Hastings, Larison and Meyer lead UC Davis football — again — in victory at Southern Utah
Miles Hastings was sharp at quarterback, Lan Larison did more Lan Larison things at running back, and linebacker David Meyer saved the night again for UC Davis.
The FCS-ranked No. 15 Aggies needed every bit of those efforts from their team leaders in Cedar City on Saturday night to secure a 24-21 victory over Southern Utah in a nonconference game of 31-year-old football rivals.
Hastings completed 24 of 30 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard strike to the speedy Larison, who rushed 15 times for 89 yards and a score. A senior, Hastings had a quarterback rating of 169.8.
But it wasn’t until Meyer intercepted a pass to stall Southern Utah’s last drive with 25 seconds remaining that UCD and first-year coach Tim Plough were able to exhale and see its record improve to 2-1.
Meyer last week in the Aggies’ home opener sealed the 36-22 victory against Texas A&M Commerce with a 60-yard interception return to the end zone in the final minute. He had 15 tackles in that game and earned Big Sky Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. Meyer at Southern Utah had seven tackles. Kavir Bains led UCD with eight tackles.
UCD moved to 14-9 all-time against Southern Utah, including 6-6 in Cedar City. The first meeting between the programs was in 1993.
Larison is a preseason All-American runner with NFL draft potential because of his versatility, including catching the ball. He led the Aggies with seven receptions for 92 yards. A speed burner, Larison led the Big Sky Conference in rushing last season and earned Big Sky Offensive MVP honors.
UCD trailed 14-6 at the half and tied it 14-14 in the third quarter when Hastings found Winston Williams for a 10-yard scoring play, and then he hit Larison for the 2-point conversion pass. The Aggies took a 21-14 lead with 8:39 to play in the third when Hastings hooked up with Larison for the 60-yard play, one in which Larison reached behind him to snag the ball with one hand, and then he took off. Hunter Ridley extended it to 24-14 with 1:45 left in the third with a 23-yard field goal.
Targhee Lambson rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns for Southern Utah (1-2).
UCD on Sept. 21 hosts Utah Tech for Back to School Day.
