Sept. 1, 2005
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
GAME 1
SEPTEMBER 3, 2005
UC DAVIS VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE
6 PM - TOOMEY FIELD
OPENING KICKOFF
UC Davis begins its 87th season of football this Saturday - and what's scheduled to be its final one at venerable Toomey Field - when the Aggies face New Hampshire, the first of four opponents ranked in preseason I-AA polls... The Wildcats are No.7 by The Sports Network and No. 8 by ESPN/USA Today... Other ranked opponents include Eastern Washington (4/4), Cal Poly (17/17) and North Dakota State (22/22)... UC Davis received votes in both polls... The Aggies are 39-42-5 in all-time season openers, including a 9-6 mark since 1990... They're also 7-5 in openers under 13th-year head coach Bob Biggs... UC Davis is also working to extend a streak of 35 consecutive winning seasons.
SERIES
This is the first meeting between New Hampshire and UC Davis... However, the Aggies are 3-2 against teams with "New" in their name: (2-0 vs. New Mexico Highlands; 1-2 vs. New Haven)... New Hampshire is the furthest-most eastern institution UC Davis has ever played, just a bit more east than UMass and New Haven.
RADIO
All UC Davis games can be heard on KTHK (Sports 1140AM) for the 10th consecutive season... Steve Buzzard (play-by-play), Doug Kelly (color) and Scott Marsh (sidelines, studio) headline the veteran crew... KHTK is also the home of the weekly "Bob Biggs Show" which can be heard on Thursdays during the 7 p.m. hour of the Jim Kozimor Showgram... Games can also be heard on KDVS (90.3 FM) student radio with Andrew Tomsky (play-by-play), Josh Koehn (color) and Angela DaPrato (sidelines) calling the action... Games can also be heard live on the internet at www.UCDavisAggies.com.
TELEVISION
For the second consecutive season, UC Davis will have home games televised on Comcast SportsNet... The regional sports network will televise the Aggies' games against Portland State on Sept. 10 and Cal Poly on Oct. 29... Last season, Comcast SportsNet televised UC Davis home games against Sacramento State and North Dakota State as well as selected men's and women's basketball and baseball contests.
TICKETS
Tickets for all Aggie home games can be purchased at Toomey Field prior to the game or in advance at the UC Davis Ticket Office (530/752-1915)... Reserved seats are $15, general admission are $10, seniors (55+) are $7, and UC Davis undergraduates and children under 5 are free... Group tickets and season ticket packages are also available.
WHAT'S IN A NAME
With the transition to Division I comes more attention from national media and, as a result, more media outlets referring to UC Davis in a number of different manners. Simply, the university is either "UC Davis" or "University of California, Davis"... Incorrect references we have seen in media outlets: California-Davis, Cal-Davis, U.C. Davis, Cal St. Davis, Davis State and U.C.-Davis... The Aggies thank you for helping them make a new name for themselves on the field only.
A LOOK AT THE HEAD COACHES
UNH head coach Sean McDonnell is in his seventh year with the Wildcats and owns a 33-36 overall record... He was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year last year after leading UNH to a 10-3 record and their first-ever I-AA playoff victory... UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs (UC Davis '73) owns a 102-38-1 record entering his 13th year at the helm of the Aggies... Biggs earned his 100th career win last year when the Aggies beat Northern Colorado 30-20... He is the second-winningest coach in the history of the program, trailing only Jim Sochor (1970-88) who had 156 victories... Biggs is 55-14-1 (.727) at Toomey Field, 35-21-0 (.625) against Div. I teams, and 29-13-1 (.738) in September... He is also 7-5 in season-openers, including a 5-2 mark at home.
NEW HAMPSHIRE ROUNDUP
The Wildcats enjoyed an impressive season in 2004, finishing with a 10-3 record and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the I-AA playoffs... UNH features a potent offense with eight returnees, including QB Ricky Santos, who last season threw for 3,318 yards and a school-record 31 TD's... He found many of those yards in preseason All-America WR David Ball, who had 86 grabs for 1,504 yards and 17 touchdowns... Santos also ran for 644 yards last season, making him a double-threat with the ball... The Wildcats averaged 418.9 ypg in total offense and three times scored at least 50 points in a game... The defense returns seven starters, including CB Corey Graham who had 75 solo tackles (110 total) and a team-best four interceptions... LB E.J. DeWitt had 100 total tackles while SS Baron Flenory had 81... UNH allowed an average of 404.5 ypg in 2004.
ALL-AMERICAN TIGHT ENDS
Both UNH and UC Davis feature exciting offenses, but a 'battle within the battle' will showcase a pair of outstanding tight ends, that according to one preseason All-America team, are the two best in Div. I-AA... UC Davis TE Daniel Fells posted 520 yards and a touchdown on 35 receptions in 2004, including five catches in each of his last five games (totaling 334 yards)... That helped earn him the nod as a first-team preseason All-American from The Sports Network... Jonathan Williams, who had 43 receptions for 520 yards and a touchdowns, was named to the second team for UNH.
GRANT RETURNS TO SIGNAL-CALLING DUTIES
QB Jon Grant returns to field general duties for the second straight year after a standout sophomore season that landed him on the All-Great West Conference first team... Grant had a pair of 300-yard games in 2004, including a career-bet 393 yards in UC Davis' 36-33 upset at No.5 Cal Poly late in the season... He capped that effort by finding WR Tony Kays on a 14-yard TD pass with 13 seconds to help grab the win... Grant finished with 2,512 yards, 17 TDs and had a 142.8 passing rating, which would've ranked him 15th among I-AA QB's... He also had 311 yards at Weber State.
TOP THREE TACKLERS RETURN FOR UC DAVIS
It's nice to have your top tackler return and maybe even your top two. But the Aggies welcome back their top three stoppers to help anchor an active defensive unit... All three were honored by the Great West Football Conference last year... MLB Dan Elbanna had 84 total tackles and DT Ryan Sharp posted 49 on their way to second-team all-league honors while WLB Ben Reece finished with 53 and was selected honorable mention... The trio also combined for 7.5 sacks and 30 tackles-for-losses.
YOUTHFUL OFFENSIVE LINE READY TO CONTINUE TREND
You don't average 400 yards off offense without a strong line, and you don't do that year after year without some continuity in the ranks... This season, UC Davis returns just two starters in LG Kyle Skierski (6-5, 265, Jr.) and RT Elliot Vallejo (6-8, 295, Jr.) but looks to continue standout play with talented youth... LT Greg Bellasis (6-6, 272, So.), C Timothy Keane (6-4, 280, Jr.) and RG Jonathan Compas (6-3, 265, RFr.) will help form a non-senior offensive line for the Aggies in 2005... UC Davis lost three starters from 2004, including standouts LT Cory Lekkerkerker and C Marc Manfredda... Lekkerkerker was signed to a free-agent NFL contract while Manfredda was selected for the East-West Shrine Game.
AGGIES' NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE IS SECOND-TOUGHEST
No one can accuse UC Davis of ducking behind the cover of an easy schedule... With nonconference games against a pair of I-AA quarterfinalists from last year in UNH and Eastern Washington, a road game at Pac-10 member Stanford, a long trip to Nacogoches, Texas, to face Stephen F. Austin, and games against Big Sky Conference members Sacramento State and Portland State, it's easy to see why Matt Dougherty (exec. director of I-AA football for The Sports Network), ranked UC Davis' the second-toughest nonleague slate in the country... Two opponents - Portland State and Cal Poly - ranked second and third, respectively... The toughest? Appalachian State who has I-A games against Kansas and LSU on their plate.
ONGOING STREAKS
Among the streaks UC Davis enters the season with:
· 35 consecutive winning seasons (fourth-longest active streak in collegiate football, and best among non-Div. III programs.)
· 35 consecutive non-losing seasons.
· Having scored in 167 straight games... The last shutout was 19-0 vs. Cal Poly in 1990.
· Having not had less than 200 yards in total offense (according to our records) since a 30-12 loss to Nevada in 1969... That's 388 games.
GREAT WEST FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
Charter members of the GWFC, UC Davis begins its second season of competition in the six-team league which also consists of Cal Poly, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Southern Utah... Cal Poly and Southern Utah are Div. I-AA members while the others are in the process of reclassifying to I-AA... Cal Poly claimed the inaugural conference championship with a 4-1 record while UC Davis finished alone in second at 3-2... UC Davis punt returner Jesse Oliva was tabbed Special Teams Player of the Year... Aggie returnees honored by the league: QB Jon Grant (first team), DT Ryan Sharp (second), DE Pila Fatukala (second), MLB Dan Elbanna (second), WR Tony Kays (honorable mention) and WLB Ben Reece (HM)... The conference affiliation is the first for UC Davis since the American West Conference (1993) and the fourth overall (Far Western Conference, 1925-81; Northern California Athletic Conference, 1982-92).
STANFORD MARKS A RETURN TO DIV. I-A OPPOSITION
When UC Davis faces Stanford on Sept. 17 at Stanford Stadium, it'll mark the Aggies' first matchup against a Div. I-A team since a 44-14 defeat at Idaho in 1997... UC Davis trailed just 23-14 with 53 seconds left in the third quarter of that game but a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers helped the Vandals pull away... The Aggies last played Stanford in 1932, a 59-0 win for Stanford... UC Davis did face the Stanford reserves four times between 1946 and 1950.
THE OL' SWITCHEROO
Will the real "Ryan Smith" please stand up? How about the real "Chris Carter"? This season, UC Davis has a pair of each, although Ryan Smith and Chris Carter are both redshirting. They're also both on the active roster. Confused? Yeah, me too. Actually, it's true that one of each pair of names is redshirting but WR Ryan Smith (the senior) - the one on the active roster - is making things easier by going by his middle name this season: Blaise (pronounced "Blaze", appropriate for a receiver)... As for the older Chris Carter, he's a linebacker and has made no mention of altering his moniker.... yet... This is the first time UC Davis has had two sets of players with the same name, let alone two pairs.
PRESEASON HONORS
TE Daniel Fells was named a preseason first-team All-American by The Sports Network and was third-team pick by I-AA.org.
A LOOK BACK AT 2004
For a while, it looked like UC Davis' run to a 35th consecutive winning season would be no problem... The Aggies vaulted to a 5-0 record, steadily climbing the national polls until peaking at No.21 by both major rankings at the midway point of the season... UC Davis was averaging 45 ppg. and outscoring opponents by nearly 31 ppg... But narrow losses to Stephen F. Austin and Southern Utah gave the Aggies their first two-game losing streak in the same season since 1997... However, a dramatic 36-33 win at No.5 Cal Poly in the eighth game brought home the winning season before losses to North Dakota State and Portland State cooled the end of the season.
TEAM CAPTAINS
UC Davis players elect their team captains following the final game of the previous season and select two from the offense and two from the defense... The 2005 captains are WR Tony Kays, TE Daniel Fells, DT Ryan Sharp and MLB Dan Elbanna... Kays is a junior while the others are seniors.
FROM COACH Bob Biggs
On game week:
"You always look forward to this time of year. You get tired of banging against each other. So, New Hampshire is a team we've been looking forward to playing for a while now. They're a top-ranked team, very athletic and now it's just nice to start the preparation for an opponent and not just your own team."
On New Hampshire:
"They're very explosive offensively because they can keep you off-balance. Their quarterback, Ricky Santos, had a great year last year and he's going to come in with added confidence. David Ball, their all-everything wide-receiver, gives them a lot of versatility at wide receiver because he can really catch the ball but he can do something with the ball after he catches it. Defensively, they really run to the ball well. Their two inside linebackers are very strong, most of their defensive backs are back, (and) they're two defensive tackles are very good players. They're new at defensive end so we'll have to learn a little bit about more about those two guys. They're well-coached, they play hard and, I think, that having such a surprisingly great year last year they come in this year ready to try and improve on that. So, it's a team that comes in with a lot of confidence."
On UC Davis:
"We're still trying to find out our team's identity. I think Saturday will be a great test for us. We're a little bit young in the offensive line, as we know, but I think the unit's coming along real well. I think we're playing well defensively. We have good team speed on defense. Hopefully we can continue to improve on our run game to give us more balance between the run and the pass but I think Saturday will be a real test for us."
On the 2005 schedule:
"It's a difficult schedule but it's a measuring stick and that's what we want. We want to find out what it takes to be one of the elite or top I-AA teams. I think it helps us in recruiting in terms of what kind of players we're recruiting. And I think we're playing with a lot of young players this year so it gives us a chance to build for the future."
STAFF OF EXPERIENCE
UC Davis' success on the football can be traced in a major way to the continuity of its staff... Five members of the coaching staff have completed 109 "coaching-years" together, having been together the last 17 seasons... Bob Biggs (27 total years, 12 as head coach), Fred Arp (39th year), Lou Bronzan (22nd year) Mike Moroski (18th year) and Greg Chapla (17th year) make up the impressive group... Oh, and they're all graduates of UC Davis.
TRADITION OF SUCCESS
The Aggies venture into the world of Div. I-AA football having been one of the most successful Div. II programs... UC Davis finished its Div. II run in 2002 with seven consecutive playoff appearances, including national semifinal showings in 200 and 2001... The Aggies finished with a Div. II-record 18 playoff appearances (one ahead of GWFC rival North Dakota State) and a berth in the 1982 NCAA Championship where UC Davis lost to Southwest Texas State (34-9)... Additionally, the Aggies set Div. II records for most consecutive winning seasons and non-losing seasons, both 34... UC Davis extended both streaks to 35 with a 6-4 record last year, its first playing a Div. I-AA schedule.
AGGIES IN THE PROS
Three UC Davis football players are currently working in the NFL, including QB J.T. O'Sullivan (1998-2001) with the Green Bay Packers and brothers Brad Lekkerkerker (Oakland Raiders) and Corey Lekkerkerker (San Diego), both offensive tackles... Brad played at UC Davis in 2002-03 while Corey played 2003-04... Both signed free-agent contracts... O'Sullivan was a sixth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2002... Since 1979, UC Davis has had seven QB's drafted into the NFL... Additonally, Khari Jones (1991-93) has enjoyed a long career in the Canadian Football League where he is a former winner of the league MVP award... He is currently with the Hamilton Tiger Cats... Mark Grieb (1994-96) has been a standout QB with the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League and was the 2002 AFL MVP.
DIVISION I RECLASSIFICATION 101
UC Davis is beginning its third year of a four-year reclassification to NCAA Division I status... Officially, UC Davis (like all other institutions currently reclassifying) is a Div. II institution until its first active year of Div. I (for UC Davis, that's in 2007-08)... However, the university was required to follow all NCAA Div. I rules and regulations, including those governing scheduling, beginning in 2004-05... Similarly, UC Davis began counting last year as a Div. I team for its opponents strength-of-schedule purposes, started to be included in Div. I stats, and has been added to most media coverage of Div. I athletics, primarily because of its competition... UC Davis will become official members of the Big West Conference in 2007-08 but has been fully integrated into regular-season scheduling in all its member sports.
GOODBYE TOOMEY
It started during the last game of the 1949 home season and - if all goes to plan - will end during the final game of the 2005 season... What is it? The Aggies' calling Toomey Field home... That's because UC Davis is scheduled to move into its new multi-use stadium (it'll share it with women's lacrosse) beginning with the 2006 season... The campus officially broke ground on the $29.75 million stadium in June and excavation is currently taking place at the site, located on the northwest side of campus adjacent to the Schaal Aquatics Center... The stadium is scheduled to open with approximately 10,000 seats and numerous amenities... With weather always a factor in building, the Aggies will be hoping Mother Nature cooperates on the tight schedule... A $7.7 million capital campaign to help complete funding for Phase I of the stadium is currently taking place.
INTERNET
All UC Davis games can also be also be heard free of charge at www.UCDavisAggies.com... Live stats from all home games can also be accessed through the website along with complete results, statistics, rosters and other information on all 26 Aggie sports.
