Lan Larison should have been catching his breath on the sideline as UC Davis prepared to punt at the 10-yard line against Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday night. A three-and-out meant punter Ben Banks-Altekruse would have little breathing room and assured the Lions of good field position.
Banks-Altekruse made the dire situation even worse with a 28-yard shank that barely made it past midfield. Fortunately for the Aggies, Nick Johnson waved for a fair catch and muffed it. Larison happened to squeeze into the right place at the right time to recover it. He then walked a few steps to join the offensive huddle.
Few coaches will put a starting running back on the punt coverage team for fear of an injury. Such duty is usually delegated to second- and third-stringers hoping to do anything that could result in more playing time. Larison carried the ball 28 times Saturday night. Playing time is the least of his concerns.
Larison is playing on punt coverage because the senior will be a second- or third-stringer if he makes it to the NFL. That is certainly a possibility given the number of NFL scouts who visited the Aggies’ training camp in August. And if Larison does make it, he will have to be capable of contributing on special teams.
The risk of injury is offset by the potential reward of the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year in the Big Sky Conference being selected in the NFL Draft. As much as the Aggies need Larson, head coach Tim Plough will not deny Larison an opportunity to prove he has what it takes to play in the NFL.
Plough was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UC Davis in 2018 when wide receiver Keelan Doss played on special teams in hopes of boosting his draft stock. Doss was not drafted, but the 2017 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year signed with the Raiders. Five teams later, he is with the Raiders again.
Larison’s 28 carries tied the second-highest total of his career. He also had 28 against Sacramento State in the Causeway Classic last November, running for 128 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-21 victory. And that was a week after he had 31 carries for 264 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-14 win at Idaho State.
His 31st carry was a 23-yard touchdown run to break a 14-all tie with 2:05 to play. Larison returned after missing three games with a knee injury to run for 622 yards and nine touchdowns in the final four games. He also had three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown in the Causeway Classic.
Larison caught three passes for 50 yards against Texas A&M-Commerce, including a one-handed grab for 29 yards. He gained 62 yards on 17 carries Aug. 31 at Cal and scored the only offensive touchdown for UC Davis. Larison also had two tackles on punt coverage against the Golden Bears.
And he now has the first fumble recovery of his career. Larison might be the first player in UC Davis history to run for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass, throw a touchdown pass, return a kickoff for a touchdown and recover a muffed punt. Scouts will surely take note of all that come draft time.
Southern Utah will have taken note of it by the time UC Davis arrives in Cedar City for Saturday’s game. The Thunderbirds limited Larison to 65 yards on 17 carries last year in Davis, but Larison turned a pass from Miles Hastings into a 73-yard touchdown as the Aggies pulled out a 23-21 win.
UC Davis has won the past two meetings with Southern Utah after losing three in a row. The Aggies are 6-7 in the series that dates to 2004. The Aggies and Thunderbirds are both 1-1. Southern Utah is coming off a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory at UTEP, its first against an FBS team since 2013.
The victory was the fourth this season by an FCS team against an FBS opponent. The other three teams were Montana State (35-31 vs. New Mexico), St. Francis (23-17 vs. Kent State and Idaho (17-13 vs. Wyoming). UC Davis lost 31-13 at Cal on Aug. 31 in its only game against an FBS team this season.
