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Witness History Firsthand, Purchase Tickets for Football's Inaugural FCS Home Playoff Game (Dec. 1)
 

DAVIS, Calif. – Big Sky champion UC Davis earned 12 all-conference awards, a collection of honors that includes junior communication major Jake Maier's selection as Offensive Player of the Year, when league officials announced this year's recipients on Tuesday.
 
This is the second straight season that an Aggie was named Offensive Player of the Year; Maier now joins senior sociology major Keelan Doss as the only UC Davis players in program history to receive the league's top offensive award.
 
Doss and Maier also earned All-Big Sky first team nods, and earned their spot on this list as unanimous selections. This is the second time Doss received first team accolades and the first for Maier.
 
Junior managerial economics major Wesley Preece, senior American studies major Mason Moe and senior psychology major Vincent White earned second team recognition; league officials also selected sophomore human development major Jared Harrell, freshman biochemistry and molecular biology major Ulonzo Gilliam, and senior psychology major Isiah Olave to the third team.
 
Earning honorable mention were sophomore sociology major Tehran Thomas, senior managerial economics major Namane Modise, and sophomore pre-landscape architecture major Daniel Whelan.
 
This year's all-conference awards haul is a new program record.
 
Tuesday's announcement marks the third time in his career that the Big Sky bestowed all-conference honors to Doss. This is the second career All-Big Sky award for Maier, Preece and White; receiving all-league accolades for the first time in their respective careers are Gilliam, Harrell, Modise, Moe, Olave, Thomas and Whelan.
 
Maier, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, finished the regular season as one of the best passers in the nation. He leads the Big Sky and ranks third in the FCS in passing yards per game (307.8) and passing yards (3,387).
 
In last week's Causeway Classic, Maier showed firsthand why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation when he threw four touchdowns, ran for another two, and was directly responsible for 36 of UC Davis' 56 points — the second-highest team total out of the 65 Causeway Classics played. With the third-year quarterback leading the team's offensive unit, the Aggies captured their first Big Sky championship, and earned the program's first-ever FCS playoff berth as this year's No. 6 seed.
 
For the second time in as many seasons, Doss, another Walter Payton Award finalist, recorded 100 receptions and more than 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Entering the start of this year's postseason, the senior wide receiver is No. 2 in the nation averaging 9.1 receptions per game, and has 1,054 receiving yards and nine touchdowns — impressive numbers when one realizes that opposing teams drafted game plans all season long specifically designed to stop him.
 
Preece has been the definition of efficient from the start of the season since one-third of his 24 receptions were caught in the end zone. In addition to his nine receiving touchdowns, the second-highest total behind Doss, the third-year tight end also posted 306 receiving yards throughout the regular season.
 
Moe caught the nation's attention with his breakout game at Montana, one that included a game-high 13 tackles, seven solo tackles, five tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry - all career-high marks. In addition to forcing his first fumble of the season, his 13 tackles are the most by any Aggie this year and the fourth-highest total in the program's Big Sky era.
 
That game led to well-deserved National and Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week awards and a spot on the final list of candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the national defensive player of the year.
 
Entering the Aggies' first-ever FCS playoff game, Moe leads the team's defensive unit with 40 solo, 26 assisted and 66 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three interceptions and three quarterback hurries.
 
White is another defensive staple for UC Davis, and played a key role all season in that unit, and the team's success. Ranked No. 16 in the nation in passes defended, with his 1.3 per game average, his 16 breakups are a league-high total. Combined with his ability to lock-down the best receivers from opposing teams, on a consistent basis, it is fair to call him one of the best cornerbacks in the nation.
 
UC Davis' secondary has done a phenomenal job frustrating other teams, quarterbacks and their respective coaching staffs all season long — Sacramento State's season-low 13 points in last week's game is the latest example — thanks to Olave who, like White, has earned the trust from his coaches to draw and successfully defend one-one-one matchups on a consistent basis.
 
Olave's 53 total tackles are a career-high figure; his seven breakups and 29 solo tackles are just shy of his career bests in those categories — new career marks he is on pace to set when the Aggies return to action on Dec. 1.
 
Harrell's return to the field has been an impressive one, to say the least. After redshirting the 2017 season, the second-year wide receiver's athleticism helped him record a career-high 761 receiving yards, five touchdowns and average 14.4 yards per reception, one of the highest individual averages in the country.
 
Gilliam quickly made a name for himself when he ran for three touchdowns in UC Davis' season opener at San José State, which ultimately led to the Aggies earning their third victory over a FBS team in the program's history. What started that evening continued throughout the season, which is why he is a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, presented to the national freshman of the year.
 
His 13 touchdowns are the 20th-highest total among all FCS players, and a new Big Sky-era program record for the most recorded by any Aggie in a single season. With his next rushing touchdown, he will tie another Big Sky-era mark for the most rushing touchdowns in a season (11).
 
Both Gilliam and Thomas provide a quandary for opposing teams who have been unable to contain the Aggies' 1-2 punch at the running back position. By sharing the workload at the running back position, each provides Coach Hawkins with added flexibility, and options, with regards to the team's offense since both are excellent runners, receivers and blockers.
 
Thomas is enjoying the best year of his career, one that includes new personal marks in rushing attempts (85), rushing yards (588), touchdowns (6), total receiving yards (114) and receiving touchdowns (2).
 
In addition to providing extra depth at the running back position, Modise has excelled this season as the team's primary return specialist. The fourth-year Aggie has 293 rushing yards and two rushing TDs to his credit in 2018, but it is his 23.5 yards per return average that led to his first All-Big Sky award.
 
That return mark is the 36th highest in the nation and second-highest among all conference players. However, no Big Sky player has more kick returns (29) and return yardage (682) than Modise.
 
No Aggie collected more Big Sky Player of the Week awards in a single season than Whelan, because it is his ability to pin opponents deep in their territory, and flip the field, that has made UC Davis' special teams unit a dangerous one.
 
Last week's performance against Sacramento State highlighted how effective the second-year punter has been all season long: He averaged 42.8 yards per kick, dropped three of those punts inside the 20, recorded a long of 58 yards and held Sacramento State to zero return yards.
 
A six-game win streak, undefeated regular season home record, the highest national ranking (#4), and top 10 rankings in both national polls were also program firsts, earned under Hawkins' tutelage. Combined with UC Davis' first victory over FCS powerhouse Montana — on its own turf — victories in the Battle for the Golden Horseshoe and Causeway Classic, the program's record books will enjoy a severe overhaul heading into next season.
 
Last weekend, UC Davis won its inaugural Big Sky title, which led to its first-ever FCS postseason appearance — a game that will take place on Dec. 1 at Aggie Stadium. Do not miss this opportunity to witness history firsthand, secure your seats for this playoff contest today!
 

AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
 
DON'T MISS OUT!
Secure the best possible seats at all home games throughout the 100th season of UC Davis football by purchasing single-game tickets. Directly support the program by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1, or online at UCDavisAggies.com.
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley.
 
The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.