Event: 57th Annual Causeway Classic
Teams: UC Davis vs. Sacramento State
Records: Aggies, 5-5; Hornets, 6-4
Where: Aggie Stadium
When: Saturday at 4 p.m.
Who to watch: Sometimes tight ends can be overlooked.
However, senior team captain Dean Rogers stands out as a both a good blocker and a good receiver, said coach Bob Biggs.
Rogers, from Visalia, Calif., caught four passes for 52 yards in last week’s dramatic victory over Cal Poly. He caught a 23-yard pass with minutes left on a drive that resulted in the winning touchdown.
“Great players make big plays in big games,” Biggs said. “Dean is ‘Mr. Consistent.’ He’s a great player in his own right, and he’ll go down as one of the great tight ends for us here.”
Did you know? The Causeway Classic began in 1954. Since 1961, the winner of the contest has received a Victorian-style “Causeway Carriage” as a trophy.
This year, instead of the carriage, the teams will exchange a piece of a pillar that was once used to support the Interstate 80 Causeway, a stretch separating the cities of Davis and Sacramento.
Preview: “Momentum is a crazy thing,” Biggs said. “Once it gets going, it’s hard to stop.”
UC Davis football believes the second-half energy from last week’s win over Cal Poly will carry over to Saturday when the Aggies take on the rival Hornets for the 57th annual Causeway Classic.
“Everybody is excited and ready to get after Sacramento State,” said quarterback Randy Wright.
Wide receiver Sean Creadick, couldn’t agree more.
“It means a lot,” Creadick said. “There’s such history in the rivalry. There’s a lot of energy, the fans get excited and the community rallies behind you. There’s a lot riding on [this game], which makes it exciting to watch and exciting to play.”
Sacramento State has won the past two Causeway Classic matchups. This year, the Hornets posted their best record ever in the Big Sky Conference. They also have an outside shot at playoffs – that is if the Aggies don’t stop them first.
However, Biggs says UC Davis is playing its best football at this point, and he’d like to see a winning season for his 13 seniors.
Biggs’ isn’t the only one looking out for the veterans, though.
“As underclassmen, we want to send [the seniors] off right,” Wright said. “It’s their final home game against Sacramento State, and we just want to get them out of here with a win.
“We’re 3-1 in [the Great West] Conference, and if we win both of our rivalry games and beat San Jose State, it’s a pretty solid season if you look at it that way.”
In addition to the rivalry, tradition and a winning record, the Aggies will also be competing for UC Davis’ honor.
“There’s a sense of pride in your school,” Biggs said. “We really are competing for our student body. We’d like to come out and perform for them, and the more people in the stands to support us, [the more it] helps our football team.”
– Grace Sprague
