Sept. 16, 2002

DAVIS, Calif. - Running back Matt Massari, whose 237 yards rushing against Abilene Christian on Saturday night were the fifth-most for a single game in UC Davis history, was named offensive player of the week on Monday by D2Football.com and the Independent Football Alliance.

Massari, a 5-foot-8, 183-pound sophomore from Grass Valley, carried the ball 16 times in the Aggies' 34-17 win over the Wildcats at Toomey Field, scoring two touchdowns. He had a 2-yard plunge in the first quarter and an 89-yarder in the fourth, the latter which was the the third-longest longest in school history and the team's longest since 1990.

Massari also had runs of 24 and 16 yards during the win, which improved the Aggies' record to 1-1. He averaged 14.8 yards per carry, the best all-time among Aggies who have rushed for more than 200 yards in a game.

The Independent Football Alliance is an association of 11 NCAA Division II Independent Institutions consisting of the UC Davis, Gannon University, Lincoln University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, University of New Haven, North Greenville College, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Quincy University, Saint Joseph's College, Tiffin University, and Western New Mexico University. The IFA was created to help bring awareness to the independents. Players of the week are chosen as will an AllI-IFA team at the end of the season.

UC Davis returns to action on Saturday with a 6 p.m. game against North Dakota State.