UC DAVIS AGGIES
Making A Statement!

UC Davis enters its third season of football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level with renewed optimism and key experience on both sides of the ball but facing a schedule that is the toughest in school history.

It all adds up to what promises to be another exciting season for the Aggies, who are coming off a 2008 season in which they finished 5-7 overall but earned second place in the Great West Conference with a 2-1 mark.

After stringing together 37 consecutive winning campaigns, UC Davis has posted five-win seasons each of the last two years as it continues to establish a solid Div. I foundation to lead a return to the playoffs.

Doing so in 2009 will require maneuvering through a schedule that includes both powerful Fresno State and Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference, and FCS runner-up Montana — all in the first month of the season.

Along the rest of the way they'll encounter road games at Portland State and Sacramento State of the Big Sky Conference and a home date with defending Great West Conference champion Cal Poly, which narrowly missed shocking college football last year when it took Wisconsin to overtime before succumbing on the final regular-season weekend.

UC Davis will look to a solid base of experience — especially on offense — as it looks to a return to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since its Div. II era. Ten players that earned All-GWC honors last year return for the Aggies, including seven on offense. Leading the way is quarterback Greg Denhan, a second-team pick after setting team records for completions (296) and regular-season yards (3,478) to go with 27 touchdown passes. He posted six 300-yard games, capping his sophomore season with 434 yards against the University of San Diego in the finale.

He'll have a pair of standout receivers in first-team selection Chris Carter (69 receptions, 768 yards) and second-team pick Bakari Grant (61, 720) who also combined for 13 scores. Tight end Dean Rogers (6-foot-2, 250, Jr.) and center Tommy Hernandez (6-foot-2. 283, Sr.) — also named a preseason All-America by Phil Steele's College Football Preview — return after first-team honors, while tackle Mark Tos (6-foot-6, 290, Jr.) and running back Joe Trombetta (547 yds, 3 TDs) are back after being named to the All-GWC second team.

UC Davis enjoyed a prolific passing attack at 309.0 yards per game — sixth-best in the country — but will be trying to find more even balance after averaging 117.4 ypg. on the ground. Losses of All-American Jonathan Compas and All-GWC pick Mario Gonzalez at the guard spots will be felt but the Aggies are confident in the corps ready to step into the lineup.

Defensively, UC Davis has been among the toughest FCS teams against the rush in recent seasons, and last year was no different. The Aggies allowed just 107.5 ypg. to rank 21st in the nation but will need to overcome the graduation of All-American and Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Year John Faletoese who picked up 5.5 sacks from his defensive tackle position.

UC Davis still packs plenty of punch, returning seven of the top 10 tacklers on the team, including senior linebacker Mike Morales, who had a team-high 48 solo stops among his 72 tackles. Morales is one of three All-GWC returnees to the defense, a group that also includes end Patrick Michelier (6-foot-2, 260, Sr.) who was second on the team with 51 tackles and led it with 10.0 tackles-for-loss. Included were five sacks.