Football preview
Teams: UC Davis at Northeastern
Records: Aggies, 1-3; Huskies, 0-3
Where: Parsons Field – Brookline, Mass.
When: Saturday at 9 a.m. PST
Television: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: KHTK (1140 AM)
Who to watch: John Faletoese might be unstoppable.
Despite seeing double-teams on practically every snap, the senior defensive tackle has 12 tackles (3 TFL), two sacks and three blocked kicks. Last week against No. 4 Montana, he blocked two field goals, earning him Great West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. The Jesuit High School graduate also had two sacks in the 29-24 road loss.
“He’s probably – and I don’t think I would even get an argument for this – he’s probably the best defensive tackle that has played here at Davis,” head coach Bob Biggs said. “He’s an exceptional player in that he’s so explosive and has such great quickness at 6-foot-3, 290-plus pounds.“
Did you know? When UC Davis last played Northeastern, it wasn’t much of a contest.
Last season on Sept. 22, the Aggies had 440 yards of total offense while the Huskies managed only 206 yards in UC Davis‘ 28-10 victory at Aggie Stadium. Northeastern’s lone touchdown came in garbage time with less than a minute ago.
Preview: If there was ever a time to begin a winning streak, this is it for UC Davis.
The team has dropped three of its first four games, and after facing Northeastern on the road Saturday, it will have five straight home contests.
“Certainly, coming back home and playing in front of our own fans is going to be a big help,” Biggs said. “We need some momentum to do that, and we need to win this week.“
If UC Davis can avoid a hangover from the 2,700-plus mile trek to Brookline, the Huskies could have their hands full.
So far this season, they are allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 72.6 percent of their passes for 270.3 yards per game and a 188.6 efficiency rating. The defense is also allowing 5.5 yards per carry and has forced zero turnovers and only four punts in three games.
–Michael Gehlken
