Aug. 22, 2006
DAVIS, Calif. - The only goal UC Davis head coach Bob Biggs has had during the Aggies' reclassification to NCAA Division I status is to be playoff-caliber when the program becomes eligible for the postseason in 2007.
Three years down, one to go and Biggs' goal is well on its way to fruition.
Entering the final year of transition from Div. II to Div. I-AA status, UC Davis has sent notice it will be a program to be reckoned with out of the starting gates next season.
Aggie fans can watch the Aggies in action this Friday (Aug. 25) at 7 p.m. at Toomey Field with the annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage. Admission is free.
It was a notice that was heard no louder across the college football landscape than on September 17, 2005 when the Aggies marched into Stanford Stadium and delivered what many consider one of the biggest upsets ever with a 20-17 win over the Pac-10 Conference Cardinal.
The win was notable for several reasons beyond the obvious shock value. Just as importantly, it gave momentum to the hopes of continuing a streak of consecutive winning seasons that were fading quickly after tough opening losses to New Hampshire and Portland State.
The Aggies spring boarded to win six of their final nine games, posting a 6-5 overall mark and their 36th consecutive winning season. They went on to finish 4-1 in the Great West Football Conference, tying for the league title with Cal Poly, one of two ranked teams UC Davis beat last season. North Dakota State was the other.
The momentum received added fuel from outstanding performances on both sides of the ball. On the offensive ledger, wide receiver Tony Kays enjoyed the most prolific season in school history, snaring a school-record 93 passes for a regular-season record 1,213 yards. And quarterback Jon Grant - who engineered the dramatic, game-winning drive in the final minutes at Stanford - was named the GWFC Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
Across the line of scrimmage on the defensive side, the Aggies allowed just 87.5 rushing ypg. The pass defense, meanwhile, was bolstered by the emergence of cornerback Nevan Bergan, whose seven interceptions tied him for the most in school history.
On the surface, UC Davis' 6-5 mark may not have put fear in the hearts of too many people but it's the quality of the record and the manner in which it is achieved which gave Biggs and his coaching staff optimism as they ready for their Div. I "dress rehearsal" year in 2006.
It was also noticed by early-season prognosticators who have tabbed the Aggies four a quartet of preseason polls, including three mentions in the top 25.
The Sports Network poll of media and sports information directors has UC Davis at No. 21 - matching the Aggies' highest appearance ever in the ranking - while Street & Smith's (No. 15), AnyGivenSaturday.com (No. 20) and Don Hansen's Football Gazette (No. 33) also think highly of UC Davis.
Biggs said it's nice to be recognized in the rankings at this stage of the reclassification but the toughest part of the road is still in front of the Aggies.
"It indicates we're where we want to be," said Biggs. "We want to be somewhere close to knocking on the door so that in 2007 we would be a top 16 team. The fact that we're recognized as maybe a top 20 team is a good sign that we're in the right direction.
"But I temper that with the fact that I see (three I-AA) opponents ranked ahead of us so we know we've got a tough schedule," he said. "But at the same time I think that's a great opportunity, too, because if we can start well against those teams I think it only enhances our chance to be ranked, not only at the end of the season, but certainly in the middle of the season as well."
Those three I-AA teams also mentioned in the poll are Youngstown State and Cal Poly - both in the top 10 of the various polls - and North Dakota State. Montana State - one of five first-time opponents on the Aggies' slate - is also ranked in several I-AA polls.
But, no opponent is garnering as much notice on the schedule as TCU, a Mountain West Conference member which finished 11-1 in 2005 and is receiving plenty of mention as a possible qualifier for a Bowl Championship Series appearance.
The Aggies will fiercely attack the schedule with an offense that returns its entire line as well as experience at the skill positions. But it's also an offensive that struggled rushing the ball in 2005 but hopes that will change with a departure from a full-time one-back offense to one that will utilize a fullback.
On the other side of the ball, the bulk of the rush defense up front is back as well as three of four starters in the backfield. Key backups will provide experienced depth for UC Davis in both areas. A factor, however, will be how quickly the linebacking corps - which lost all three of its starters - will be able to step up and fill in the gaps.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACKS
Excellence has long-defined the signal-caller position at UC Davis with no less than six quarterbacks since 1977 being taken in the NFL Draft, including current offensive coordinator Mike Moroski who was a sixth-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 1977.
But that club isn't nearly exclusive as that of the three-year starters. Only current NFL player J.T. O'Sullivan - who enjoyed a prolific trio of years from 1999-2001 - and former New York Jets quarterback Ken O'Brien have enjoyed that distinction in the past 25 years.
Senior Jon Grant gets set to punch his card in that club this season after earning first-team GWFC football honors last year on the field and being named a Division I-AA Academic All-Star by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics off of it.
Grant was a workhorse for UC Davis in 2005, taking nearly every snap during the season. His 474 attempts, 267 completions and 2,965 yards accounted for all but a handful of the Aggies' collective totals. Four times he threw for at least 300 yards, including 393 at Stephen F. Austin and 321 at rival Sacramento State.
But it's his poise behind center which has helped his cause as much as anything and it was displayed no better than against Stanford when he engineered a game-winning 72-yard drive that was capped by a short touchdown pass to graduated senior Blaise Smith in the final seconds.
He's completed 59 percent of his career passes and is in the top 10 career lists at UC Davis for attempts (6th), completions (6th), total offense (7th) and passing yards (9th).
Junior Tim Plough, who has battled injury through his previous three seasons with the Aggies will provide capable backup to Grant. Although he's seen limited action during his tenure, Plough has Biggs' confidence to come in and complete the job should situations warrant.
Biggs is hoping to redshirt senior Matt Engle and preserve his eligibility to the Aggies' first Division I year in 2007. Engle, a transfer after one season from El Camino College in Southern California, threw for 353 yards his initial season at UC Davis in 2004.
Redshirt freshman Daniel Alfaro, from Damien High School will also compete for time.
RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACKS
The trademark of UC Davis' offense during the Biggs era has been a one-back attack with a tight end sometimes slipping into the backfield for an added punch.
But that should see some tweaking in 2006 as Biggs looks to a newly installed fullback position in the playbook to help revitalize a running game that averaged just 99.5 yards a game and posted just two 100-yard rushers - mostly because of a rash of injuries that sidelined four running backs at various times during the year.
Grant Ayvazyan, a 6-foot, 245-pound junior will get the nod at fullback to start the year. The Butte College transfer and graduate of Vintage HS gives the Aggies the necessary size in the backfield to hopefully free the other backs up while gaining key short yardage.
He'll be joined by senior Bryan Harrison who will slip into a new role after serving as a reserve running back his first three seasons. Junior Justin Bonetto will also make his Aggie debut at the position this year after not playing football since graduating from Campolindo HS in 2002.
That trio will try to lessen the load on a running back position that was decimated by the injury bug last year. Leading rusher Nelson Doris - who will utilize his redshirt year this year and return for his senior campaign in 2007 - played in just six games last year, while senior Alex Garfio sat out three games and senior Marcus Nolan played just the first two games before a season-ending knee injury.
But Garfio and Nolan are healthy and ready to go this season and will be joined by sophomore DeMario Warren, who was pressed into starting duties early on and responded well.
Warren rushed for 314 yards in eight games after starting the fourth game against Sacramento State and getting five more starts the rest of the way. He also showed to be a capable receiver as well, grabbing 17 balls for 148 yards.
Garfio had 239 rushing yards and was named the program's Jim Ferrier Award winner as outstanding transfer while Nolan was on his way to a productive year before going down with injury.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Tony Kays, an offensive team captain along with Grant, nearly matched his previous career totals through just the four games last year when he posted 47 catches for 597 yards. It was the beginning of a monster year for Kays, who finished with 93 catches and 1,213 yards.
He tied a school record with 12 catches in the season-opener against New Hampshire, broke it a week later with 15 versus Portland State and then had consecutive games with 10 each against Stanford and Sacramento State. Each game also featured at least 115 receiving yards, including 182 against the Hornets.
A 12-catch, 213-yard effort in the Aggies' 20-14 win over Cal Poly later in the year helped set the stage for a trio of All-America honors. His 93 grabs smashed the previous school best of 75 while his yards were a regular-season best. Kays (141) is also within striking distance of Charley Enos' career reception mark of 191 from 1998-2001.
While Biggs would love to have another similar year from Kays in 2006, he would rather see the offensive load balanced between the other receivers and the running game this year. Sophomore Brandon Rice, who had 10 catches for 105 yards last year, will assume a wide receiver position while Chris Carter - selected as the top redshirt freshman last season - jumps into another of the three wideout positions. Carter had 1,515 yards and 19 TD's on 63 catches during his senior year at San Ramon Valley HS in 2004.
Junior Chris Miller (9-63) will back up Kays and Rice while junior Kale Turner (10-112) will back up Carter. Newcomers Bakari Grant (RFr.), Matt Iaconis (So.) and Conor Kirkpatrick (RFr.) will provide depth along with junior David DeLeon, who redshirted for UC Davis in 2003 and has returned back after playing at Los Medanos College in 2004.
UC Davis lost both of its top two tight ends from last year with the graduation of NFL free-agent signee Daniel Fells and reserve Aaron Hines. Anticipating the loss, though, was on the mind of Biggs when he recruited Brad Bispo (6-4, 240) out of Downey HS two years ago. Bispo, the Modesto Conference MVP as a senior, will be among those battling for the position. Madison Doris (6-4, 250), who appeared in three games last year, will also be contending to start and will joined by former UC Davis basketball player Ryan Schwarz (6-6, 264) - an All-Denver standout in high school - and redshirt freshman Luke McDonough (6-4, 240).
OFFENSIVE LINE
A readily apparent of strength for UC Davis in 2006 is the experience of the offensive line which returns five players with significant starting experience from last year, including a trio of seniors who started all 11 games.
Senior Elliot Vallejo (6-7, 315), who has the kind of size that has caught the early eye of NFL scouts, will return to anchor the right side of the line at tackle and will be joined by senior Kyle Skierski (6-5, 285), whose versatility allowed him to switch to the position after playing a part of last season at left guard.
Both Vallejo and Skierski have started the last 21 games for the Aggies. Junior Greg Bellasis (6-6, 275) and sophomore Steve Gatena (6-6, 285) will back up the tackle positions.
Senior Timothy Keane (6-4, 285) also brings back key experience at the critical center position where he'll be relied upon to identify the opposing defenses and call out instructions to the rest of the line.
Keane, named the team's "Unsung Hero" in 2005 will get the start again this season and will be backed up by redshirt freshman Tommy Hernandez (6-3, 285).
Jonathan Compas (6-4, 285), who was sidelined by injury after starting the first six games, is healthy for the upcoming season and will start at right guard. Sophomore Mario Gonzalez (6-2, 290) played in 10 games last season and started the final five after Skierski moved out to tackle and will open this campaign at left guard.
A.J. McTaggart (6-6, 310), a member of the wrestling team, will backup Compas while Bellasis will also back up Gonzalez. Redshirt freshman Brad Noell (6-4, 275) is also on the guard depth chart.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE LINE
UC Davis may not be eligible to be ranked in the official NCAA Div. I-AA stats because of their reclassification status, but that doesn't mean the Aggies didn't make their mark in 2005.
The defense continued to shine and provided many of the big plays for UC Davis a year ago and returns seven starters from the unit. It's a group that - if they could've been ranked - would've been highly ranked in eight defensive categories, including rushing yards (2nd), third-down conversions (2nd), passing efficiency (4th), sacks (T10th), total defense (8th) and scoring defense (11th).
Four of the starters up front are back, including three that earned All-GWFC first-team honors in ends James Amos (6-4, 260) and Mike Ng (6-2, 250) and tackle John Faletoese (6-3, 290). The quartet helped UC Davis give up just 87.5 rushing ypg. last year, a total that was helped by allowing just four teams run for more than 100 yards. North Dakota State managed just three net yards while Portland State had only 30.
Amos, a junior from nearby Galt who will also serve as a defensive team captain, started all but one game last year and led the line with 32 total tackles while leading the team with six sacks, a total that would've placed him T36th nationally.
Amos will start on the left side opposite of senior Mike Ng, who had 22 tackles and 3.5 sacks, including 1.5 in UC Davis' key win against Cal Poly. That talented pair will have a pair of talented redshirt freshmen behind them in Patrick Michelier (6-2, 260) and Andy Rice (6-5, 250). Michelier highlighted his first year by being named the defensive's winner of the George Belenis Award as the top redshirt.
Faletoese served notice early in his Aggie career that he was destined for big things while earning all-league accolades for a season that included 30 tackles and 11 tackles-for-losses, including three games with at least two each. He had a pair of sacks against both rival Sacramento State and Cal Poly and managed to break up three passes. He was named the team's freshman of the year.
Faletoese will be joined up front by senior Naveen Daftari (6-1, 280), who made eight starts and finished with 20 tackles. He had a career-high five stops against Eastern Washington for his top game.
Travis Dulli (6-3, 255), a transfer from Laney College who was two-time All-Golden Gate Conference pick will back up Faletoese while Sierra College transfer Ricky Owen (6-2, 290), who prepped at nearby Kennedy HS in Sacramento, will play behind Daftari.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Besides the front four, the rest of the Aggies' key experience comes from the defensive backfield where three starters are back who each earned All-GWFC honors.
Cornerback Nevan Bergan (5-11, 175) enjoyed a breakout year in 2005, combining a standout season on the field with leadership both on and off to earn a team captain role for his senior year this season.
Bergan emerged as the team's top corner after scoring a pair of interceptions in the season-opener against New Hampshire - and garnering GWFC Player of the Week honors, as well - and then following with another pick against Portland State a week later. Two more picks at North Dakota State and one more at Eastern Washington helped lead to his second-team all-league honors and a 2005 second-team All-America award from the Football Gazette.
Bergan, who also had 10 pass breakups, will start on the left side opposite of Adam Cook (5-10, 185). Cook is another corner who enjoyed a breakout year after finishing fourth on the team with 45 total tackles while intercepting four passes, including a key pick in the upset at Stanford. He earned honorable mention honors from the GWFC.
Kenneth Brown (5-10, 165) and Brandon Brown (6-0, 190), who both redshirted last year and are not related, will back up the corners with Kenneth on the right behind Cook and Brandon spelling Bergan. Junior Kenny Griffin (5-10, 175), and redshirt freshmen Jeremy Scott (5-11, 185) and Ramsey Moyer (5-10, 180) will give the positions depth.
Senior Jonathan Barsi (6-0, 195) played just seven games at free safety because of injury last year but made a formidable impression on the league's coaches who made him a first-team pick. Barsi posted a career-best 38 tackles in his abbreviated season and broke up four passes. He had a career-high 11 tackles against South Dakota State and then had at least eight two of the next three games.
Sophomore Nero Evero (6-2, 185), who saw action in all 11 games last year, will back up Barsi with redshirt freshman Kymm Snowden (5-11, 195).
Senior Luis Amaral (6-3, 210) was a part-time starter for the Aggies in the backfield last year, and like Cook is an exceptional special teams player. Amaral, who will start at strong safety this season, posted career-highs in tackles (44), TFL's (3.5) and sacks (2.0), picking up a season-best seven stops against Portland State and a fumble recovery at Stanford.
Junior Brady McLendon (6-4, 215), who redshirted last year after transferring from Diablo Valley College, will play behind Amaral along with sophomore E.J. Brown (6-0, 195), who is no relation to either of the Browns on the defense. Anthony Sampson (6-2, 200) is also at the position after redshirting in 2005.
LINEBACKERS
This is the area of greatest concern for Biggs, not because there is a lack of talent at the three positions, but because his three starters from last season all graduated leaving big shoes to fill. Two of them - middle Dan Elbanna and weakside Ben Reece - were the top two tacklers on the squad last year, totalling 117 stops between them.
All three starters earned all-league honors with Elbanna and Reece selected to the first team and strong side starter Nolan de Graaff - a converted tight end - was honorable mention.
How quickly the new group can, literally, step up and make the tackle opportunities afforded by the defensive line will he a key to the defense's season but Biggs is confident in the corps.
Sophomore David Heckman (6-3, 235) played in seven games last year and will open the season at the Mike position, the longtime home of Elbanna. Heckman had 188 total tackles during his senior season at Sutter Union HS where he was an all-state player by Cal-Hi Sports.
Alex Cook (5-10, 220), a transfer from Saint Mary's which no longer sponsors football, was the Gaels' Rookie of the Year in 2003 after collecting 50 tackles and will back up Heckman. Redshirt Mike Morales (6-1, 220) will also play in the middle.
Junior Chris Carter will likely open the season at the Sam linebacker spot after seeing limited action in seven games last season. He'll be joined by sophomore Jesses Kailahi (6-1, 220), another capable player whose key will be gaining experience.
It is unusual for a true freshman to find playing time but Biggs is looking at highly regarded recruit Dozie Amajoyi (6-0, 220) to possibly be one of them at middle linebacker. Amajoyi had 131 tackles, including 80 solo, at Aquinas HS in Southern California last year and was his league's defensive and offensive MVP after also rushing for 3,006 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Another pair of highly touted freshmen, Marshall Congdon (6-1, 210) from nearby Sheldon HS and Eric Sobotka (6-2, 215) from Palma HS, will also see time.
The Willie spot will be the home of junior Chris Buck (6-0, 210) to the start the year. Buck, from Jesuit HS in Sacramento, saw time in nine games last year and had eight tackles and a pair of pass breakups.
He'll be backed up by backed up by sophomore Tyler Pringle (6-0, 205), another reserve from last season who didn't see a lot of action but will be counted on in 2005.
Senior Steven Freeman (5-11, 215) and redshirt Mike Healey (5-11, 205), who nearly saw action at running back after injuries depleted the unit, will also see time on the outside.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicker Emmanuel Benjamin led the Aggies in scoring last year with 50 points, converting 10 field goals and all but one his 21 extra-point attempts.
The junior from Modesto will handle duties for UC Davis again this season, after earning second-team All-GWFC honors in 2005. Benjamin's field goal totals tied him for seventh on the school's single-season list while the 15 for his career currently place him tied for eighth.
Benjamin was a three-time player of the week for the GWFC, including tying a school record with four field goals against Southern Utah midway through the season.
Junior college transfer Gabe Ellis averaged 36.4 yards per punt during his junior season, and will handle duties again this season. Ellis had a season-best 63-yarder against Southern Utah and then posted a 57-yard boot a week later at North Dakota State.
Receiver Chris Carter and Snowden will return kickoffs for UC Davis with Carter also handling punt return chores. Plough will be the holder on kick attempts while true freshman Jake Jondle (6-0, 200) will be the long snapper.
