Lan Larison is such a great athlete, even though he’s a former rodeo steer wrestling state champion — which means he essentially tackles steers — he also doubles as the best running back in the Big Sky Conference and essentially plays the role of football’s version of the steer.
It wouldn’t be fair, in Larison’s mind it seems, for him to play linebacker or some other defensive position and put his bull-dogging skills to use. No, he’s going to give the other players a chance and play the bull-doggee, not the bull-dogger.
This Saturday evening, Larison gets to re-test his deft ability to avoid tacklers in the matchup of the year in the Big Sky Conference when second-ranked Montana State invades UC Davis Health Stadium. Both teams enter the game with perfect 6-0 league records. The game will determine the BSC auto-bid to the FCS playoffs and allot at least a share of the conference title to the winner.
Offensively, Aggie’ head coach Tim Plough says it all starts with Larison.
“We gotta be really creative figuring out ways to move the football,” Plough said. “For us that starts with Lan. We gotta find ways to get Lan going and find unique ways to do that.”

Larison has been the bell cow of the No. 4 UC Davis offensive attack for two years. He came into the 2024 season with the Big Sky’s preseason offensive player of the year tag and he hasn’t disappointed. His 1,011 rushing yards are second in the BSC, and his 10 rushing touchdowns rank fourth.
“He’s got weapons,” MSU head coach Brent Vigen said when assessing Aggie’ quarterback Miles Hastings. “Led by Lan Larison. Fifteen hundred total yards right now. Sixteen touchdowns. Over 40 catches, so he’s got over 250 touches. Our highest is Scottre (Humphrey) with 158 carries, so that’s a significant difference on how they’re leaning on him.”
Larison has even thrown the ball six times this season. He’s completed four for 41 yards but has also thrown an interception. He’s second in the country with 1,638 yards from scrimmage and has touched the ball 255 times, second-most in the FCS.
“Just finding different ways to get him involved and he’ll line up at wildcat; he’s thrown the ball a few times,” Vigen said. “He’s really an effective guy in so many different ways. He can run between the tackles, but he’s most dangerous when they do get him in space and they do that through the running game and quite often through the pass game as well.”
Larison has been a terror out of the backfield as a receiver, often lining up split out wide. He ranks tenth in the BSC in receptions. He has 46 catches for 577 yards and six touchdowns. His 16 total touchdowns and one two-point conversion make him the league-leader in scoring with 98 points.
Last week, despite a concerted effort by Montana to wipe him out, Larison spearheaded the Aggies to a key 30-14 win over Montana. He ran for 97 yards on 24 carries and caught six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown that gave UC Davis a 27-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

A year ago, he suffered a leg injury early in the season and it put a big dent in the Aggies’ hopes of winning the league and making the FCS playoffs. After he returned, UCD ripped off four wins in five games, including a 31-21 win over rival Sacramento State – a game they led comfortably from start to finish – and would see the Hornets score a late, seemingly meaningless touchdown. That score, however, may have been the deciding factor in the Hornets getting the nod over the Aggies for one of the last spots in the playoff field.
Larison would finish the 2023 season with an average of 137.6 yards rushing per game. That number led the Big Sky by a whopping 41.3 yards per game. His 13 touchdowns were second, despite missing 3-plus games. He earned Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year honors and was a first-team All-Big Sky selection for his efforts.
The Bobcats have seen Larison in action before as he was the backup to the Aggies’ previous star running back Ulonzo Gilliam, Jr. in 2022 in an ESPN2 late-night game. That night, Larison ran for 60 yards on just eight carries. Larison was not only overshadowed by Gilliam, Jr.’s 127 yards rushing, but also by MSU quarterback Sean Chambers’ 200-200 night as he connected for 227 yards and two touchdowns and 203 yards and three more scores.
Larison and the Aggies will face the Bobcats at 5:00 local time Saturday night in Davis, Calif.