April 17, 2006
DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis football team opened spring football drills on Monday afternoon under head coach Bob Biggs, preparing for the 2006 season and a run at its 37th consecutive winning season.
The Aggies will practice 15 times between April 17 and May 12 with scheduled workouts each week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3:30- 6 p.m. and a trio of scrimmages on Saturday mornings. Drills conclude on Friday, May 12 with the annual spring scrimmage.
UC Davis was originally scheduled to begin spring practice earlier this month but persistent rain in the region forced a delay to the start of drills.
The Aggies finished 6-5 overall during the 2005 season, securing their 36th consecutive winning season, the third-longest active streak in college football and the longest among non-Division III programs. UC Davis also claimed a share of the Great West Football Conference Championship with a 3-1 record. The Aggie program has now won at least a share of a conference championship 23 times in the past 25 seasons it has been affiliated with a league.
"We're excited to get started," said Biggs, who will enter his 14th season with a 108-43-1 record as head coach. "All the rain we had in March delayed things a little bit but it looks now like we'll get some decent weather. I know the kids are chomping at the bit and the coaches as well so we're anxious to get out and on the field."
UC Davis welcomes back six players who were named to the All-GWFC first team, including quarterback Jon Grant, who was named the conference's Offensive Co-Player of the Year. Grant threw for 2,873 yards and 13 touchdowns, completing 57.6 percent of his passes.
His favorite target was wide receiver Tony Kays, an Associated Press I-AA All-American second-team pick and third-team All-America selection by The Sports Network. Kays rewrote the program's receiving records last season, collecting a school-record 93 catches for a regular-season record 1,213 yards. His receptions were the most in the Div. I-AA statistics.
Grant and Kays were joined on the All-GWFC first team by four other returnees, including defensive tackle John Faletoese, defensive ends James Amos and Mike Ng and free safety Jonathan Barsi. Offensive tackle Elliott Vallejo, cornerback Nevan Bergan and placekicker Emmanuel Benjamin return after earning second-team honors while returning cornerback Adam Cook was an honorable mention selection.
The UC Davis defensive enjoyed one of its finest seasons, holding opponents to just 87.5 rushing yards per game - second-best in the Div. I-AA stats - and 195.2 yards overall.
"I think you go into the spring and have a pretty good idea about who your players are returning from last year," said Biggs. "But it's a chance to see which young players are going to make major contributions during the next season."
