Playing it safe with Trent Tompkins has paid off for UC Davis this season. The multitalented senior missed the first two games with a knee injury and was used cautiously once his knee was good to go. Tompkins had just two receptions for 23 yards and no rushing attempts in his first two games.
His knee passed the two tests, so Tompkins resumed his role as a valuable weapon in the Aggies’ arsenal. Tompkins caught seven passes for 33 yards on Sept. 28 as UC Davis opened its Big Sky Conference schedule by knocking off No. 4 Idaho 28-26 for its first-ever win against a Top 5 team.
Tompkins’ contributions as a receiver have continued for the Aggies, who will face Sacramento State in the 70th Causeway Classic on Saturday at Hornet Stadium. UC Davis has a shot to share the Big Sky championship with a victory and a Montana State loss to Montana in the Brawl of the Wild.
UC Davis ended a three-game losing streak against Sacramento State with a 31-21 victory last year. The Aggies (6-1 Big Sky, 9-2 overall) will likely clinch a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs and a home game in the second round with a win. Pride is all that will be at stake for the Hornets (1-6, 3-8).
Montana State (7-0, 11-0) will be the Big Sky’s top seed in the playoffs by virtue of its 30-28 victory over UC Davis last Saturday. The Bobcats nearly blew a 22-point lead as the Aggies rallied with three touchdowns in the final seven minutes. The third was scored with 34 seconds remaining. The Aggies needed a two-point conversion to send the game into overtime, but quarterback Miles Hastings’ pass intended for running back Lan Larison was intercepted by McCade O’Reilly. Hastings finished 22-of-33 for 320 yards and three touchdowns.
Eight of those completions were to Tompkins for 67 yards. He shared the team lead in receptions with Larison, who had 109 receiving yards to go along with 117 yards and one touchdown on the ground. The 100-100 game was Larison’s second this season. The first came Oct. 5 at Portland State.
UC Davis overcame a 14-0 deficit to beat Portland State 27-26 and avoid what would have been a catastrophic loss. The Vikings were 0-2 in the Big Sky and 0-5 overall at the time. Larison had 133 rushing yards and 109 receiving, but it was Tompkins who made the play of the day for the Aggies.
Portland State led 26-21 with 1:50 to play after Tony Johnson’s punt pinned UC Davis at its 6-yard line. Hastings completed five passes for 70 yards as the Aggies reached the Portland State 11 with time for one last play. Time then became an issue after Hastings’ incomplete pass to the end zone.
The Aggies argued one second should be remaining as the Vikings celebrated what they believed was an upset win. One second was restored and Hastings fired an 11-yard pass to Tompkins at the goal line. The play was reviewed and ruled a touchdown because the ball had crossed the line.
That Tompkins was the target on the decisive play showed the Aggies do not have to rely solely on Larison. In fact, Tompkins has a team-high 44 receptions in the past seven games. With 46 catches for 412 yards, he should eclipse his single-season highs for receptions (49) and yards (430) in 2023.
Concerns about the durability of his knee have limited Tompkins’ rushing contribution to just three carries for 10 yards. He had 70 carries for 333 yards last season to rank second in both categories to Larison, who gained 1,101 yards on 178 carries despite missing three games with a knee injury.
Larison’s workload has increased in his senior season as the team leader in rushing attempts (232), rushing yards (1,173), receptions (54) and receiving yards (686). He has 17 touchdowns to lead the Big Sky, just as he did with 15 in 2023 when he was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year.
This season is the first since 2017 in which UC Davis has three players with at least 500 receiving yards – Larison, Samuel Gbatu, Jr. (538) and Chaz Davis (504). C.J. Hutton (458) could make it four. The three to reach 500 in 2017 were Keelan Doss (1,499), Wes Preece (568) and Aaron Moore (523).
