UC Davis tops San Jose State 44-38 in first FCS-FBS upset

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Jake Maier threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns and UC Davis beat San Jose State 44-38 on Thursday night for the first FCS-FBS upset of the season.

On the first play of the second half, UC Davis extended its lead to 16 points with its first safety since 2016.

SJSU pulled within 37-31 on the last play of the third quarter as Bailey Gaither raced for a 79-yard catch-and-run touchdown up the middle. But UC Davis answered with a six-play, 65-yard scoring drive, culminating in Ulonzo Gilliam's 18-yard touchdown catch.

SJSU went on an 80-yard drive to make it 44-38 with 1:24 left, but UC Davis ran out the clock.

Maier, last season's Big Sky newcomer of the year, completed 25 of 34 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Gilliam added two rushing TDs in the opening half. UCD outscored SJSU 21-7 in the second quarter for a 35-21 halftime lead.

Keelan Doss, last year's Walter Payton Award national finalist, caught 11 passes for 85 yards for UC Davis. Gilliam became the ninth Aggie to score three touchdowns in a single game.

SJSU running back Tyler Nevens, who scored two touchdowns, was taken off the field in a stretcher after a helmet-to-helmet collision.