Choosing between the UC Davis-Weber State and Sacramento State-Cal Poly games on Saturday will be a difficult decision for Vacaville High football fans. Weber State has two former Bulldogs in Jacob Edmonds and Daniel Wright. Cal Poly has one in Michael Briscoe. Flipping a coin is advised.
Edmonds starts at guard and Wright is the running backs coach for the Wildcats. Briscoe is a wide receiver for the Mustangs and was a first-team selection to the All-Big Sky Conference preseason team. The redshirt senior has 20 receptions for 428 yards and seven touchdowns for Cal Poly (2-2).
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Briscoe is second among FCS receivers in touchdown receptions and fifth in receiving yards. He is one of six players in the top 10 for receiving yards with 20 or fewer receptions. Briscoe averaged more than 20 yards per reception in each of the past three seasons and is averaging 21.4 this season.
Briscoe had just one catch for 30 yards last Nov. 16 in San Luis Obispo as Cal Poly snapped a four-game losing skid to Sacramento State with a 26-23 victory. The Mustangs lost 41-30 in 2023 despite Briscoe having three catches for 124 yards with touchdowns of 29 and 52 yards.
Sacramento State will see a few familiar faces across the line of scrimmage on Saturday. Cal Poly will need a roster to figure out who is on the field for Sacramento State. The Hornets have a new head coach in Brennan Marion, who overhauled the roster with 50 players from the transfer portal.
Seven transfers accounted for all of the Hornets scoring in a 45-16 win over Central Arkansas last Saturday. Cardell Williams (Tulsa) threw a a touchdown pass to Sam Adams II (Washington) and ran for two touchdowns. Damian Henderson II (Colorado State) ran for 137 yards on just 15 carries.
Henderson’s 85-yard touchdown dash capped a 21-point first quarter for Sacramento State. which led 28-6 at halftime and then scored the first 10 points in the third quarter. The Hornets ran for 262 yards and four touchdowns after having 349 and five scores Sept. 13 in beating Mercyhurst 49-28.
UC Davis did not have it as easy last Saturday in its home opener against Southern Utah. A record crowd of 17,217 roared as the Aggies took a 14-0 in the first quarter, but the Thunderbirds rallied to trail 22-20 at halftime. UC Davis managed to pull away in the second half for a 50-34 win.
Southern Utah had an opportunity to stay close after UC Davis took a 36-27 lead in the third quarter. The Thunderbirds faced second-and-10 at the UC Davis 12 when Jacob Psyk sacked quarterback Bronson Barron and forced a fumble that Jackson Sievers recovered for the Aggies.
The turnover was turned into a touchdown eight plays and 83 yards later. Carter Vargas dashed 23 yards for his first college score. The redshirt freshman added his second on a 47-yard run with 9:29 to play. Vargas finished with 136 yards on just six carries, but he was not the team’s leading rusher.
Jordan Fisher earned that honor by running for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns. The junior broke loose on the first play of the third quarter and bolted 85 yards for a touchdown. Fisher and Vargas became the first UC Davis duo to each run for 100 yards in the same game since 2012.
UC Davis finished with 357 rushing yards for its highest total since gaining 380 against Dixie State (which is now Utah Tech) in 2021. The school record of 396 was set in 1993. Fisher did not have a 100-yard rushing game in his career until he ran for 105 in a 31-24 win at Utah Tech on Aug. 30.
Fans are just getting acquainted with Vargas and Psyk, a graduate transfer from Harvard. Psyk was named co-Defensive Player of the Week in the Big Sky after having a career-high seven tackles, including two sacks and three stops for losses, and forcing two fumbles against Southern Utah.
Utah Tech and Southern Utah will join the Big Sky in 2026, giving the conference 11 full members. UC Davis will remain a Big Sky affiliate member in football when the Aggies join the Mountain West Conference in 2026 for all other sports.
