Those teams are a combined 5-13 in the Big Sky and 7-20 overall. The losses were to Montana, Southern Utah and Weber State. Those three have a combined Big Sky record of 11-8 and are 15-13 overall. 

Not only were the three losses by an average of 28 points, but UC Davis also had a lead in just one game.  The Aggies led 17-9 at halftime at Southern Utah on Oct. 17, but they did not score again in a 38-17 loss. Southern Utah is  2-4 in the Big Sky and its only other victory was against 1-5 Utah Tech.

UC Davis (3-3 Big Sky, 5-4 overall) hosts Utah Tech on Saturday at 4 p.m. Head coach Tom Plough is confident eight victories will get the Aggies into the playoffs for the third time in his three seasons at the helm. They will play at Idaho (4-2, 4-5) on Nov. 14 and host Cal Poly (3-4, 4-6) a week later.

Utah Tech is a 14-point underdog, but let us not forget UC Davis was a 25.5-point favorite against Portland State  (2-4, 2-7) on Aug. 29 and trailed 21-0 at halftime before rallying to win 31-24  The only time the Aggies have trailed by more at halftime was a 31-8 deficit Sept. 26 against Montana.

The deficit grew to 37 points by the time the Aggies scored in the third quarter to make it 45-15. The Grizzlies did not shift to cruise control, however. Eli Gillman dashed 58 yards to score on the first play of the fourth quarter and added three more carries for 21 yards before calling it a night. 

Gillman ran for a career-high 275 yards to set a single-game record for Montana and scored four times in a 62-22 rout. Gillman became the Big Sky’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 60. Montana was ranked fourth and fifth in the two FCS polls at the time. UC Davis was ninth and 10th.

UC Davis was 20th in the Stats Perform Top 25 and 21st in the FCS coaches poll when it played at Weber State last Saturday. The Wildcats beat the Aggies 38-14 to go from No. 22 to No. 18 in the Stats Perform poll and join the coaches rankings at No. 25. UC Davis is no longer ranked in either.

Plough took the blame for the loss as he has after every defeat this season. He pointed out how injuries again cost his team, adding that it was a miracle wide receiver Sam Gbatu Jr. gave it a go last Saturday. Gbatu had a season-low three receptions after having 36 in the previous five games. 

Running back Jordan Fisher’s workload has increased. The senior had a career-high 27 carries last Saturday, his fourth consecutive game with at least 20. Fisher has made the most of the extra work by rushing for 660 yards in the four games. He already has a career-high 10 rushing touchdowns.

Fisher has been a consistent weapon in a season of inconsistency for UC Davis. “I have to figure out what I’ve done incorrectly to have us play so inconsistently this season,” Plough said. “You can come up with reasons why things aren’t going the way you want. I know the guys are bummed.”

This season was to be a great opportunity for UC Davis to be in the race for Big Sky championship. The Aggies avoided No. 3 Montana State, No. 6 Northern Arizona and Idaho State, which is ranked No. 16 by the coaches and No. 22 by Stats Perform. UC Davis is now settling for votes in the polls.