Sept. 22, 2005
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
2005 UC DAVIS FOOTBALL GAME NOTES - Game 4
52nd Annual Causeway Classic
UC Davis AGGIES (1-2)
at
Sacramento State HORNETS (0-3)
Saturday, September 24, 2005
2:07 pm · Sacramento, Calif.
Hornet Stadium (21,295) · natural grass
KHTK (1140 AM) · KDVS (90.3 FM)
Comcast SportsNet • www.ucdavisaggies.com (internet stream)
OPENING KICKOFF
Coming off its stunning 20-17 win at Stanford on Saturday, the UC Davis football team returns to the road - albeit a 25-minute drive - to take on rival Sacramento State in the 52nd annual Causeway Classic... The Aggies have won five consecutive games in the series, including a 58-23 victory at Toomey Field in 2004 and hold a 36-16 advantage overall... The Aggies' current win streak in the series is its second-longest ever, trailing the 18 consecutive games won by UC Davis from 1970-1987... Last weekend's win snapped a four-game losing streak for UC Davis, dating back to last year... It was the first four-game losing streak for the Aggies since 1969... The victory also avoided the program's first 0-3 start since 1965... Following this weekend's game, UC Davis will have the first of two byes on the schedule, returning to action on Oct. 8 at South Dakota State in its Great Western Football Conference opener.
SERIES
UC Davis leads the all-time series 36-16 and has a 36-15 record in the Causeway Classic (the teams also met once in the 1988 NCAA Division II Playoffs, with the Hornets winning 35-14 at Toomey Field)... UC Davis is 11-4 at Hornet Stadium, recording a dramatic 31-27 win its last visit there in 2003... As mentioned, the Aggies have won five straight games in the Causeway Classic, its second-best streak in the series... Sacramento State won five straight against UC Davis from 1988-91 but one of those was the 1988 playoff game... During its current five-game run, the Aggies have averaged 36.6 ppg and allowed 16.2 ppg... UC Davis has won 11 of the past 13 meetings overall, including a 5-1 mark at Hornet Field.
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 Gordon (sidelines) 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... Simulcasts of the KHTK broadcasts can also be heard live on the internet at www.UCDavisAggies.com.
TELEVISION
For the second consecutive season, UC Davis has home games televised on Comcast SportsNet West... The regional sports network televised the Sept. 10 game against Portland State and will do so again when UC Davis hosts Cal Poly on Oct. 29... This week's 52nd Causeway Classic at Sacramento State is also being televised by Comcast SportsNet with Jim Kozimor (play-by-play), Mike Lamb (color) and Scott Marsh (sidelines) in charge of the action. 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 - as well as the Causeway Classic can be purchased at Toomey Field prior to the game or in advance at the UC Davis Ticket Office (530/752-1915)... Reserved seats for HOME games 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
UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs (UC Davis '73) owns a 103-40-1 (.718) record in 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 48-24-0 (.667) on the road, 37-23-0 (.617) against Div. I teams, 10-2 vs. the Hornets and 30-15-1 (.663) in September... He led UC Davis to eight NCAA Div. II Playoff berths, including seven straight... Steve Mooshagian (Fresno St. '82) is 5-20 (.200) and in his third year at Sacramento State... Prior to joining the Hornets he was the wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals... Mooshagian also served on coaching staffs at the University of Pittsburgh (1997-98) and Nevada (1996) after being the head coach at Fresno City College (1995) and an assistant at his alma mater (1984-95)... He was also a player at Fresno State for two seasons.
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNET ROUNDUP
The Hornets are off to an 0-3 start, dropping a 28-12 matchup at Portland State last weekend... Sacramento State trailed just 7-6 at halftime but went down 21-6 after three quarters... The Hornets are averaging just 9.3 ppg so far while allowing 35.3 ppg... Opponents are gaining an average of 191.0 ypg on the ground and 340.3 ypg overall... Conversely, Sacramento State is gaining just 212.0 ypg in total offense, including 80.0 ypg. on the ground... RB Ryan Mole has been the workhorse on the ground for the Hornets, rushing or 235 yards and averaging 3.4 yards per carry... QB Brad Tredway has thrown for 73.3 ypg. with WR Ryan Coogler (15 rec., 103 yds.) his top target... Backup QB Jeff Hurd has averaged 88.0 ypg... FS Brett Shelton has been the leading tackler, posting a team-high 22 tackles... WLB Matt Logue has 20 total stops, including 5 tackles-for-losses and the team's only sack.. Four different players have picked off passes.
GRANT EARNS AGGIES THIRD STRAIGHT GWFC WEEKLY HONOR
QB Jon Grant became the third consecutive UC Davis player to be honored by the Great West Football Conference when he was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Aggies to their victory at Stanford... Grant completed 23 of 43 passes for 251 yards and threw the game-winning 3-yard touchdown pass to Blaise Smith with eight seconds remaining... The TD pass capped an 11-play, 72-yard drive which Grant engineered during the final three minutes... He also rushed 10 times for 41 yards, finishing the night with 292 yards of total offense... Grant, who did not throw an interception, joins WR Tony Kays (Sept. 12) as an Aggie winner of the GWFC offensive award... CB Nevan Bergan (Sept. 5) won defensive honors earlier after a pair of an interceptions against Portland State.
KAYS CONTINUES TO POST BIG RECEIVING MARKS
WR Tony Kays has played just three games this year but is already within one catch and 96 yards of tying his season-bests set last year... Kays has 37 catches for 415 yards (38 for 511 in '04)... His average of 12.3 catches per game is best in the Div. I-AA rankings, his 415 total yards are second and his average of 138.3 ypg is third... Additionally, Kays has three of the top nine marks for I-AA single-game catches with his school-record 15 against Portland State ranking second, his 12 versus New Hampshire putting him tied for fifth and his 10 at Stanford tied for ninth... His 165 yards against Portland State are the 8th-best for a I-AA game... Only two other NCAA players have more catches (39 by Justin Galles, Colorado Mines-Div. II; 38 by Mike Russell, Hanover-Div. III) but none in Div. I-A or Div. I-AA... Only Russell's average of 12.7 catches is higher than Kays'... Kays is nearly halfway to the school record of 75 season catches, set by WR Michael Oliva (2001, 13 games)... The regular-season record is 55, achieved by SE Charley Enos over 10 games in both 2000 and 2001.
MORE KAYS IS OKAY
A litte more on WR Tony Kays: Kays is the 18th Aggie receiver to post a 150-yard game, having done so with 165 yards against Portland State... He has the best three-game reception total in school history... His 15 receptions on Sept. 10 are a school record, topping the previous mark of 12 which he shared with Josh Weinstock (1991) after catching a dozen in the New Hampshire game... His previous high for yards prior to this season was 116 at Cal Poly last year, the final 14 yards which came on a TD pass from QB Jon Grant in the waning seconds that gave the Aggies a dramatic 36-33 win over the No.5 Mustangs... Whew.
DEFENSE HAS BEEN MAJOR KEY TO TEAM SUCCESS
Through three games, the Aggie defense has been about as tough as they come... UC Davis is allowing just 62.7 rushing ypg., with each opponent being held to less than 85... That mark is 14th-best in I-AA... Portland State gained an opponent-low 33 on Sept. 10, No.2 New Hampshire had just 81 in the opener and Stanford gained just 74 last week... Opponents are averaging just 2.2 yards per rush and have scored just one touchdown via the ground... There's still a ways to go but the school-record for rushing defense is 68.2 ypg, set in 1983... The pass defense, meanwhile, continues to get better each game after allowing 336 to potent New Hampshire... The Aggies allowed 221 to Portland State and just 118 to the Cardinal... They've also picked off six passes, including three by CB Nevan Bergan... UC Davis' total defense of 287.7 ypg is 29th nationally.
GRANT THROWS ON RECORD PACE
QB Jon Grant is on pace to nearly break the school record for pass attempts in a season (486, Kevin Daft, 1997)... He's averaging 48.3 per game and on track for 483 for the year... Grant is also on pace for 273 completions, which would rank him second, just behind Daft's 281 in 1997... Currently, Grant's numbers are 13th in I-AA for total offense (282.0 ypg) and 3rd for completions (27.3 pg)... He is averaging 276.7 ypg passing... Grant set career-bests for attempts (58) and completions (43) against Portland State... His previous career-highs for completions (25, Southern Utah) and attempts (40, Cal Poly) came last year.
UC DAVIS CONVERTING ON THIRD DOWNS
The Aggies continue to make strong showings on third downs... They're making .491 (29 of 59) of their tries, 15th-best in I-AA, including a 12-of-22 performance at Stanford last weekend... Conversely, the Aggies are holding opponents to just .243 on third down (9 of 37) which is a good explanation while the Aggies hold a distinct advantage in time of possession (34:17-25:43)... Opponents are 0 for 2 on fourth-down tries.
A FEW NOTES ABOUT THE AMAZING STANFORD WIN
The victory against Stanford is the biggest in school history... To that end, it should be noted just how strong a game the Aggies played that night... A few notes about the matchup:
· UCD outgained Stanford, 361-192.
· UCD had more plays (90-51), possession time (35:43-24:17), first downs (20-12), rushing yards
(110-74), passing yards (251-118) and red-zone chances (3-1).
· Trailing, 17-14 in the fourth quarter, the Aggies had three drives inside the Cardinal 25-yard line... The first two resulted in missed field goals (41, 32 yds) while the remaining ended with the game-winning touchdown.
· The Aggies allowed Stanford just 97 yards in the second half.
· Stanford averaged just 2.1 yards per rushing attempt.
A few more notes:
· The 31,250 attendance was the largest crowd that UC Davis has every played in front of.
· It was the Aggies' first win over a Div. I-A program since 1986 (Pacific, 45-41) and the first game against an I-A team since 1997 (Idaho).
· The game was just the second meeting ever between Stanford and UC Davis in football... The Cardinal won 59-0 in 1932.
REDSHIRT FRESHMEN DOT AGGIES' TWO-DEEP
Head coach Bob Biggs knew his 2004 signing class would make contributions but those redshirt freshmen are already big cogs in the Aggies' lineup... Two of them - RG Jonathan Compas and SLB Joshua Edwards - are listed as starters on the most-recent two-deep while seven other positions have a total of six redshirt freshmen listed as backups... OL Mario Gonzalez (6-1, 285) is backing up left guard and center and Max Chesmore (6-4, 275) is doing the same at right tackle... Backup WR Brandon Rice hauled in a one-yard TD pass from QB Jon Grant with 1:31 left against New Hampshire as UC Davis took a late 13-10 lead... On the defensive side of the ball, LE Thomas Blake, RT John Faletoese and FS Nero Evero are also key backups.
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 (as the Aggies did in 2004) 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, last week's 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 170 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 391 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).
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 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 the win at Stanford:
"It just in my mind exemplified 'Aggie Pride'... It was an incredible defensive effort. It was the finest defensive effort I've seen all the years I've been coaching. And then the offense, I think, feeding off the defense, just never giving up hope and giving themselves a chance on the last drive. Making play after play on the last drive, it exemplified what this program is all about."
On the team's play at Stanford:
"The truth is, we were the better team that day, we really were. In every category you watch that film and we were the better team. Does that mean we're always the better team? No. Does it mean on paper we're the better team? No. But that particular night, when I watch the film, we were the better team. "
On preparing for Sacramento State:
"Thank god it's Sac State. I don't think it (letdown) will be any issue at all. That's the good thing about having smart players. They understand. It was a great win, but we're 1-2 and we have to get to 2-2 by the break because our goal is to have a winning season, still get ranked and win the conference. We've got a lot to do still."
On the Causeway Classic:
"Throw (everything) out of the window when it comes to this rivalry. We know that over past years. It's emotional and emotions play a big part in this game."
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 began this year, including QB J.T. O'Sullivan (1998-2001) who was with the Green Bay Packers before being released this weekend and then quickly signed by the Chicago Bears... Brothers Brad Lekkerkerker (Oakland Raiders) and Corey Lekkerkerker (San Diego), both offensive tackles, were also in camps before being released and then resigned to their teams' practice squads over the weekend... Brad played at UC Davis in 2002-03 while Corey played 2003-04... Both were undrafted... 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.
