UC Davis’ Tim Plough ready for first game as head coach at alma mater

DAVIS, Calif. (KTXL) – Tim Plough is UC Davis. His relationship with the university goes back 20 years to when he was a player (a quarterback).

“It’s no secret, the players definitely make fun of me for it. I’m not embarrassed to be moved to tears sometimes,” said Plough. “This place does that to me. So I’m sure I’ll be emotional, being able to be the head coach at a place I’ve always wanted to be at.”

He has officially been the head coach since December, when he was named the 18th head coach in UC Davis history.

It is his first time being a head coach.

“Honestly, just full transparency, I’m sure there’s a lot of things I’m gonna learn this year, that you have to learn the hard way,” said Plough. “You’re not gonna know it until you do it. I do think it’s important to be authentic as a coach.”

Not that Plough hasn’t been authentic as an assistant coach, at UC Davis and at other schools. And that includes at Cal, where he was last season coaching the tight ends.

His first game as a head coach on Saturday is at Cal.

“Going against Cal, a place I really, really respect and really loved my time there,” he said. “So, yeah, the task can be looked at as pretty daunting. I think it’s most important to focus on how well we play.

“You know, the one thing I do know is what it takes to win football games.”

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