Nov. 14, 2007

Complete Game Notes in PDF Format

GAME 11

Univ. of San Diego (9-1)

at

UC Davis (4-6)

Nov. 17, 2007 • 1:00 p.m. (PDT) • Aggie Stadium (10,743)

OPENING KICKOFF
• Random news, notes and headline items to get things started... Many will be expanded on later in these notes. • UC Davis looks to end its football season with a win for the third season in a row and for the second consecutive time against the University of San Diego • The Aggies beat Northern Colorado in 2005 and USD last season, both times to prolong a streak of consecutive winning seasons which this season has come to an end at 37 years. • UC Davis is coming off its only bye of the season which followed its eighth straight win in the Causeway Classic series with rival Sacramento State. • The Aggies will also be looking to move their home record to 2-3 after closing out the road portion of their schedule with a 3-3 mark. • UC Davis will also be trying to win back-to-back games for the first time this season and the first time since ensuring a 36th straight winning season with victories over Sacramento State and San Diego last year. • The last time the Aggies didn't win consecutive games in a season was 1969, also their last season with a losing record prior to this year. • Saturday's game brings to a close the outstanding coaching career of UC Davis assistant head coach Fred Arp... Arp is completing his 40th year on the varsity staff... He came to UC Davis as an undergraduate transfer in 1963, began coaching with the junior varsity as a senior and has been on the coaching staff ever since... The San Diego game marks the 427th Aggie game of his career, more than half the games played in UC Davis' 89-year history... UC Davis' record during his tenure is 306-115-5. • The Toreros enter the game with a high-powered offense that is ranked No. 1 among NCAA FCS teams for scoring (44.2) and passing efficiency (198.69)... USD is also ranked No. 1 in kickoff returns (28.08) and No. 4 for total offense (484.3). • The Aggies counter with a passing offense that is ranked No. 11 (286.0 ypg.) • Saturday's game will feature two quarterbacks ranked among the national leaders... JOSH JOHNSON is No. 1 in both passing efficiency (200.73) and total offense (373.78).... The Aggies' Matt Engle, who has started the past four games, is No. 17 for efficiency (146.53) and No. 48 in total offense (196.38). • Engle is coming off his first career 300-yard game after completing 20 of 31 passes for 302 yards against Sacramento State... It is the second 300-yard game for UC Davis this season after Tim Plough threw for a career-best 388 yards at Eastern Washington in September. • Both signal-callers have shown the ability against throwing interceptions... Johnson has just one in 188 attempts while Engle has just two in 184 attempts, including having gone his last 86 passes without a pick. • LB Mike Morales continues to play well during the second half of the season... He posted 11 tackles at Sacramento State and has three double-digit games in the last four games overall... He had a career-high 15 against South Dakota State on Oct. 27 and has taken over the team lead with 67. • The Toreros feature an outstanding defensive player in DL ERIC BAKHTIARI who leads the NCAA FCS in sacks (1.85 pg) and is No. 3 in tackles-for-losses (2.20 pg). • UC Davis is 23 of 32 (.720) in the `red-zone' this season, accounting for 149 points.

THE NAME GAME
• With a new life in 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. • We've even seen U-C Davis... You name it, we've seen it and heard it.... then tried to correct it. • An new moniker noticed on a luggage tag last season at Montana State was "U-C David"... Never thought we'd see that one, though. • The Aggies thank you for helping them make a new name for themselves on the field only.

ALL-TIME SERIES
• UC Davis beat San Diego 37-27 in the final game of 2006, securing the program's 37th straight winning season... It was the first meeting between the schools. • The Aggies outscored the Toreros 24-9 in the second half to turn an 18-13 deficit into a win in the final game ever played at Toomey Field. • Former QB Jon Grant threw for 342 yards and 3 TD''s while kick-starting UC Davis' comeback in the second half with an 11-yard TD run early in the third quarter. • Former RB Marcus Nolan rushed for 167 yards and a 2-yard TD for UC Davis. • QB JOSH JOHNSON threw for 344 yards and 2 TD's and ran in for another from two yards.

A LOOK AT THE HEAD COACHES
• Bob Biggs (UC Davis `73) is in his 15th season at the helm of the Aggies and his 30th with the program overall. • He owns a 118-54-1 (.685) overall record and is 63-20-1 (.756) at home, 37-14 (.725) in November and entered the year 37-20 (.649) against opponents on the 2007 schedule. • Biggs is the second-winningest coach in the history of the UC Davis program, trailing only Jim Sochor whose 156-41-5 record between 1970-88 led to his enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame. • RON CARAGHER (UCLA `90) is 9-1 and in his first season with the Toreros, taking over for former head coach JIM HARBAUGH, who is now at Stanford. • Caragher joined the USD program after four seasons as an assistant at Kentucky and nine years (1994-2002) as an assistant coach at UCLA.

BRIEF TOREROS SCOUTING REPORT
• San Diego, a nonscholarship program, enters the week as the top-ranked mid-major team by The Sports Network after having been named the No. 1 mid-major team each of the past two seasons. • The Toreros have won 36 of their past 39 games, a run beginning with the final five games of the 2004 season... They tied for the Pioneer Football League championship, their third league title in the row, but will not represent the league in its postseason Gridiron Classic due to losing earlier this season to co-champion Dayton. • USD features an offense that is currently No. 1 in NCAA FCS for scoring (44.2), No. 4 for total yards (484.3) and No. 9 for passing yards (296.5).... Its rushing attack is ranked No. 36 (187.8). • A major part of their attack is All-America QB JOSH JOHNSON, who leads the FCS in total offense (373.78) and passing efficiency (200.73)... Johnson, who was sixth in voting for last year's Walter Payton Award as the top I-AA player, has completed 69 percent of his passes for 38 touchdowns... He has thrown just one interception. • His main target has been WR WES DOYLE, who has 71 catches for 908 yards... He is T-9th (7.10) in the FCS for receptions per game and 14th (90.8) in receiving yards per game. • Three other players have at least 25 catches and 294 yards. • USD is coming off a 27-14 win at Morehead State (Ky.) on Saturday after taking a 24-7 halftime lead... Johnson threw for 211 yards and two scores while RB J.T. ROGAN ran for 154 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. • As a team, San Diego rushed for 228 yards, accumulating 449 yards of total offense. • Defensively, DL ERIC BAKHTIARI leads the FCS with an average of 1.85 sacks per game... He has an amazing 18.5 sacks this season, totaling 125 yards in losses... Bakhtiari has 23.0 TFL's, averaging 2.20 per game which is No. 3 in the national rankings. • San Diego is No. 10 nationally in sacks, averaging 2.90 per game. • The defense is allowing an average of 371.2 ypg (No. 62 in FCS), which is split between the rush (147.40, No. 44) and pass (223.8, No. 81). • USD allowed just 253 total yards to Morehead State on Saturday, including just 94 on the ground.

UC DAVIS-SACRAMENTO STATE REVIEW
• CB Adam Cook's interception was the seventh of his career... His 87-yard interception return was third-longest in school history, trailing only a 97-yard TD return by Elijah Hall (vs. Chico State, 1989) and a 90-yard return (no TD) by BEN WALLER (vs. Chico State, 1951). • Besides his interception, Cook also had two pass breakups and four tackles. • The Aggies converted a season-low three third-down attempts (3 of 14) and are 8 of 24 (.333) their last two games... Opponents are 14 of 32 (.438) during that same time. • UC Davis' safety in the second quarter was its first of the year while the Hornets' safety in the fourth quarter was the third by an opponent this season. • Sacramento State ran 88 plays, most by an opponent this season... Eastern Washington ran 85 and Western Washington ran 82. • WR Bakari Grant had 116 receiving yards, his second 100-yard game in his last four outings.... He had 118 against Cal Poly. • WR Sean Creadick's 59-yard reception was the Aggies' longest non-TD catch since CHRIS CARTER hauled in a 56-yarder at TCU last season. • The Aggies' two net rushing yards was the fewest for the program since Cal Poly held UC Davis to minus-1 yard in a 19-0 loss on Oct. 6, 1990... That was also the last time the Aggies were shut out in a game. • RB BRYAN HILLIARD was the third 100-yard rusher against UC Davis this season. • QB Matt Engle duplicated his 20-of-31 passing performance he had a week earlier against South Dakota State... His 302 passing yards were a career-best. • UC Davis had three interceptions against Sacramento State for the second straight year. • LB Mike Morales (11) and LB Chris Buck (11) combined for 22 tackles. • The Hornets scored on four straight possessions (3 TD's, 1 FG) covering the second and third quarters whle the Aggies scored TD's on back-to-back drives in each of those quarters. • UC Davis held the ball for 9:17 of the fourth quarter, its most of the game... Sacramento State had it for more than nine minutes in each of the first two quarters. • The Hornets had more first downs (25-16), rushing yards (186-2), plays (88-65) and possession time (31:41-28:19). • DL John Faletoese made his first appearance since injuring his ankle against North Dakota State on Oct. 6... He finished with an assisted tackle. • FS Kymm Snowden's interception was the first of his career. • The Aggies' 255 return yards were a season-high. • UC Davis didn't score in the first quarter for the fourth straight game and for the sixth time in 10 games. • The three points allowed by the Aggies in the first half equaled the lowest of the year in the first two quarters... Northeastern had just three on Sept. 22... Portland State was held to no points in the second half of its matchup on Sept. 8.

LAST CALL FOR CLUB FRED
• Assistant Head Coach Fred Arp will call it a career at UC Davis after Saturday's game, ending more than 40 years with the program. • Arp was a player for UC Davis and also coached with the junior varsity. • He joined the varsity in 1968 and has seen 306 wins, both ends of the current streak of 37 straight winning seasons, 20 straight league titles (1971-80) and 17 playoff appearances. • Arp has coached with the varsity for 39 seasons (he was a grad asst. at Northern Colorado in 1972). • His laid-back coaching style led his position players to label their group "Club Fred". • Arp, who handles number distribution and locker assignments, will still provide those duties upon his retirement, while also helping with scheduling. • Four of his players were been drafted into the NFL while five are in the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame.

FINAL GAME FOR 13 AGGIE SENIORS
• Saturday's game marks the final football game for a baker's dozen of players, each who has contributed greatly to the long-standing tradition of success at UC Davis. • Playing their final games are: FB Grant Ayvazyan, OL Greg Bellasis, K Emmanuel Benjamin, LB Chris Buck, LB CHRIS CARTER, CB Adam Cook, DL Travis Dulli, QB Matt Engle, CB Kenny Griffin, SS Brady McClendon, DL Ricky Owen, QB Tim Plough, WR Kale Turner.

SINGLE-GAME HIGH NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Longest run: T-6th - RB Joe Trombetta, 90 yds vs. Western Washington; T-10 - WR Kale Turner, 88 yds at Eastern Washington. • Most kickoff returns: T-4th - RB Brandon Tucker, 9 vs. Cal Poly. • Most sacks by a team: T-5th - UC Davis at Eastern Washington, 9. • Most attempts: 9th - QB Tim Plough, 58 at Eastern Washington. • Longest interception return: 7th - CB Adam Cook, 87 yards at Sacramento State.

ENGLE CONTINUES TO BE EFFECTIVE AS STARTER
• QB Matt Engle is in his fourth season with the Aggie program but did not see his first significant action until replacing injured QB Tim Plough in the first quarter at North Dakota State on Oct. 6. • Since that time - which includes starts in the last four games and five games played overall - he has thrown for 1,374 yards, 11 TD's and has completed 61.1 percent of his passes. • Engle has also given UC Davis shown the ability to run with the ball, having carried the ball 29 times for 90 yards, including a 27-yard run against Cal Poly. • He gave the Aggies their second 300-yard game of the year after coming close twice two other times... Engle threw for 298 yards against Cal Poly and 295 versus Southern Utah. • Engle has 3 TD passes in three of his last four games... He had three in three straight games (CP, SUU, SDSU), the first Aggie QB to do that since former QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN had 3 TD passes against New Mexico Highlands and Abilene Christian to start 2001, then had 4 TD strikes at Western Oregon in the third game. • He has a long TD pass of 70 yards to WR Brandon Rice against Cal Poly.

AMOS ADDS TO CAREER SACK TOTAL
• DE James Amos is having another standout season as his Aggie career winds down, having collected a team-high 60 sacks so far this year. • His total eclipses the total of last year's leader, DE Michael Ng, who had five. • Amos is T-34th nationally in sacks (0.6 per game) and T-79th in TFL's (1.05 pg). • Amos has 16 career sacks, totaling 116 yards in losses while his career TFL total is at 31.5 for 145 yards in losses.

A LOOK BACK AT THE STREAK
• UC Davis' hopes of a 38th consecutive winning season was ended the Oct. 27 loss to South Dakota State... Prior to this season, the Aggies' last losing season was a 3-7 record in 1969, the year before JIM SOCHOR took over as head coach. • The Aggies record during the 37 seasons was 300-100-7 (.748). • It was the second-longest active streak in NCAA football with Linfield (Ore.) currently 52 after this season. • The Aggies hold Div. II records for winning and `non-losing' seasons which are both 35 years... (The NCAA stopped counting UC Davis' record as a Div. II record after 2004 due to its reclassification to Div. I.) • UC Davis' Div. II marks will hold at least for seven more years as Pittsburg State (Kan.) is currently at 30. • The Aggies won 23 conference championships during the streak, including 20 in a row from 1971-90... Ten other seasons were played as an independent. • Prior to this year, the streak was in jeopardy heading into the final game of the season six times, including last year... 2006 was the second consecutive year (and second time ever) UC Davis had entered the last game with a .500 record and needed a win to finish with a winning season. • Other notables in the list of schools entering the season with college football's longest streaks include No. 4 Florida State (30 years), T-No. 10 Michigan (22 years) and No. 16 Texas (14 years).

BENJAMIN NOW NO. 4 ON FIELD GOAL LIST
• PK Emmanuel Benjamin made a 35-yard field at North Dakota State on Oct. 6, the 30th of his career. • That successful attempt moved him past former great ROLF BENIRSCHKE (1974-76) for No. 4 on the program's all-time list and just one behind RAY SULLIVAN (1981-84). • Benjamin is currently No. 2 in attempts (53), is fifth in PAT's made with 112, and is fifth in PAT's attempted with 126. • EDDIE LORETTO (1985-88) made 47 career field goals to set the Aggie standard in that department while ERIC FRIEND (1997-2000) had 171 conversions for No. 1 in that one. • Benjamin has also added punting duties to his plate for the first time in his Aggie career... He is averaging 41.5 yards per kick with a long of 72... He punted in high school. • His 72-yard kick was the program's first punt of at least 70 yards since GREG ALLEY's 70-yarder against Texas A&M-Commerce in 1998. • CHRIS HUMES had a 76-yard punt against Angelo State in the 1989 NCAA Div. II Playoffs - still a Div. II playoff record... It is also the school record.

OFFENSIVE LINE HAS BEEN STABLE THIS YEAR
• A key to the Aggies' 395.8 ypg. of total offense has been the offensive line which returned two starters in G Jonathan Compas and G Mario Gonzalez to this year's squad. • It's also a unit that has started every game this season... While other areas of the team have been beset by injury the line has not had a starter miss a game yet. • Compas, a junior, is a returning All-GWFC first-team pick who has started each of his 27 career games, including the last 21 Aggie games... (He missed the last five of `05 with injury). • Gonzalez, also a junior, has a string of 26 straight starts, the first five coming in 2005 when graduated senior Kyle Skierski moved to left tackle. • Gonzalez is a team captain... He made his first career start during the Aggies' win at North Dakota State in 2005. • The remaining trio of starters - C Tommy Hernandez, OT Steve Gatena and OT Mark Tos - have started each game this year, the first starts of their careers. • Gatena is a junior, Hernandez is a sophomore while Tos is a redshirt freshman.

WELCOME TO NEW AGGIE STADIUM
• The Sept. 1 game marked the first-ever football contest at new Aggie Stadium, a $31 million facility whose primary funding (approx. $19 million) is coming from undergraduate students who approved the Facilities And Campus Enhancement (F.A.C.E) Inititiative in 1999. • Construction began in 2005 with hopes of playing a part or all of the 2006 home season in the stadium... However, bad weather helped slow construction and force a delay until 2007. • The stadium, also the home for Aggie women's lacrosse, saw its first action in April when UC Davis hosted Saint Mary's in lacrosse action... The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships were held at Aggie Stadium at the end of the season. • Aggie Stadium features nearly 9,000 permanent seats and almost 2,000 grass berm seats for a total capacity of 10,743... More than 2,500 season tickets have been sold, nearly quadrupling the previous high of 750. • Also featured is a Daktronics scoreboard with 19'2" by 24' video display. • The field is a Sportexe Synthetic Field... Wall-to-wall 104,000 square feet, if you're curious. • The team building features three locker rooms and 160 total lockers, a team meeting room and large equipment/training room. • 32 points of sale for concession and the Aggie Pride Outlet for souvenir merchandise are also available. • The pressbox features two radio booths, a TV booth and seating for nearly 20 writers, in addition to coaches booths and two more booths for operations. • There are 5,000 parking spaces within a 10-minute walk highlight transportation accomodations.

STREAKS OF NOTE
• UC Davis has scored in 199 consecutive games... The last shutout was a 19-0 defeat to Cal Poly in 1990... The closest time in recent years the streak was jeopardy was in the 2001 NCAA Div. II Playoffs when North Dakota took a late safety in a 14-2 win. • The Aggies are believed to have not had less than 200 yards in total offense since a 30-12 loss to Nevada in 1969, a span that now stands at 420 games... UC Davis had 130 in that game. • UC Davis has scored at least 13 points in 22 consecutive games.

PRESEASON AND IN-SEASON HONORS PARADE
• DL John Faletoese was named a preseason All-American by Street & Smith's College Football Yearbook, The Sports Network (1st team) and by the College Sporting News. • OL Jonathan Compas was selected to the College Sporting News All-America third team. • Both were also named to Phil Steele's College Football Preview magazine's All-GWFC teams: Faletoese (1st team) & Compas (2nd). • DE James Amos, LB Chris Buck and DB Adam Cook were also named to Phil Steele's first team while Compas and CHRIS CARTER were second-team picks on the offensive side of the ball. • Amos was named the GWFC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9 after gaining two sacks at Portland State.

JUST TWO PERMANENT CAPTAINS
• For the first time since 1988, UC Davis will have just two team captains... Others will rotate for each game. • OL Mario Gonzalez and LB Chris Buck are the only two captains since Jack Wildermuth and Cameron Boyer in 1988. • UC Davis did have three in 1990 and 1996 but have had four every other year since 1988.

CONTINUITY LEADS TO SUCCESS
• A key to any successful football program is a continuity in the coaching staff. • Five members of the staff enter the season with a combined 129 "coaching years" after having been together as a quintet the past 18 years. • Bob Biggs (29 years total, 14 as head coach); Assistant head coach Fred Arp (40 years); defensive coordinator LOU BRONZAN (23 years); offensive coordinator Mike Moroski (19 years) and running backs/special teams coach Greg Chapla (18 years). • For good measure, they're all graduates of UC Davis.

AGGIES IN THE PROS
• OT Cory Lekkerkerker (2003-04) was a backup with the San Diego Chargers but was released on Saturday... He was picked up on waivers by the Miami Dolphins. • TE Daniel Fells (2002-05) was with the Atlanta Falcons but was released... He was later signed to the Oakland Raiders practice squad. • He and Lekkerkerker were free agent signees out of UC Davis a year apart. • QB J.T. O'SULLIVAN (1998-2001), the all-time passing leader at UC Davis, is currently with the Detroit Lions as a backup signal-caller... He was signed by the Lions after earning Offensive MVP honors with Frankfurt of NFL Europe this past spring. • O'Sullivan was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round in 2002, the last NFL draftee for UC Davis. • Former MARK GRIEB (1994-96) led the San Jose Sabercats to the Arena Bowl title this summer and was named the game's MVP... He has played in two Arena Bowls and is one of the league's all-time best QB's. • OT Elliot Vallejo (2003-06) is a rookie free agent signee with the Arizona Cardinals... He is currently on the practice squad. • WR Tony Kays (2003-06) was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals to a rookie free agent contract but was waived on Aug. 28.

AGGIE COACHING TREE INCLUDES BIG NAMES
• Besides becoming the all-time winningest coach at UC Davis, former mentor JIM SOCHOR has several former players and assistants who have gone to college or pro coaching careers, including: • MIKE BELLOTTI (Oregon, head coach), who played for Sochor in 1969-72 and was a subsequent assistant coach. • BOB FOSTER (California, LB coach) was an assistant coach under Sochor before taking over as head coach from 1989-92. • He coached with DAN HAWKINS at Willamette (Ore.) and is now with Cal. • DAN HAWKINS (Colorado, head coach), who played for the Aggies in 1981-82 and was later an assistant. • He went to Colorado from Boise State last year. • PAUL HACKETT (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, QB coach), who played from 1966-68, and was an assistant at UC Davis as well a head coach at USC, Pittsburgh and an assistant with the New York Jets. • CHRIS PETERSEN (Boise State, head coach), who played for UC Davis in 1985-86 and was also an assistant... He led Boise State to an unbeaten season and a Fiesta Bowl win last season.

KEANE MOVES FROM CAPTAIN TO COACH
• TIM KEANE is in his first season as assistant coach with UC Davis, helping offensive coordinator Mike Moroski with the line. • Keane is no stranger to the line having started the final 22 games of his career and earning the program's "unsung hero" award both years. • He was part of an offensive line in 2006 that allowed just 13 sacks in 419 passing plays.