Despite a collegiate career-high four touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Kenyon Oblad, Dixie State could not keep up with UC Davis' high-powered offense as the No. 12-ranked Aggies ran away with a 60-27 victory on Saturday night at UC Davis Health Stadium. 

UC Davis (3-0) struck quickly with two Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. 1-yard touchdowns runs in the Aggies' first two possessions to bolt out to a 15-0 lead just over seven minutes into the game. UCD marched 71 yards on eight plays on its opening possession, then after a Trailblazer three-and-out, the Aggies went 60 yards in six plays on their way to a two-score lead after Gilliam Jr.'s second score and a two-point conversion.
 
After both sides swapped punts, Dixie State (0-3) countered with a pair of touchdowns on its next two possessions to get right back into the game. Aided by a crucial UCD penalty on third down, the Trailblazers cashed in the extra life when Oblad found Quali Conley out of the backfield, and the freshman followed a convoy into the end zone for an 8-yard catch and run to get DSU on the board.
 
DSU's defense came up with a key stop on the Aggies' ensuing possession, with linebacker Bradley Brown providing the big play with an 8-yard sack of UCD quarterback Hunter Rodrigues on second down. UCD failed to convert on third-and-long on its next play, which gave the ball right back to the Blazers.
 
Dixie State then went on a 15-play, 76-yard sustained drive over a six-plus minute span, which culminated when Oblad found a wide open Taylor Alvarez in the end zone from four yards out with 10:18 left in the second quarter. For Alvarez, it was his first collegiate touchdown reception after he moved from offensive line to tight end.
 
DSU went to for two to try and tie the game, but the pass failed, which left the Blazers trailing by just a 15-13 count. However Dixie State's newly found momentum would be short-lived as UC Davis scored 21 unanswered points over the final 10 minutes of the period en route to a 36-13 halftime advantage.  
 
Dixie State found the end zone twice in the third quarter to stay within striking distance. The Blazers' first score came on its second possession of the period, needing only three plays to cover 61 yards, with the big play coming on an Oblad to Malcolm Ross-Turner 35-yard hook-up.
 
Oblad pump faked and found a streaking Ross-Turner down the sideline, and the sophomore receiver did the rest as he spun out of one tackle and broke another on his way to the goal line. 

Then after a UCD field goal, Oblad picked up his fourth TD pass of the night on the final play of the quarter when he found a streaking David Fisher for a 26-yard scoring strike to make it a two-possession game at 39-27 with 15 minutes to play. 
 
Unfortunately for the Trailblazers, that would be their final points of the night as UC Davis struck for three fourth-quarter touchdowns to salt the win away.
 
Oblad, who made his first start as a Trailblazer, completed 32-of-58 of his attempts for 342 yards, while his four passing touchdowns bested his previous career-high total of three, which he recorded twice during his freshman year at UNLV in 2019. However the sophomore was intercepted five times, while the Aggie defense also sacked him six times. 
 
Dixie State finished with a season-high 442 yards of offense, which included a season-best 61 yards on nine carries for senior running back Drew Kannely-Robles. 

Senior receiver Jalen Powell also enjoyed a solid night as he recorded his third-career 100-yard receiving game, thanks to a career-high 13 catches for 107 yards. Powell just missed tying DSU's single game record of 14 receptions, which was set by Joe Don Duncan (vs. Western Oregon) in 2013. 
 
That said, one school record was reached on Saturday night as freshman defensive back Tyrell Grayson tied a school single game record with 19 total tackles, including 15 solo stops. It marked the second time this season that the freshman defender tallied double figures in tackles (13 vs. Sacramento State 9/4). 
 
UC Davis racked up 532 of total yards on the night, 380 of those yards came on the ground to go with six total rushing touchdowns. Gilliam Jr. finished with 178 yards on 26 carries and three scores to highlight the Aggies' offensive effort. 
 
Dixie State will enjoy a bye week next week before heading back out on the road to face 2020-21 FCS runner-up and current No. 3-ranked South Dakota State on Saturday, Oct. 2.