Mother Nature has final say as Aggie-Mercer game is halted by lightning

FCS Kickoff Classic declared "No Contest" midway through the fourth quarter

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Week Zero of the 2025 college football season turned out to be just that for UC Davis and Mercer due to persistent lightning strikes midway through the fourth quarter that caused the game to be declared "No Contest," with no winner Saturday night in the FCS Kickoff Classic in the Cramton Bowl.

At the time the game was called, the Aggies led, 23-17, and 7:46 was left in the fourth quarter. Mercer had the ball with a first down at the Aggie 48-yard line.

The delay lasted nearly 90 minutes before the game was called.

All game statistics are now voided.

The game was nationally televised by ESPN, a first for UC Davis.

According to UC Davis Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca, “The decision was made jointly by the two athletic directors after much discussion.

“It is possible late in the game to declare one team as the victor, but given that it was a one-score game and Mercer had the ball near midfield, that wasn’t going to happen.”

DeLuca added, “It’s a disappointing outcome for everybody to come all this way and not have a final decision. But on the positive side, we saw some really great plays and some emerging stars. Everybody is disappointed with the decision, but it’s been made and there’s a lot of football yet to be played.”

The Aggies jumped out to a 21-3 lead at the half and appeared ready to take home an easy victory, but Mercer staged a dramatic second-half rally to keep things interesting until the end.