TULSA, Okla. — Isaiah Gomez kicked two of his four field goals in the fourth quarter, and UC Davis, an FCS school, stunned Tulsa 19-17 in a nonconference season opener on Thursday night.
The Golden Hurricane closed as 22-point favorites at Caesar Sportsbook, making it the largest upset defeat for Tulsa in the past 40 years, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
UC Davis took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in 11 plays with Hunter Rodrigues hitting McCallan Castles for a 12-yard score and a 7-0 lead. The Golden Hurricane answered with a Zack Long 41-yard field goal with 2 minutes, 5 seconds left in the first quarter and Steven Anderson‘s 1-yard TD run with 4:45 left in the half to take a 10-7 lead.
Gomez kicked his first field goal of the day, a career-long 44-yarder, on the last play of the half to knot the score at 10.
Gomez gave the Aggies a 13-10 lead with a 22-yard field goal with 8:13 left in the third quarter. Tulsa regained the lead on Deneric Prince‘s 59-yard TD run to take a 17-13 lead into the final quarter. But the UC Davis defense stiffened and Gomez did the rest, kicking a 26-yard field goal with 11:09 remaining and adding the game-winner from 22 yards out with 7:35 left to play.
Rodrigues completed 28 of 35 passes for 311 yards, and Jared Harrell had eight receptions for 136 yards. The Aggies, known for their rushing attack, managed just 88 yards on 46 carries.
Davis Brin completed 15 of 28 passes for 201 yards with two interceptions for the Golden Hurricane — runners-up in the American Athletic Conference last season. Prince finished with 151 yards on 14 carries, while Shamari Brooks rushed 10 times for 80 yards. Tulsa began its 125th football season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
