UC DAVIS FOOTBALL
The Dawning of a New Era

A new $31 million stadium and a new home as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) mark a new era for the UC Davis Aggies, who will look to a tradition of excellence, as they embark on a challenging 2007 season.

It's all led to a renewed excitement on the UC Davis campus, which finished a four-year reclassification from Division II to Division I in 2006-07. The season marks the Aggies' first as an active member of their new division and hopes are high for a return to the NCAA postseason, something not possible during the transition. While not officially a member of the FCS during its reclassification, UC Davis still garnered plenty of attention by regularly appearing in the top 25 rankings and shocking the collegiate football world with a stunning 20-17 win over Stanford in 2005.

It's fueled anticipation for a program that has enjoyed an amazing 37 consecutive winning seasons, the longest active streak for any non- Division III program.

But the Aggies' new Division I life is only part of their story in 2007. After playing at venerable Toomey Field since 1949, UC Davis moves to the opposite end of campus and, in essence, worlds apart from its old facility and into Aggie Stadium. The stadium, which began construction in 2005, is situated below-grade and features seating for more than 10,000 fans. Nearly four times as many season tickets as last year have already been sold.

Aggie Stadium, which is also home for the women's lacrosse team, features fixed seating on both the east- and west-side of the venue with beautiful grass berms behind each end zone. A modern pressbox, which features an expanded club room on the concourse level, also highlight the stadium while a mammoth scoreboard with large video display, a Sportexe synthetic field turf and a team building with three locker rooms, are also featured amenities. Plenty of concession locations, nearby parking and plans for pregame fan festivals promise to make Aggie Stadium an inviting place to watch high-level collegiate football.

UC Davis hopes to deliver another exciting season on the field with a solid mix of veterans and newcomers for 15th-year head coach Bob Biggs (114-48-1), whose team posted its second straight 6-5 record in 2006. The Aggies return 14 starters overall, including six on both sides of the ball, to go with two specialists.

Offensive keys for the Aggies begin with finding a replacement for three-year starting quarterback Jon Grant who graduated. Signal-calling duties will likely come down to either Tim Plough or Matt Engle, a pair of seniors who have played sparingly over the past few seasons but who have extensive knowledge of UC Davis' complicated spread offense.

Wide receivers Chris Carter and Kale Turner return to the outside with Carter coming off a 54-reception season as a freshman last year that garnered him All-Great West Football Conference honors. Defensive tackle John Faletoese, a preseason All-American by two publications, is a two-time All-GWFC first-team pick heading into his junior season.

If UC Davis hopes to stretch its streak of winning seasons to 38 and make a run for the playoffs, they'll have to do it against a schedule that features New Mexico Bowl winner San Jose State on Sept. 29. FCS contenders — and GWFC rivals — North Dakota State, Cal Poly and South Dakota State are each ranked in preseason polls while Causeway Classic rival Sacramento State awaits in November.

Undoubtedly, though, the new era is a time for new excitement at UC Davis. www.UCDavisAggies.com