The annual matchup with Cal Poly — dubbed the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe — is not just another game for the UC Davis football team.

The matchup features two schools that are close to each other geographically and not too far apart in terms of athletics and academics, and because of this, the Aggies and Mustangs are quite familiar with one another. Many of the guys who played in Saturday’s 24-17 UCD victory at Aggie Stadium have faced each other since high school and were recruited by both colleges. For the seniors on the both sides, this is the fourth time in their careers that the teams, which run distinct systems that don’t change much year to year, have met.

“I was recruited by Cal Poly a little, but I’m sure (other Aggies) were,” said UCD defensive end Bobby Erskine, who had 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack and forced a fumble, in the victory. “We’re all playing each other like we know each other.”

On Saturday, the Aggies’ defense looked very familiar with the Cal Poly offense, reading correctly on the Mustangs’ triple option hand-offs and pitches nearly every time.

Cal Poly picked up just 2.6 yards per rush and finished with 174 yards on the ground, well shy of its 250 yards per game average. Leading rusher Jake Romanelli, the Mustang fullback who picks up most of his yards on dives up the gut, was held to 51 yards on Saturday, 40 below his average.

But while the UCD players surely used some of the knowledge they had gained from competing against Cal Poly in previous years, they also had a secret weapon: their own scout team.

“We spent a lot of time practicing what they did,” said safety Kevyn Lewis, a junior who hasn’t lost to the Mustangs in his three years with the Aggies. “Our scout offense got it down so we were practicing against that offense the whole week, so when it came to Saturday we played five days of that defense already.”

“In order to beat that offense we knew we had to play with speed, and this defense is fast, so we came out and played really fast.”

Lewis finished with 11 tackles, seven of them solo stops, to lead UCD. Linebackers Jordan Glass (10 tackles) and Reece Ludwig (nine), along with defensive lineman Tommy Grillo, who had eight stops including 2.5 sacks, also were key to the Aggies defensive dominance.

And in keeping with the theory that the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe is more than just another game, UCD head coach Bob Biggs said he got the scout team prepared as early as possible to mimic Cal Poly’s attack.

“I thought we played outstanding defense,” Biggs said after the Aggies improved to 3-6 overall with Saturday’s win. “I give a lot of credit to our scout team. Even during the Southern Utah week we found some (practice) periods just to introduce the Cal Poly offense to our scout team so they would have it down by Tuesday.

“We don’t practice in pads three days a week, but we did this week in preparation for all the cutting Cal Poly does in its offense and it paid off.

“Our guys were completely locked in to their assignments. We did a great job with the fullback and a great job with the pitch.”

— Reach Chris Saur at [email protected] or (530) 747-8049

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UCD’s Dre Allen upends Cal Poly running back Deonte Williams in the first half of the Aggies’ 24-17 Golden Horseshoe victory on Saturday. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo

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