Humility.

It’s the quality of being humble.

It’s also a characteristic freshman quarterback Randy Wright undoubtedly possesses on the football field.

“I think it’s just my personality,” Wright said. “I’m always calm. I enjoy playing football and there’s nothing to get big-headed about. It all goes back to the fact that I’ve been playing my whole life. I truly enjoy doing it.”

Despite Wright’s past successes, he is now “a work in progress,” according to coach Bob Biggs, but he’s making strides.

The Santa Rosa, Calif. native lost a total of three games in his career at Cardinal Newman High School before graduating in 2009.

He even captured all-state honors and won All-North Bay League Co-MVP after leading his team to the California Division III Bowl Championship game in his senior season.

With a supportive family and an older brother playing at the collegiate level, Wright always knew he would play college football.

Little did he know, however, that he’d face the opportunity to earn the starting quarterback job in his second campaign as an Aggie.

“When the coaches told us [junior starter Greg Denham] left in late spring, we were all shocked and wide-eyed,” Wright said. “It was open competition.”

Later in the summer before the 2010 season, Biggs announced that Wright would fill Denham’s position as the team prepared to face the California Golden Bears on the road.

Wright didn’t feel any first-game anxiety on the hour-and-a-half-long bus ride on the way to that Berkeley. He wasn’t even nervous when he arrived at Memorial Stadium where over 58,000 fans waited to watch the game.

“We went up into the locker room about 20 minutes before the game,” Wright said. “That’s when it hit me. I started getting nervous and jittery. Then we went back down and once I got on the field I wasn’t nervous. It was like home to me.

“Once you get on the field it’s just football again.”

Despite Wright’s demeanor, the Aggies struggled to keep up with the Bears’ fast tempo, losing 58-3.

Though Wright was sacked once and threw for just 57 yards, he kept his composure throughout, and things have been getting easier as the season has progressed.

After six contests, the game is gradually slowing down around Wright, and the Aggies are 3-3 overall and 1-0 in the Great West Conference on the year.

The young quarterback is improving with each outing, said Biggs. The progress is evident in the statistics as Wright has thrown for a total of 1,195 yards so far this season, including a high of 261 against San Diego. He has also connected with 12 different receivers and thrown just three interceptions on the year.

Does the improved performance mean that he’s satisfied with where he stands as an athlete?

“Absolutely not,” Wright said. “There’s always room to get better. When you’re content, that’s when you don’t get better.”

Biggs believes that as long as Wright stays the course, this humility – this never believing he’s “there” – will eventually take him a long way.

“Some guys have that burning passion in the pit of their stomach, but on the outside they’re very controlled,” Biggs said. “Randy is like that – he’s more controlled.

“He gets mad at himself when he doesn’t do things well, and that’s good. I want him to be that way.”

More importantly, Biggs said, Wright wants to be that way.

“He wants to be successful, and that’s a quality that you look for,” Biggs said. “Randy is the kind of person that wants to raise his game, and he understands that it’s a process. He’s a quick learner, and he’s got a lot of skills.”

Wright knows his work is cut out for him, having set a personal goal to keep gaining momentum each week.

With opponents loading defenders on the line of scrimmage, he has been forced to make short passes to get the ball down the field little by little.

He’s fully aware of why teams do this, too.

“If there are more guys on the line of scrimmage, it’s harder to run the ball,” Wright said. “They do that because I’m a freshman quarterback, and they don’t think I can beat them with the pass.

“I’m not proven as a quarterback.”

As far as his hopes for the upcoming schedule, Wright is focused on his veteran teammates.

“Playoffs are still in reach,” he said. “If we make a good run in the next five games, we can hopefully get our seniors into the playoffs for our first time.”

GRACE SPRAGUE can be reached at sports@theaggie.org

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal Poly; vs. UC Santa Barbara

Records: Aggies 12-6 (4-2); Mustangs 14-5 (4-2); Gauchos 10-8, (4-1)

Where: The Pavilion

When: Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: Melanie Adams is just one of two seniors in the Aggies this year, and she is certainly playing the part.

The El Dorado Hills, Calif. native tallied 25 total kills in UC Davis’ matches against Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton last weekend. Adams leads the Aggies in service aces and is fourth on the team in kills for the season.

Did you know? Junior middle blocker Betsy Sedlak continues to dominate the Big West Conference in hitting percentage, leading the conference by a substantial amount with a .440 percentage. Sedlak is also .005 percentage points away from the national lead in the category.

Preview: Last weekend’s slate of matches didn’t turn out how the Aggies wanted.

UC Davis will spend no time sulking the losses, however.

“Both matches this weekend will be really tough,” coach Jamie Holmes said. “We’ll have to prepare and work at practice. We also have to improve in some aspects of our game.”

UC Davis will attempt to rebound after a heartbreaking, fifth set loss at the hands of Cal State Fullerton last weekend on the road. The Aggies fought back from a one set deficit, only to fall in the deciding game.

There’s good news and bad news for the Aggies as they continue their trek through the Big West. The good news is they’ll return home for their next slate of matches. The bad news, however, is that UC Davis will match up against two of the top teams in the conference. UC Santa Barbara is tied for first with Cal State Fullerton while Cal Poly is tied with UC Davis for second place.

“We’ll have back-to-back weekends of playing top teams in the conference,” Holmes said. “Cal Poly is a good team and [UC] Santa Barbara has beaten some credible opponents.”

Holmes feels the Aggies have the ability to top both the Mustangs and Gauchos as long as UC Davis protects the ball and makes smart decisions.

“It will have to be more of the same from us,” Holmes said. “We’ll need to identify their tendencies on offense and try to disrupt them. We’ll need to serve, pass and block better.”

The one intangible UC Davis possesses over its opponents is the home-court advantage. While this weekend’s set of matches will only be the Aggies’ third and fourth at home games while school is in session, Holmes wants to see the Aggie Pack fill the bleachers.

“I think the familiar environment at home is fantastic,” Holmes said. “I hope the student body decides to back us up and get people into the stands to see the wonderful product we have here.”

– Jason Alpert

101410_sp_Wsoccerpreview

Headline: Women’s Soccer Preview

By MATT WANG

Aggie Sports Writer

Teams: UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara

Records: Aggies 5-7-1, (0-2-0); Gauchos 6-6-2 (2-2-0)

Where: Harder Stadium – Santa Barbara, Calif.

When: Friday at 5 p.m.

Who to watch: If the Aggies want to be competitive with conference teams, UC Davis will have to keep the game within reach.

Junior Aisha Lott will be central to this. The native of Milpitas, Calif. has been instrumental to the Aggies’ defense so far.

Lott has only taken five shots, but she has started every game and is the real reason why the Aggies have managed to stay strong in spite of a list of injuries.

“Aisha Lott and all of the captains have done well,” said coach Maryclaire Robinson. “It’s taken extraordinary leadership.”

Did you know? The women’s soccer squad isn’t the only UC Davis team that will play the Gauchos this weekend.

“We’re playing before the [men’s soccer] game,” Robinson said. “It creates a great atmosphere. Even if people come for the men’s game and see ours, it’s going to be really fun.”

Preview: The “easy” part is over.

Only conference games remain on the Aggies’ schedule, and as the season is nearing its end, the women’s squad has some work to do in order to be competitive within the Big West.

The Aggies are trying to find their winning touch as they are on a four-game skid. They have taken leads in the last two matches but lost them in the later minutes.

On the docket are the Gauchos, who took the No. 19 Anteaters to overtime in their last game. Though UC Santa Barbara played strong for 90 minutes, Tanya Taylor’s golden goal for UC Irvine would win the game and break the Gauchos’ hearts.

Though the Gauchos present problems for UC Davis because of their talent, Robinson emphasizes that this is just another conference game.

“They have some players with speed,” said Robinson. “Any team we play in conference is going to be tough to beat at home. But it’s just another conference game, and we’re going to try to squeeze out a win any way we can.”

– Matt Wang

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC San Diego

Records: Aggies, 11-5 (11-0); Tritons, 9-7

Where: Schaal Aquatic Center

When: Friday at 3:30 p.m.

Who to watch: If the trend of double-teaming and stifling center Aaron Salit continues, the Aggies will have to find other players to get something going.

One of these players who has shown play-making ability has been senior Carlos Martinez.

Though the native of Walnut Creek, Calif., is no longer the primary source of scoring, he still remains a crucial role in the offense. In addition to his four assists, Martinez has put up six goals – three of them coming against the Tritons.

Did you know? Friday’s game against UC San Diego will be the last time this season the Aggies will face a conference opponent at home.

Preview: With the water polo season nearing its climax, several things still loom ahead for the Aggies.

There is a real possibility that they can end up undefeated in conference play.

Though they started the season by taking a tough loss to California, UC Davis has turned things around and imposed their will upon Western Water Polo Association opponents. The Aggies are 11-0 against conference rivals, with their five losses coming against top-10 opponents.

In order to finish the conference portion without a loss, the Aggies will have to take out the Tritons in their last conference home game.

Both teams will attempt to rebound from tough losses. UC Davis will look to get scoring early and often, as they were held to only three goals against Pacific on Oct. 8.

UC San Diego hopes to regain the winning touch after No. 8 Long Beach State broke their three-game winning streak.

Recent opponents have been focusing on Salit, requiring the perimeter players to shoot well – something the men’s squad did not do well last weekend.

“We gave [Pacific’s] goalie easy shots to block,” said men’s water polo coach Steve Doten. “Usually, we do a little better job shooting the ball. If we can’t get [Salit] the ball, we’re going to have to move [the ball] around.”

– Matt Wang

Event: ITA Regional Tournament

Where: Palo Alto, Calif.

When: Saturday through Tuesday, all day

Who to watch: Senior Nick Lopez is the experienced leader of the team entering his fourth season with the Aggies. The Orinda, Calif. native is coming off earning second team all Big West Conference in singles and doubles play.

Did you know? Lopez defeated the 20th nationally ranked player at the boy’s 16s Clay Court Super nationals tournament in 2006 and went 8-2 at that tournament.

Preview: The transition to Division I has been difficult for the Aggie men’s tennis team.

UC Davis struggled in Big West play last season, winning just one conference match and being ousted at the conference tournament in the first round.

The ITA Tournament, however, helps paint a picture of the upcoming season and how each team has changed since last year. UC Davis will be matching up against top competition at the ITA Tournament, including California, Stanford and USC.

The Aggies will be sending their top six players to the tournament, including Toki Sherbakov and Connor Coates, in an effort start the season on the right foot.

Coach Daryl Lee will look at this weekend to show how the Aggies have improved during the off-season.

“We are still in the preparation phase,” Lee said. “But we’re looking to compete hard and represent our team in a positive manner.”

Lee hopes the doubles teams will hold their own and each player has a result that will help boost their confidence.

While Lee wants to see good results, he also wants to see the team gain some confidence.

While the outcome of the ITA Tournament is never predetermined, the Aggies will be facing stiff competition.

Although the preseason events like the ITA Tournament and the upcoming Gael Tennis Classic will count for postseason standings, conference play for the Aggies doesn’t start until January.

The time in between the end of the preseason matches and the start of Big West play will give Lee ample time to figure out the lineup for league play.

Lee believes UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara will be UC Davis’ toughest competition down the road once conference play begins.

– Ron Hooper

Teams: UC Davis vs. Pacific

Records: Aggies, 4-7 (0-4); Tigers 2-10 (0-2)

Where: Aggie Stadium

When: Saturday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Sophomore forward Marissa Hughes has been a nice scoring threat for the Aggies.

The Vista, Calif. local has three goals this season, including one in UC Davis’ most recent game against Ball State.

Did you know? This game has an extra level of importance for coach Vianney Campos.

Campos played four years of field hockey for Pacific and was an assistant coach before joining the Aggies.

She led the nation in points per game and goals per game her senior season at Pacific.

Preview: UC Davis will be looking to end its home schedule with a victory.

To do that, the Aggies will do their best to bring energy to the game from the start.

“We want to come out with a lot of excitement,” Campos said. “We think we’ll have a strong home crowd. It’s a big game.”

UC Davis can take confidence from more than just the home field advantage.

The Aggies defeated the Tigers in an exhibition match this summer, and UC Davis feels they have improved since that time.

“It brings us a lot of confidence to know that we can beat them,” Campos said, “and I feel like we’ve gotten 10 times better since then.”

Still, the Aggies know they will have to be at the top of their game if they expect to beat the Tigers.

“Pacific has improved a lot over the course of the season,” Campos said. “They’re coming off a few tough losses and we expect them to have a chip on their shoulder.”

Regardless of Pacific’s mental state, the match-up will be the best chance this season for the Aggies to get their first ever NorPac Conference win.

Campos feels it is a feat her team deserves.

“A NorPac win is much needed right now,” she said. “The players have earned it with the way they’ve competed. We’ve been playing like NorPac contenders and getting a conference win would show that we are here to compete on the highest level.”

– Trevor Cramer

Event: Santa Clara University Bronco Invitational

When: Saturday, all day

Where: Santa Clara, Calif.

Who to Watch: Junior runner Krista Dreschler was awarded the Big West Conference’s Women’s athlete of the week after the Stanford Invitational.

The Santa Barbara, Calif. native finished in sixth place with a time of 20:49 in the 6K race.

Did you know? This is the Aggies’ final cross country event before they match up against the best in their conference at the Big West Conference Championship in two weeks.

Preview: Three long weeks have passed since the Aggies last had a taste of competition.

This weekend’s meet at Santa Clara University is UC Davis’ first look at new opponents since the Stanford Invitational on Sep. 25.

The men finished seventh while the women finished sixth at the event. This left the Aggies feeling temporarily satisfied with their results.

But now the wait is over for fresh competition as the Big West Championship sits just over the horizon. The runners are hungry again to showcase their speed this Saturday against 30 other teams.

Coach Drew Wartenburg is very interested to see the conditioning level of his squad after three weeks of workouts.

“This will be a good marker to see how they have advanced in their fitness,” Wartenburg said.

Wartenburg looks to see big results out of runners Jonathan Sees and Jonathan Peterson.

“This is the last chance for them to really cut loose before getting ready for the Big West meet,” Wartenburg said.

On the women’s side, Wartenburg pointed out Krista Dreschler is on the hunt to have another outstanding showing after her great performance at Stanford three weeks ago.

Along with getting a good look at his own team, coach Wartenburg is using this upcoming weekend to get a preview of the competition for the Big West Championship.

The coach calls this weekend a “dress rehearsal” for the championship and is looking to such upperclassmen as Sees, Peterson and Dreschler to lead the way for the Aggies at Santa Clara.

This far into the season, the team looks to be right where they want to be on an individual level. Wartenburg says that the key to this weekend will be to put forth a great team effort. Having a good day across the board will be what pulls the Aggies out ahead this weekend.

– Johnny Parsons