Miles Hastings ranks second among FCS quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdowns passes this season. And since the leader in each category does not play for a Big Sky Conference team as Hastings does at UC Davis, how could the senior not be a first-team pick in the All-Big Sky voting?
Hastings was a first-team selection as a sophomore in 2022 after leading the conference in passing yards (3,048) and being fourth in touchdown passes (20). A case could have been made for Idaho’s Gevani McCoy after he led the Big Sky in touchdowns with 27 and was third in yards with 2,719.
In Idaho’s 44-26 loss to UC Davis, McCoy clearly outplayed Hastings with 344 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Vandals had to have McCoy to stand any chance. Hastings handed off the ball 31 times more than he threw it (19) with the Aggies running for 262 yards and five touchdowns.
McCoy got his due last season by making the first team after leading the Big Sky in passing yards with 2,910 and being fifth in touchdowns (15). The surprise was Montana State’s Tommy Mellott being voted to the second team and Eastern Washington’s Kekoa Visperas receiving just a honorable mention.
Visperas was first in touchdowns (19) and second in yards (2,754). His passing statistics were more than Mellott’s combined total of 1,753 yards (1,064 passing and 689 rushing) and touchdowns (15). Hastings was left out despite having a higher total in passing alone with 2,380 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Mellott benefited again from his rushing numbers when he was named Wednesday as the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year. That automatically made him the first-team selection at quarterback. As with McCoy in 2022, Hastings had ample evidence to make a compelling case for the first team.
Hastings leads the Big Sky in passing yards with 3,745, nearly 700 more than any other player. He also leads in touchdown passes with 32. The runner-up is Sacramento State’s Carson Conklin (28). Hastings’ rushing numbers are not worth mentioning after being sacked 24 times to lose 172 yards.
His rushing touchdown Oct. 5 at Portland State is noteworthy because not only was it the first of his career, but it also means he has accounted for many touchdowns (33) as Mellott this year. With all due respect to Mellott, the value of his versatility should not be a factor in all-conference voting.
Mellott has 1,956 passing yards and 640 rushing, so his total of 2,596 leaves him short of Hastings by nearly 1,000 yards if all the yards Hastings lost on sacks are subtracted from his passing total. Mellott has thrown for 200 or more yards in four games. Hastings has done it in all 12 for UC Davis.
What should have been considered was Hastings’ performance against Mellott in Montana State’s 30-28 win over UC Davis on Nov. 15. Mellott passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Hastings had 170 yards and three touchdowns in the final 10:42 as the Aggies rallied from a 22-point deficit.
Hastings was at his best when his teammates needed him to be that good. Not only did he rise to the occasion, but he also heeded Roy McAvoy’s advice in the 1996 movie “Tin Cup” to “define the moment or the moment defines you.” Hastings could fill a dictionary with moments he has defined.
Head coach Tim Plough was the Aggies offensive coordinator in 2019 when he recruited Hastings, who redshirted in 2019 when Jake Maier concluded his career at UC Davis by throwing for 3,563 yards and 28 touchdowns. Maier was a second-team selection in the All-Big Sky voting as a senior.
Maier was the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 when he threw for 3,931 yards and 34 touchdowns. Hastings will likely surpass those numbers Nov. 7 when the Aggies host Illinois State in an FCS playoff game. There will be moments in that game to be defined. Hastings will be ready.
