COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Vandals welcome UC Davis, former Boise State coach Hawkins to Moscow

UC Davis at Idaho, today, noon

TV: Pluto channel 1060

Radio: 92.5 FM

Being ranked is a pretty big deal in Moscow.

The Idaho Vandals are ranked No. 19 in FCS this week by STATS Perform, after beating then-No. 12 Eastern Washington 28-21 on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mike Beaudry to Hayden Hatten in the final minute of the regular season and Big Sky Conference opener for both schools.

“Your ultimate goal is to get into the playoffs … that (being ranked) just gives you a better chance of that,” said Idaho coach Paul Petrino, whose Vandals play host to UC Davis today at the Kibbie Dome. “It definitely is good motivation and good for your players to see when you’re ranked.”

UC Davis has yet to play this season after having its opening game vs. Cal Poly postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The Aggies are receiving votes in the STATS Perform FCS national poll after finishing last season 5-7 overall, 3-5 in Big Sky play.

UC Davis will have a new quarterback and a new defensive coordinator, but return junior running back Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. In just two seasons at Davis, he’s sixth in school history with 2,225 rushing yards.

“They play fast, they throw the ball, they have a great running back, probably one of the best running backs in the conference the last few years, and they throw it to him,” Petrino said. “He’s special; he’s as good a running back as there is in the conference.”

Idaho’s Cade Coffey, a senior punter/placekicker from Lakeland High, was named Big Sky special teams player of the week last week, and teammate Tre Walker was named the conference defensive player of the week.

“It bodes well when you have offense, defense and special teams feeding off each other,” Coffey said. “That’s when you know when you have good leadership, to be honest, and a good team, and that’s when you can build off a really good win like that, when everyone’s in sync.”

Fourth-year UC Davis Dan Hawkins has coached against the Idaho Vandals in the Palouse before, but only once in the Kibbie Dome.

Hawkins was head coach of Boise State from 2001-05, and before that a Broncos assistant from 1998-2000.

In 1999 and 2001, the teams played in Pullman, as Idaho was trying to reach FBS attendance standards by playing in a larger stadium. Boise State won both times. In 2003, the Broncos won 24-10 at the Kibbie Dome.

In 1998, Hawkins was an assistant when Idaho won 36-35 at Boise State and then went on to win the Humanitarian Bowl on Boise’s turf.

UC Davis and Idaho last played in 2018 — Idaho’s first year back in the Big Sky Conference — with the Aggies winning 44-21 in Davis, Calif.