Nov. 15, 2009

Complete Great West Conference Release in PDF Format

DAVIS, Calif. - Linebacker Mike Morales, who had a team-high eight tackles during UC Davis' 28-20 Great West Conference championship win over North Dakota on Saturday at Aggie Stadium, has been named the league's defensive player of the week for the second consecutive week, it was announced on Sunday morning.

Morales, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior from Los Altos, had two solo stops among his total while also contributing a pass breakup. He was part of an Aggie defense that stifled North Dakota early on by forcing a trio of three-and-outs that totaled just seven yards. It had five three-and-outs for the game. Morales, who had four tackles in each half and also had 0.5 TFL, also helped hold UND to 265 yards after it came in averaging 322.3.

Morales moved within three solo tackles of the top spot on the Aggies' career list with 133, and is also No. 6 with 123 career assisted tackles.

UC Davis claimed the Great West Conference title for the first time since 2005 while also posting its first winning season since 2006. The Aggies will take a two-game winning streak into Saturday's Causeway Classic at Sacramento State.

Wide receiver Dominique Johnson of Cal Poly shared the conference's top offensive honor with quarterback Noah Shepherd of South Dakota. Johnson had 13 catches for 273 yards and five touchdowns during the Mustangs' wild 50-48 loss to South Dakota while Shepherd threw for 413 yards and five touchdowns. Southern Utah punter Trevor Ward earned special teams accolades.