DAVIS, Calif. - Quarterback Ricky Santos found wide receiver David Ball for a winning four-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining on Saturday night as seventh-ranked New Hampshire answered UC Davis' go-ahead score less than a minute earlier to post a 17-13 nonconference football win before 6,375 fans at Toomey Field.
UC Davis fell to 0-1 with the season-opening loss while the Wildcats, who advanced the NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinals last year, are 1-0. Santos threw for 336 yards and a touchdown to lead New Hampshire, countering Aggie signal-caller Jon Grant who had 301 passing yards and a touchdown.
New Hampshire's late score capped a frantic final four minutes which saw the Wildcats take a 10-6 lead on a six-yard touchdown run by running back John McCoy with 3:34 left followed by UC Davis responding on Brandon Rice's one-yard TD reception from Grant that gave the Aggies a 13-10 lead with 1:31 to play. Rice's score finished off an 11-play 85-yard drive for UC Davis that consumed just over two minutes, Kays had three catches for 51 yards in the series.
Ball caught three passes for 69 yards on the winning drive, including a 40-yarder from Santos that gave the Wildcats a first down at the Aggies' 29-yard line inside the final minute. Santos connected with Ball for a 25-yard gain to the 4 two plays later and then hauled in the winning TD on a four-yard score with 35 seconds to play.
Tony Kays posted career-highs with 12 catches and 135 yards while Ball had nine grabs for 137 yards. Free safety Jeff Pammer had 18 tackles to lead the New Hamsphire defense while cornerback Kyle Tarp had eight tackles and an interception for the Aggies. Cornerback Nevan Bergan had a pair of interceptions for UC Davis.
Santos completed 32 of 47 passes while Grant had 26 completions in 44 attempts. Both were intercepted three times.
"The frustration is the kids played so hard, the defense kept us in it and they made some big plays," said Biggs.
UC Davis opened the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run by Nelson Doris just over three minutes into the game, capping a 10-play, 74-yard opening drive. However, Matt Locklin's extra-point attempt was missed and the Aggies took a 6-0 lead which they held until Connor McCormick made a 24-yard field goal for New Hampshire with 6:18 left in the third quarter. The score remained that way until the wild closing minutes.
The teams combined for nine turnovers, five by UC Davis. Both teams also saw golden opportunities to score in the first half get halted by turnovers in the end zone as well. McCoy fumbled at the 1 in the first quarter while Grant was picked off by linebacker Alan Tallman in the end zone in the second.
UC Davis finished with a 438-417 advantage in total offense, including 124 rushing yards. Alex Garfio led the Aggies' running attack with 62 yards on 14 carries. McCoy finished with 92 yards on 13 carries, including a 50-yard scamper in the first half.
The Aggies return to action next Saturday, hosting Portland State at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcsat by Comcast SportsNet.
