Aug. 25, 2011
DAVIS, Calif. - Sophomore quarterback Randy Wright threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns, Dwight Smith and Corey Galindo each caught a pair of scores and defensive end Bobby Erskine helped lead the defense with 1.5 sacks, as the UC Davis football team hosted its annual Blue-Gold scrimmage on Thursday night at Aggie Stadium.
Sean Kelley helped highlight the special teams' efforts, making two field goals in the first half, including a 49-yarder. Colton Schmidt also posted four punts for a total of 185 yards in the first half alone. The inter-squad scrimmage is the traditional end of the Aggies' preseason camp, as UC Davis now turns its attention to its season opener next week at Arizona State.
"We were a little disjointed at times but overall I think we did a lot of good things," said Biggs. " I like that we came out unscathed as far as injuries go. I thought the defense came out very strong. Early on the offense wasn't great but Randy came on strong and made some great throws."
Marquis Nicolis led the charge for an improved run game, rushing for 37 yards on six carries. Josh Reese also posted 25 yards on six carries, while Tavior Mowry showed promise with 29 yards and a touchdown after nine carries.
Anthony Soto led all receives with 64 yards and Galindo was the favorite target on the night, hauling in three catches for 37 yards. Smith also posted a 43-yard reception in addition to his 10-yard touchdown.
Tommy Grillo and Byron Gruendl each had solo sacks for the first-team defense, while Jacob Maxson led the squad with 2.5 tackles. The second-team defense put together an impressive show, led by Phillip Thrappas and Ian Rhodes, who had 4.5 and 4.0 tackles, respectively.
"Bobby Erskine in particular was putting a lot of pressure on the offense," continued Biggs. "Once we got in a rhythm and started to move the ball, the first-team offense played well. Corey Galindo showed he's going to be a really good player for us and he made some tough catches. We have some things that we need to clean up but we saw a lot of good things tonight."
UC Davis also hosted "Meet the Aggies" night as part of the annual scrimmage. Fans in attendance had access to pressbox tours, locker room visits and on-field activities. The night was capped off by interaction with the players following the end of the game.
"I was really happy with the turnout from the community," said Biggs. "It looks like people were having fun and hopefully this is a tradition that we can continue to have for the Blue-Gold game."
The Aggies will open the 2011 season on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Arizona State with a 7 p.m. kickoff. The game will be aired on KHTK (1140 AM) and streamed online at ucdavisaggies.com.
