DAVIS, Calif. (AP) – Caden Pinnick threw for 266 yards and five touchdowns, leading UC Davis to a 47-20 victory over Rhode Island in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday night. The No. 8 seeded Aggies (9-2) advance to host unseeded illinois State, which upset No. 1 seed North Dakota State 29-28 earlier Saturday, in the quarterfinals.
Pinnick completed 16 of 28 passes and added 99 yards rushing on 15 carries. He connected with Zach Jones for two touchdowns. Jordan Fisher contributed 140 rushing yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run.
Rhode Island (11-3), the No. 9 seed, was led by Antwain Littleton Jr., who rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
UC Davis gained 141 yards to Rhode Island’s 38 in the first quarter but led only 3-0 after a missed 33-yard field goal attempt by Hunter Ridley.The Rams responded with an 80-yard drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Littleton on fourth-and-goal.
Littleton extended Rhode Island’s lead with a 63-yard touchdown run with 7:05 remaining in the second quarter. Five minutes later, Devin farrell found Marquis Buchanan for a 78-yard touchdown, giving URI a 20-11 advantage.
Pinnick threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 18 seconds left in the second quarter. After Rhode Island’s opening drive of the second half ended in a three-and-out, Fisher’s 50-yard touchdown run put UC Davis ahead 25-20 less than 2 1/2 minutes into the third quarter.
Pinnick later threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Ian Simpson following a fumble forced by Jackson Sievers and recovered by Nate Rutchena. Samuel Gbatu Jr., who finished with 121 receiving yards, caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Pinnick on the first play of the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 40-20.
Farrell completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Buchanan with 1:11 remaining to finalize the scoring.
