UC Davis Aggies
Overall Rank: #23
#1 Great West
UC Davis Team Page
2010 Record: (6-5, 3-1)
2010 Postseason: none
Coach: Bob Biggs (136-71-1, 136-71-1 overall)
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Nick Aprile, FB, 389 yards
Passing: Randy Wright, QB, 2,432 yards
Receiving: Anthony Soto, WR, 344 yards
Tackles: Jordan Glass, LB, 66
Sacks: Byron Gruendl, LB, 2.5
Interceptions: Byron Gruendl, LB, 2; Jonathan Perkins, CB, 2
There should be some pretty high expectations at UC Davis after the Aggies fought through a tough schedule in 2010 and ended up with a winning record. Eight starters return on each side of the ball and Coach Bob Biggs is looking to make UC Davis’ last year in the Great West a memorable one. The Aggies, along with fellow current Great West members Cal Poly, Southern Utah and North Dakota, will all move to the Big Sky in 2012.
Strengths:
There are plenty of talented players on both sides of the ball, but it is the offense that garners the most excitement. Quarterback Randy Wright had a great freshman campaign and even earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Great West Conference and is only getting better. But Wright was pretty darn good last year, showing maturity beyond his years…not to mention a great arm. He threw for 2,432 yards and 17 touchdowns and UC Davis should air it out more this year. The loss of receivers Sean Creadick and Dean Rogers is a problem, but Anthony Soto is a big playmaker and Tom Hemmingsen is a quality receiver who can catch 50 passes. Tight end Mike Cody will also be more involved in the passing attack. The Aggies do not need to have a great ground game to have a great offense, but they at least need to have the threat of rushing. That should not be a problem with a whole slew of ball carriers returning. Nick Aprile is a big, bruising back, but Josh Reese and Corbin Cutshaw should get some carries as well. With a talented offensive line led by Ray Wilburn and Robert Ayotte, the offense should be more balanced and more effective this season.
Weaknesses:
The defense was pretty steady last year, but there is reason for concern with the absence of many of the team’s top playmakers. Dozie Amajoyi and Danny Hart are gone after leading the Aggies in tackles last season. Amajoyi also picked off a team high three passes and tallied 7.5 tackles-for-loss. Also gone is Eric Sobotka, who led the squad with 5.0 sacks. Without Amajoyi, it will be up to senior Jordan Glass to lead the group of linebackers. Byron Gruendl is a nice pass rushing outside linebacker, but the front four needs to get some pressure on the opposing quarterback too. Tackles Brock Galvin and Andrew Benjamin are a solid interior duo who should help the rush defense, but somebody has to get to the quarterback. Junior Tommy Grillo is the best option, but he saw plenty of playing time in 2010 and tallied just one sack. If the Aggies fail to find a quality pass rusher on the line, the conference’s second best secondary may not be nearly as effective. Hart will be missed, but the Aggies return corners Jonathan Calhoun and Jonathan Perkins and free safety Kevyn Lewis.
The Bottom Line:
The Aggies will not have an easy time winning the Great West, but this is a team with enough talent to take on Cal Poly and Southern Utah. The better news is in 2012 this will be a better team full of seniors. But, for now, that means a bunch of players who were underclassmen last year are now juniors and many of them have just started for one year. With that year of experience, UC Davis could be better at just about every position across the board.
Projected Postseason: none
2010 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 79.82 (112th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 223.36 (34, 3)
Total Offense: 303.18 (91, 4)
Scoring Offense: 21.18 (83, 4)
Rushing Defense: 167.82 (85, 4)
Pass Defense: 204.36 (61, 2)
Total Defense: 372.18 (81, 4)
Scoring Defense: 26.82 (74, 4)
Turnover Margin: .82 (12, 1)
Sacks: 1.45 (79, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 2.55 (86, 3)
Madness 2011 FCS Football Recruit Rankings:
#35 Tavior Mowry
#106 Justin Nunes
#131 Dane Turner
