������Ƶ

Updated 10:30 a.m. Nov. 18: Aggie Stadium missed out on hosting the Causeway Classic, Saturday (Nov. 17), after officials moved the game to Reno to escape the wildfire smoke in the Davis-Sacramento region.

MORE WEEKEND ATHLETICS

— The No. 2 seed Aggies came up two goals short in the final of the Western Water Polo Association’s championship tournament, Sunday (Nov. 18), falling 11-10 to No. 1 seed UC San Diego and losing out on the association’s automatic berth in the NCAA Championship. ������Ƶ, winner of the WWPA tournament in 2016 and ’17, finished the season 18-8.

— The Aggies split a pair of games in the Northwest, winning their first game of the preseason, 75-62, at Washington State on Sunday, after falling to Portland State, 65-50, Friday (Nov. 16). The 1-3 Aggies host Southern Utah at 5 p.m. Friday (Nov. 23).

— The Aggies split a pair of preseason games in Texas, winning in overtime, 57-54, against Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, on Saturday (Nov. 17), before falling to Texas Arlington, 68-59, on Sunday. The 1-4 Aggies play in the Causeway Classic against Sacramento State, 7:05 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 20), at the Golden 1 Center.

But, at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, Aggie Stadium will host an even bigger game: ������Ƶ’ first-ever appearance in the . After having a bye in the first round, the No. 6-seeded Aggies will host the winner of a first-round game between the following:

• Lamar Cardinals of Beaumont, Texas — 6-3 in the Southeast Conference (finishing in third place) and 7-4 overall.
• Northern Iowa Panthers of Cedar Falls — 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference (finishing in a tie for third place) and 6-5 overall.

They will square off at 2 p.m. PST Saturday (Nov. 24) at Northern Iowa.

In the 65th annual Causeway Classic (and the first “Reno Classic”), the Aggies defeated the Sacramento State Hornets, 56-13. The win gave the Aggies (7-1, 9-2 overall) a share of the Big Sky Conference championship — the program’s first Big Sky title and first conference championship since winning the Great West in 2009.

The FCS Committee announced the playoff bracket in a nationally televised show Sunday morning (Nov. 18). The Aggie football team and their fans filled the ARC Ballroom for a watch party — and, during that party, ESPNU conducted a live interview with coach Dan Hawkins.

Playoff teams will continue playing at campus sites until the national championship game, Saturday, Jan. 5, at Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas.

FCS playoff game

������Ƶ Aggies vs. Lamar Cardinals or Northern Iowa Panthers

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 1, kickoff 4 p.m. PST

WHERE:

TICKETS:

•  
• Phone — 530-752-2471
• In person — The ticket office, at the north end of , will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 19-21; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday, Nov. 25-Nov. 30; and starting at 10 a.m. on game day, Dec. 1.

Prices start at $10. Children under 2 admitted free.

FREE ADMISSION FOR STUDENTS: Pick up your tickets (one per student with ID), in person, at the ticket office, starting Monday, Nov. 26, the day the campus is scheduled to reopen.

STREAMING:

---

Updated 3:30 p.m. Nov. 17: The ������Ƶ Aggies won the 65th annual Causeway Classic (and first “Reno Classic”) Saturday (Nov. 17), and, by doing so, they are co-champions of the Big Sky Conference — winning their first-ever share of the title since joining the league in 2012 and their first conference title since winning the Great West in 2009.

On top of that, they are almost certainly headed to their first appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision national playoffs since moving up to Division I in 2007.

FCS SELECTION SHOW

WHEN: 9:30 a.m. PST Sunday, Nov. 18

WHERE

JOIN OUR WATCH PARTY: , doors open at 9 a.m. Free admission.

������Ƶ, No. 9 in the STATS FCS Poll, shares the conference title with No. 3 Weber State and No. 4 Eastern Washington University — all with 7-1 records. Weber State earned its share of the title with a 26-13 win over Idaho State today, while Eastern Washington earned its share of the title with a 74-23 win over Portland State Friday night (Nov. 16).

The Aggies put an exclamation point on their Big Sky season with a 56-13 win over their rivals from across the causeway, the Sacramento State Hornets. Because of wildfire smoke in the Davis-Sacramento region, this Causeway Classic took place far from the causeway. The teams stayed on Interstate 80, though, going up to Mackay Stadium at the University of Nevada, Reno.

After their celebration today, the Aggies — and the rest of us — must wait until Sunday (Nov. 18) to learn about the playoffs. Weber State takes the Big Sky's automatic berth (because Weber State beat Eastern Washington, and Eastern Washington beat ������Ƶ).

Still, in a ranking released three weeks ago, the NCAA’s FCS Committee put ������Ƶ in the third position — indicating the Aggies are likely to end up in the playoffs. The FCS Committee will announce the bracket in a live presentation starting at 9:30 a.m. PST on ESPNU television and . Aggie fans are invited to come to a watch party: Doors open at 9 a.m. at the . Free admission.

Twenty-four teams will be in the playoffs. All games will be played at campus sites until the championship game, Saturday, Jan. 5, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

The top-eight-seed teams will receive first-round byes and host second-round games against the winners of the first round of eight games. The Aggies — with the potential of having a first-round bye or playing a first-round game on Saturday, Nov. 24 — have put in a bid to host that game and a second-round game, Saturday, Dec. 1.

Anticipating Aggie Stadium’s selection as a venue for Nov. 24 and-or Dec. 1, ������Ƶ will start selling tickets for both games at 10 a.m. Monday (Nov. 19). Students will be admitted free.

---

Updated 10 a.m. Nov. 16: The Causeway Classic football game is headed east, across the causeway and past Sacramento, staying on Interstate 80 all the way to the University of Nevada, Reno, to escape the smoky air in the Davis-Sacramento region. The 65th annual classic between the Aggies and the Sacramento State Hornets was to have been played at Aggie Stadium at noon Saturday (Nov. 17). The game is still on for Saturday, and kickoff is still at noon, but will be played at Mackay Stadium.

Besides being the Causeway Classic, the game has extra significance for the Aggies, who are having their best season ever since moving up to Division I in 2007. The Aggies are tied for first place in the Big Sky Conference as they head into Saturday’s game, which is their last regular-season game, and are vying for a berth in the national playoffs.

Tickets you already have for Saturday’s game will be honored at Mackay Stadium. Students get in free. No concession stands will be open. See below for other details, including driving directions and map to free parking, and how to follow the game if you are not going.

---

On Nov. 5, ������Ƶ jumped over its conference rival Eastern Washington University in the STATS FCS national poll. Five days later, those same two teams — the No. 4 Aggies and the No. 5 Eagles — went up against each other on the field in Cheney, Washington.

WHO WON THE BLOOD DRIVE?

The Causeway Classic Blood Drive results are in: ������Ƶ is the victor for the third consecutive year, taking a 7-4 lead in the series.

Vitalant, previously BloodSource, reported the final tally as follows: 1,105 participants for ������Ƶ and 1,062 for Sacramento State. The blood bank tallied the number of people who turned out during three-day blood draws on each campus, as well as the number of people who specified their donations for either of the schools when giving blood at Vitalant donation centers or other blood draws from Oct. 22 to Nov. 9.

From all those participants, the blood bank collected more than 1,650 pints of blood. “While ������Ƶ won the competition title, it is the patients who are the true winners of this competition,” said Heather Sharp of Vitalant.

She said Alpha Phi Omega-Iota Phi, a co-ed community service fraternity, was the winner of the $500 prize offered to ������Ƶ registered student organizations that assisted with the blood drive on the Quad. Members of those organizations worked a total of 183 volunteer shifts during the blood drive held Nov. 6-8.

In this week’s , EWU moved up to No. 4 and ������Ƶ slipped to No. 9 as both vie for the national playoffs.

But first things first, like the last weekend of regular-season play (the Aggies are in the Causeway Classic) and who’s going to win the Big Sky Conference championship (the Aggies are tied for first place).

CAUSEWAY CLASSIC — It’s the 65th annual, this Saturday (Nov. 17), ������Ƶ vs. Sacramento State, noon kickoff, Aggie Stadium. Ticket information and other game details below.

The Aggies are having their best season ever since moving up to Division I in 2007.

The 2018 campaign began with wins at San Jose State (which competes in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision) and San Diego — after which the Aggies broke into the top-25 national rankings for the first time as a Division I program, debuting at No. 23 in the STATS FCS Poll released Sept. 10.

������Ƶ lost Sept. 15 at Stanford, but, most likely because the Aggies put in a strong effort against the Division I FBS program, they moved up in the poll to 21st.

Then came a six-game winning streak over seven weeks (including a bye week), and the  Aggies kept climbing:

• Sept. 24 — 19th
• Oct. 1 — 16th
• Oct. 8 — 14th
• Oct. 15 — 10th
• Oct. 22 — 6th
• Nov. 5 — 4th

The NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision Committee issued its own rankings Oct. 31 ­— a top-10 listing with ������Ƶ No. 3. The committee’s next rankings will be reflected in its Selection Sunday (Nov. 18) announcement of the bracket for the national playoffs.

Twenty-four teams will make the cut; the top eight receive first-round byes while the other 16 will play one another for a chance to advance to the second round against the top eight teams.

MORE ATHLETICS RESULTS

• Women’s basketball:
• Men’s soccer:

BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP — With their loss last weekend, the Aggies fell into a three-way tie with Eastern Washington and Weber State for first place in the conference. Each is 6-1 in the conference (8-2 overall), and each controls its own destiny in regard to claiming at least a share of the Big Sky title.

While ������Ƶ takes on Sacramento State to end the regular season, EWU will play at Portland State and Weber State will play at Idaho State. If ������Ƶ, EWU and Weber State all win, they will share the championship. If only two of them win, they will share the title. If only one wins, that team will have the title all alone (and the conference’s automatic berth in the national playoffs).

So, get ready for some scoreboard watching this weekend: EWU plays Friday night (Nov. 16), while the Weber State game will start at 1:30 p.m. PST — 1½ hours after the Causeway Classic kickoff.

65th annual Causeway Classic ... in Reno

������Ƶ Aggies vs. Sacramento State Hornets

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 17

WHERE: Mackay Stadium, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno

GATES OPEN: 11 a.m. (Gate 1 is the main entrance for the Causeway Classic)

KICKOFF: Noon

NO CONCESSION STANDS WILL BE OPEN: Nevada Athletics staff will allow outside food and beverages (but no glass containers).

PARKING: Free in West Stadium Parking Garage next to the stadium. Accessible parking is available on the fifth level, which leads to accessible seating.

ADMISSION

• ������Ƶ and Sacramento State students admitted free.
• Tickets purchased for the game at Aggie Stadium will be honored at Mackay Stadium. A suggested donation of $5 will be accepted at the gates from people who did not purchase tickets in advance, with all donations to go to the American Red Cross to support its Camp Fire recovery efforts. All seating is general admission.
• Director of Athletics Kevin Blue addressed questions about ticket refunds, saying in a , “Ticket office & ������Ƶ campus closed today due to very unhealthy AQI. We are working through options & will be able to assist everyone early next week. Thx for patience & support as we navigate challenge of relocating game.”

RADIO: Sports 1140 KHTK radio over the air (AM) or

: Live stats and highlights.

TELEVISION: , available on DIRECTV (Channel 623), AT&T U-verse (1665) and Verizon Fios (597); and some streaming services. (245) also will carry the Eleven Sports broadcast.

Follow Dateline ������Ƶ on Twitter.