After a tense final two minutes, Weber State University’s football team left the west coast with their fourth-straight win of the season against the University of California, Davis, beating the Aggies 17–12 on Sept. 23.

The Wildcats received the ball at the beginning of the game, but their possession didn’t last long. Lining up in shotgun formation, Weber State running back Josh Davis ran to the outside, where the ball was fumbled and recovered by UC Davis.

Starting in field-goal range, the Aggies couldn’t get past Weber State’s defense to land in the end zone. UC Davis tried to run up the middle on first down but was stopped at the line of scrimmage. The Aggies then handed the ball to Trent Tompkins for a 7-yard run. On the play, UC Davis starting center Connor Pettek went down with an injury and had to be replaced by junior teammate Peter Povey.

A yard short from a first down after a 2-yard throw, Aggie kicker Isaiah Gomez came onto the field to make a field goal from the 25-yard line, putting UC Davis up 3–0.

Back on the field for the first time since Davis’ fumble, Weber State struggled against the Aggies’ defense. The Wildcats made two crucial penalties during their possession, with receiver Jacob Sharp fumbling the ball and nearly turning it over on a 9-yard play.

Weber State punted the ball back to the Aggies after three plays. Starting from their own 27-yard line, UC Davis advanced to the Wildcats’ 32-yard line with a few plays and a 17-yard pass from quarterback Miles Hastings to C.J. Hutton.

Looking to expand on their lead, UC Davis failed to break past the Wildcats’ defense, forcing Gomez to attempt a 50-yard field goal. As Gomez’s kick was on its way, Weber State cornerback Maxwell Anderson tipped the ball, putting it outside of the goalposts and giving the Wildcats possession at their own 32-yard line.

Still down 3–0, quarterback Bronson Barron came onto the field determined to put points on the board for Weber State. Barron threw a total of 52-yards, including a pass that put Davis in the end zone. With a successful extra point attempt, the Wildcats were up 7–3.

The Aggies started their next possession with a 10-yard pass from Hastings to Lan Larison. However, Weber State’s defense forced UC Davis to punt after their next set of downs.

With the ball back, Barron started off the drive with an 8-yard pass to receiver Sharp. The quarterback then found receiver Ty MacPherson in the middle of the field for a 27-yard pass to put the Wildcats on the Aggies’ 40-yard line. Barron and MacPherson connected again for 18 yards, nearly putting Weber State in the red zone.

Starting from UC Davis’ 22-yard line, Dontae McMillan avoided a mess on the line of scrimmage and ran to the 6-yard line. After a sweep pass from Barron to Haze Hadley, McMillan ran the ball up the middle and into the end zone, putting the Wildcats up 14–3.

A 41-yard field goal from Gomez would make the score 14–6 before the end of the second half. Coming in with possession in the third quarter, the Aggies started strong with running back Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. carrying the ball up the sideline and battling with Wildcat safety Desmond Williams for a 33-yard gain.

At the Wildcats 31-yard line, the Aggies found themselves in fourth down with three yards to go. Despite being in field goal range, UC Davis attempted a pass to Gilliam up the side. Hastings’ pass flew over Gilliam’s head resulting in a turnover on downs.

Starting from their own 31-yard line, Barron found Sharp three times during the Wildcats’ possession, racking up 42 yards together. Coupled with a 26-yard run up the side from Davis, Weber State drove to the Aggies’ 6-yard line. Not taking the same risk as UC Davis had earlier, Weber State sent kicker Kyle Thompson out, who made a 23-yard attempt to put Weber State up 17–6.

With the ball at the 25-yard line, Hastings came on the field hungry for a UC Davis touchdown. The Aggies slowly worked their way up the field, relying on runs and small passes. With a new set of downs on the Wildcats’ 19-yard line, Hastings threw to an open Hutton, who ran into the end zone. A failed two-point conversion made the game 17–12.

Both teams entered a standstill after, with seven punts taking place after Hutton’s touchdown. With 2:22 left in the fourth quarter, Davis ran the ball up the middle, fumbling on a 2-yard drive. The ball was recovered by UC Davis linebacker Cole Hansen.

With the game now on the line, it was up to Weber State’s defense to secure the win. The Aggies started their possession 25-yards away from the end zone. After an 11-yard pass from Hastings to tight end McCallan Castles and a 1-yard pass to Hutton, Weber State called a timeout with 54 seconds remaining.

UC Davis stepped on to the 11-yard line on third down with 9 yards to go. Hastings threw a screen pass to Tompkins, which was pushed into the backfield for a loss of 4 yards. It was now fourth down with 13-yards to go for UC Davis.

Pressured in the pocket, Hastings threw the ball out into the end zone to Marque Collins, who couldn’t find the ball in the sea of Weber State defensive backs. The play resulted in a turnover on downs, allowing the Wildcats to kneel out the clock.

Barron ended the game with 201 yards, one touchdown and one interception, finding MacPherson for 70 yards and Sharp for 64. Josh Davis ended the game 100 yards and a touchdown catch with McMillan running for 52-yards and a touchdown.

Weber State’s next game will be at Stewart Stadium against Eastern Washington University on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m.