Sam Gbatu Jr. is the best bet to be the primary target whenever UC Davis throws the ball. Another wide receiver, Stacy Dobbins, would be second. Deciding who would be third is a difficult call between running back Jordan Fisher and one of the two tight ends, Mitchell Dixon or Ian Simpson.
Dixon is the only member of the group to have fewer than 20 receptions, so he would rank fifth with 18. Simpson is a distant third behind Gbatu (64) and Dobbins (48) with 29. Fisher is fourth with 23. Gbatu ranks first in receiving touchdowns with 11, two more than the other four players combined.
Redshirt freshman Caden Pinnick has completed passes to at least six players in every game this season. Seven have caught passes in seven games, eight in one and nine in two. Gbatu has caught at least one in 32 consecutive games. Simpson and Dobbins are both 12-of-12 this season.
All of this leads to one question. Why was Scott Nixon the primary target on third-and-goal at the Rhode Island 3 with UC Davis trailing 7-3 last Saturday? How did a junior transfer from Sacramento City College with four receptions for 40 yards this season become the go-to guy all of the sudden?
One of the lessons head coach Plough learned from Dan Hawkins before succeeding him last year was to find a role for each player. A rash of injuries this season has prompted Plough to rotate wide receivers more often to keep the starters healthy and provide the reserves with meaningful action.
Plough called a play on third-and-goal that usually has a tight end split left as the primary target for Pinnick. “But we thought, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be fun if we snuck Scott in there and tried to get him a touchdown,’” he said. “The team was really excited about that play. It was really a cool moment.”
Zach Jones has not had many cool moments this season even though the junior often joins Gbatu and Dobbins in three-receiver formations. Seven of Jones’ 13 receptions and his five touchdowns came in three games. The third game was last Saturday’s 47-26 victory against Rhode Island.
Jones scored twice against the Rams. His 15-yard catch capped a 10-play, 82-yard drive and cut Rhode Island’s lead to 20-18 at halftime. Jones also produced the Aggies’ last points with a 35-yard catch. Plough is determined to get Jones more involved so defenses respect him as a threat.
“We try to get him the ball every week. We’ve had some things set up for him, but the ball hasn’t found him,” Plough said. “He’s really grown the last year with his maturity and knowledge of the offense. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he hasn’t gotten the touches the last couple games.”
UC Davis will host Illinois State on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The teams met for the first time last December and the Aggies rolled to a 42-10 win with Miles Hastings throwing for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Lan Larison caught three passes for 87 yards and ran for 105.
Pinnick and Fisher were nearly as dynamic a duo against Rhode Island. Pinnick completed just 17 passes, his fewest in the past six games, but five went for touchdowns. Fisher ran for 140 yards and put the Aggies ahead to stay with a 50-yard touchdown dash in the third quarter.
