Pinnick's 5 TD passes help UC Davis beat Rhode Island 47-20 in FCS playoffs

Audio By Carbonatix

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — Caden Pinnick threw two of his five touchdown passes to Zach Jones, Jordan Fisher had 140 yards rushing, which included a 50-yard touchdown run, and UC Davis beat Rhode Island 47-20 on Saturday night in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

No. 8 seed UC Davis (9-2) hosts unseeded Illinois State, which knocked off No. 1 seed North Dakota State 29-28 earlier Saturday, in the quarterfinals.

Pinnick was 16-of-28 passing for 266 yards and had 99 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Pinnick threw a 15-yard TD pass to Johnson with 18 seconds left in the second quarter and, after Rhode Island went three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half, Fisher’s touchdown run less 2 1/2 minutes into the third quarter to give the Aggies a 25-20 lead.

Antwain Littleton, Jr. had 123 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 16 carries for No. 9 seed Rhode Island (11-3).

UC Davis outgained the Rams 141-38 total yards in the first quarter but led just 3-0 after Hunter Ridley missed a 33-yard field-goal attempt on the first play of the second. Rhode Island responded with a nine-play, 80-yard drive that culminated when Littleton ran for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal.

Littleton ripped off a 63-yard scoring run with 7:05 left in the first half and Marquis Buchanan caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from Devin Farrell that gave URI a 20-11 lead about five minutes later.

Jackson Sievers forced a fumble by Connor Finer that was recovered by Nate Rutchena and two plays later Pinnick threw a 9-yard TD pass to Ian Simpson. Samuel Gbatu Jr., who finished with 121 yards receiving, caught a 27-yard scoring strike from Pinnick on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 40-20.

Farrell threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Buchanan to cap the scoring with 1:11 remaining.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football