Our Huskies are 1-0 with another non-conference opponent up ahead. Like last week, I’m going to shatter all illusions about my knowledge of UC Davis’s program or their defense right now. Unlike some of our conference foes, UW doesn’t have much history with the Aggies for me to lean on for tendencies, personnel, or scheme, and when I mean we don’t have much history, I mean we don’t have any. Like Colorado State last week, in my brief research, I couldn’t find anything indicating that UW’s played UC Davis before.
Not only that, but as an FCS team, there isn’t a whole lot of coverage out there for me to source from. That doesn’t mean there aren’t things for you to keep an eye on when their defense is on the field, so I’ll try to point you all in the right direction to the best of my abilities.
For a bit of background, HC Tim Plough is in his second year with the Aggies after taking over the program from former Boise and Colorado HC Dan Hawkins. Plough’s squad has high expectations to meet after going 11-3 as the runner up in the Big Sky Conference, a run to the FCS Quarter Finals in his debut season, and finishing #5 in the end of season FCS polls. UC Davis’s only losses last year were to Cal (in a relatively close 31-13 game), FCS #2 Montana State, and FCS #4 South Dakota, so this is one of the better teams from an FCS conference that has a reputation for playing even P4 programs tough (yes… you all know what I’m referring to…).
The Scheme & Personnel
On the defensive side of the ball, the Aggies are led by DC Matt Coombs. A Bellevue HS alum and former assistant coach, Coombs’ history with UW actually goes a little deeper than just his hometown proximity to campus. Back in 2003, Coombs was actually a walk-on for the Huskies before eventually completing his college career at Yale. After his playing days wrapped up, Coombs rose through the coaching ranks, first at his HS alma mater, then as an assistant under Andy Avalos at Boise before Avalos took him to Oregon when he took the DC job in Eugene. Coombs has been at UC Davis since 2019 and was one of the hold overs from the Hawkins staff. He has a good reputation as a developmental coach that runs an active defense predicated on shifting coverages and team speed. From the game tape I could find, the Aggies appear to run their defense out of a 2-high shell that leans on Quarters coverage principles. They like to play their safeties shallow and get them involved in run fits.
This style of defense is well-suited for talent this year. Two players to keep an eye out for are twins Rex and Porter Connors. Rex was a 2024 AP FCS All-American last year at safety and Porter was a 2024 2nd Team All-Big Sky at LB. Both racked up an impressive stat line against Utah State last week in the Aggies’ season opener with a combined 25 tackles. Despite playing different positions, the Connors brothers fit the modern hybrid LB/DB mold. At ~6-0 and 210-225lbs with speed and physicality, they are the types of anti-spread space defenders that can be play makers in this type of active, team speed-oriented defense.
Keys to the Game
If I were the offensive staff, I be looking to continue building on last week’s strong offensive performance against Colorado State. We know that the rushing attack can be a strength of the offense, but the passing game still seems to be finding it’s groove. Generating more explosive plays in the passing attack, especially against teams that play 2-high shells and bring pressure like CSU, will be important once conference play starts. I’d bet UC Davis is going to utilize CSU’s gameplan in passing situations, so I’d be prepared with answers. If we find that the Aggies stick to their Quarters coverages, I’d look for guys like Raiden Vines-Bright and Dezmon Roebuck to take a prominent role in the offensive play calling. Fisch likes to punish Quarters coverage with vertical concepts featuring the slot matched up on a safety. Not only are Fisch’s preferred slot receivers speed match up nightmares against safeties, but by incorporating play action, Fisch can create massive vertical stress on the safeties because they often also have run fit responsibilities.
If we can continue to find ways to rack up yardage on the ground, get our slot receivers involved in the vertical passing game, and force the Aggies’ safeties out of their preferred coverage shells, we should be in a good position to light up the score board.
