First-year coach Vianney Campos uses phrases such as “an opportunity to grow” to describe her team through its first eight games.

This stretch for the Aggies has been nothing shy of that, as not one player on the roster had Division-I game experience prior to the start of the season.

“It has definitely been a learning experience,” Campos said. “We have the mentality of growing individually, as a team and as a program every single game.“

Despite closing out the summer with five straight losses, the Aggies have shown their ability to grow in only the first few games as a new program.

UC Davis started off its inaugural season with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Missouri State in front of former Aggie field hockey greats from the program’s intercollegiate days 27 years ago.

Freshman Liz Siemion scored first for UC Davis on an assist from Marissa Hughes exactly 18 minutes into the game.

The Bears responded with a goal of their own to tie up the score a little over two minutes later.

The two teams exchanged goals again as the game entered a sudden-death overtime period with the score tied 2-2.

Six minutes into the extra session, Hughes found the back of the net on a deflection from the left side with Lindsey Valadez recording the assist on the play.

UC Davis outshot Missouri State 20-13 for the game and dominated on corners with an 11-3 advantage.

The win marked the first for the Aggies since the 1982 season.

“[The win] was definitely good momentum for us,” Campos said. “A lot of the kids didn’t know what to expect at this level. All of [the players] were pretty much freshmen and only one saw a collegiate game.

“For them to come in, compete at that level and come out with the win was huge because it gave them confidence and made them feel like they belonged at the Division-I level.“

Freshman co-captain Kristen Lopez shared her coach’s enthusiasm.

“It was huge,” Lopez said. “Our first two scrimmages were kind of rocky. We knew we could win the Missouri [State] game. It was really cool to beat them in overtime.“

UC Davis followed up the momentous win with a 1-0 victory over Saint Francis five days later.

Freshman Ellre Ancheta scored the Aggies‘ lone goal seven minutes into the second half and goalie Lauren Sawvelle recorded the shutout to give UC Davis its second win of the season.

Another victory one day later over La Salle pushed UC Davis‘ record to 3-0 and had Campos raving about the athleticism of her squad.

“When you have kids who are athletic and naturally aggressive, it makes it so much easier to build,” Campos said. “They meshed well on the field and it was phenomenal to come out with three wins.“

UC Davis encountered struggles on the road after its hot start, losing the next five contests, four of which were away from home. The Aggies‘ lacked scoring in those games as they only managed to get three goals during that stretch.

“It was a change in style of play,” Campos said, “but we shouldn’t have excuses. We had video on all those teams and we should have been able to adjust. Six games in 11 days was a lot for them mentally and physically. What they learned out of it was that we have to adjust every game. We adjust to each team. The next game is a new game.“

Lopez also sees the Aggies‘ youthfulness and other teams‘ wealth of experience as factors in those games.

“The teams that have been playing together have been doing so for years and years,” Lopez said. “It is a lot bigger on the East Coast and there are a lot more players coming out of high school to play on college teams. This is our first couple of months playing together. We learned a brand new formation when we got here and our first day was only a couple of months ago.“

UC Davis lone home loss came by way of No. 14 Stanford, 5-1.

The Aggies enter Sunday’s contest with Pacific, Campos‘ alma mater, on a losing streak. Still, the young coach sees a lot of positives in the team’s play over the first half of the season.

“Every game that we have played, win or lose, we have been close,” Campos said. “We haven’t been blown out. Even though the score was as it was [against Stanford], we weren’t blown out. We were in the game. It has paid off for us and we are not going to stop here. The kids are growing every day.“

“We know that we have to come out strong,” Lopez said. “Our mentality has to be there. There are some games that we lost that we definitely could have won, but we just didn’t come out strong enough. There are teams that are going to be better than us, but we can stick with them.“

MAX ROSENBLUM can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The California Aggie’s fall quarter spotlight team was selected by Aggie Sports Editor Max Rosenblum, Aggie Associate Sports Editor John Heller and Aggie Sports writers Sammy Brasch, Kyle Hyland and Richard Procter.

Name: Paul Marcoux

Year: Senior

Sport: Men’s soccer

Position: Midfielder/forward

Last season, Marcoux was overshadowed by the likes of teammates Quincy Amarikwa, Sule Anibaba and Dylan Curtis.

This year, Marcoux will step into the limelight of the Aggies squad as one of the co-captains of the 2009 team.

The Mountain View, Calif. native, who was an all-Big West Conference Honorable Mention selection in 2008, has already scored three goals this season including one in game-winning fashion.

Marcoux scored twice in a 3-1 win over Central Arkansas at the UNLV Nike Invitional in Las Vegas on Sept. 6.

Name: Carson Lowden

Year: Senior

Sport: Volleyball

Position: Setter

In volleyball, it is said that the setter is like the quarterback. She runs the offense and distributes the ball.

Now a senior on a young squad, Lowden is taking to that moniker now more than ever.

A native of Yuba City, Calif., Lowden is entering her third year as the starting setter for the UC Davis squad, but has emerged as a true leader in her senior season.

So far this year she has dished out 10.62 assists per game, up one from last season, and has led the Aggies to a quick 9-5 start to 2009.

Name: Avreeta Singh

Year: Senior

Sport: Volleyball

Position: Libero

In 2002, the libero position was officially introduced into NCAA volleyball games.

Since then, no UC Davis player has owned the position like Avreeta Singh.

After the 15-dig performance against Montana State on Aug. 29, the Fresno, Calif. native set the UC Davis all-time record for digs with 1,591, surpassing the previous record-holder Mary McClelland who had 1,446 in her career.

This season, she has already amassed 174 digs, 4.14 per set, and has served up 12 aces, good for second on the squad.

Name: Greg Denham

Year: Junior

Sport: Football

Position: Quarterback

Winner of the team’s T. Palmer Moody award as an outstanding sophomore, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback is back to where he left off last season.

In a 17-10 defeat at the hands of No. 4 Montana, the Auburn, Calif. native completed 43 of 67 passes, tying a UC Davis record for completions, for 362 yards and one touchdown.

Denham, who hit seven different receivers in the contest, earned second team All-Great West Conference honors in 2008.

He threw for 3,478 yards and 27 touchdowns last season, including a five-touchdown performance versus Iona.

Name: Chris Carter

Year: Senior

Sport: Football

Position: Wide receiver

After posting a team-high in catches to go along with 768 yards and five touchdowns last season, 2009 looks to be much of the same for Carter.

As part of a pass-happy offense, the Danville, Calif. native caught a UC Davis record 18 balls for 190 yards in the Aggies‘ 17-10 home-opening loss to No. 4 Montana.

Carter, who received All-Great West recognition last year, is wasting no time making waves in the league this year as he was named GWC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Grizzlies.

Carter broke the school record of 15 receptions set by Tony Kays in 2005.

Name: Rochelle VanBuskirk

Year: Senior

Sport: Women’s soccer

Position: Forward

The UC Davis women’s soccer squad has already scored 20 goals this season, three more than it did all of last year.

So far this season, VanBuskirk has been at the head of that dangerous Aggie offensive attack.

The Pleasant Hill, Calif. has already notched seven goals and four assists this season. Both are tops in the Big West.

She had her best game of the season thus far in a 6-1 victory over Eastern Washington Sept. 13 as she found the back of the net twice and assisted on three more goals.

VanBuskirk and the Aggies are off to a 4-2-1 start.

Name: Jonathan Peterson

Year: Sophomore

Sport: Men’s cross country

In a sport where it is advantageous for a squad to run as a pack, Peterson has separated himself from the rest of the group.

The Clovis, Calif. native placed first in the four-mile race at the Hornet Jamboree in Sacramento on Sept. 12 with a time of 19:34, eight seconds ahead of teammate Russ Pfaff.

Peterson’s first-place finish helped UC Davis take first as a team with a cumulative score of 23.

For his performance, he was named the Big West Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.

Name: Austin Graham

Year: Junior

Sport: Men’s golf

Over the past two years, Graham has made swinging a golf club appear as easy as riding a bike. And to think – it seems as if he is continuing to get better.

The San Clemente High School graduate tied a course record with a 7-under 65 score at the Palouse Collegiate in Pullman, Wash. on Sept. 15. Graham got third place for his efforts and helped the team to a third-place overall finish.

This is only a small portion of what Graham has done in his time at UC Davis.

As a sophomore, he won the Big West Championship in a playoff with teammate Ramie Sprinkling. Graham won two other tournaments on the year and was tops on his team in scoring (72.1) and top-20 finishes (10).

Graham also shot a UC Davis record 63 in the second round of the Prestige at PGA West en route to a first-team All-Big West selection.

Name: Alice Kim

Year: Junior

Sport: Women’s golf

Sometimes overshadowed by her junior companion Chelsea Stelzmiller, Kim has been just as an important part of the women’s golf team.

The Walnut, Calif. native led the Aggies last season in top-five finishes (four), top-10s (nine) and scoring average (73.4 strokes per round).

She helped the Aggies to a second place finish at the Big West Championships and also had individual appearances at the NCAA Regional Tournament, the Division I Championships, the Public Links Championships and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Kim tied for eighth overall at the NCAA Division I Championships and was selected as an All-America Honorable Mention by the National Golf Coaches Association.

Name: Cory Lyle

Year: Junior

Sport: Men’s water polo

Position: Attacker

With both first-team All-WWPA selection Grant Muenter and second-team nod Adam Bennett graduating last year, junior attacker Cory Lyle is expected to fill the void for the Aggies on offense in 2009.

So far, the Carlsbad, Calif. native is getting it done.

He has scored a team-high 12 times this season, having led or tied for the team lead in goals in four of his team’s games.

The Aggies are off to a 5-4 start, which includes an upset of No. 10 Pacific at the NorCal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

Name: Marissa Hughes

Year: Freshman

Sport: Field hockey

Position: Forward

Hughes has wasted no time displaying her presence at the head of the UC Davis offensive attack.

The Vista, Calif. native recorded an assist and a game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Missouri State to open the season.

For her performance, Hughes was named the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 for the West Division of the Nor-Pac Conference.

She has started in all of the Aggies‘ eight games this season, has two assists and has put a team-high 15 shots on goal, helping the Aggies to a 3-5 start in their first year of competition since 1982.

It’s two weeks before school starts on a Saturday night and I’m walking around Aggie Stadium.

The football team is in the midst of a very compelling game against No. 4 Montana and over 9,000 Aggie Pack faithful are there to see it.

Unfortunately, one tough fourth quarter and one light fixture mishap later, the football team lost 17-10. The fact of the matter was apparent, though: Fans mean a lot to the athletes and coaches who put everything on the line each game.

“Playing at home is always an advantage,” said coach Bob Biggs. “I was pleased to see as many students as we had considering school hasn’t started.“

“It is great to play here,” said quarterback Greg Denham. “[The fans] were cheering their butts off.“

That would be an understatement.

Montana, a team that advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision title game last season, marched into Aggie Stadium on this Saturday night and felt the wrath of the Aggie Pack.

“It is great to be home and have the fans rooting for our team,” said wide receiver Chris Carter after the game, one in which he set a UC Davis record with 18 receptions for 190 yards.

The message I’m trying to send you, Aggie faithful, is that even though you may not realize it, you do matter. And let’s just say you didn’t hear it from me.

“Anybody who has ever played the game has always played much better when you have a full house and everybody cheering for you,” Biggs said. “You look up and everybody is standing up and cheering and it’s loud. That’s what it should be. That’s what college athletics is all about.“

Football isn’t the only sport to feel this gratitude.

“We had a great crowd here and great support for our students not being in session,” men’s soccer coach Dwayne Shaffer said after a heartbreaking 2-1 loss against Washington.

For those of you Aggie Packers who just got back into Davis, here’s what you missed so far. Don’t fret, though, because it’s not too late to don your Aggie blue, head out to a game and give your team the edge it needs to win.

Football: UC Davis felt the wrath of an overbearing physical running game in an opening season 51-0 loss at Fresno State. The Bulldogs outrushed the Aggies 310-43 in the game. UC Davis then lost a heartbreaker to Montana at home to wrap up the summer.

Men’s soccer: After a season-opening loss to San Jose State, UC Davis cashed in with wins over Robert Morris and Central Arkansas to win the UNLV Nike Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. The Aggies are currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak, but return home this Sunday to face that team from over the Causeway at 2:30 p.m.

Women’s soccer: A team that once struggled to score goals is now an offensive juggernaut. The Aggie offensive attack has already scored 20 times – three more than they had all of last season – en route to a 4-2-1 record.

Women’s field hockey: Competing for the first time in 27 years, the Aggies began their season with a 3-0 record. They’ve lost five in a row since, including a contest with No. 14 Stanford.

Women’s golf: They finished sixth out of 18 at the Dick McGuire/ Branch Law Firm Invitational. Freshman Belen Hernandez wasn’t fazed by the tongue twister of a tournament name as she shot a 4-under-69 in the final round.

Men’s golf: The team finished third out of 12 teams at the Washington State Invitational and second out of 13 at the Spartan Classic. Junior Austin Graham earned third place individual honors with a 5-under par score in Kingsley, Mich.

Men’s water polo: The 18th-ranked Aggies are 5-4, with all their losses coming to higher ranked opponents (No. 3 California, No. 1 Stanford, No. 12 Santa Clara and then No. 17 UC San Diego).

Women’s volleyball: Four wins in 2007, 12 last season and already nine this season equates to a much-improved program. Seniors Carson Lowden and Avreeta Singh lead UC Davis into Big West Conference play, which starts today at 7 p.m. in Hickey Gym.

Men’s and women’s cross country: Both teams finished first at the Hornet Jamboree. Sophomore Jonathan Peterson finished first in the men’s race while sophomore Abbey Gallaher came in second on the women’s side.

As you can see, our Aggies are up to some exciting things this fall. With your help, this trend can continue all year-round.

MAX ROSENBLUM will be making sure YOU are wearing Aggie Blue and supporting your teams this fall. Help him out by reporting names of those who don’t at sports@theaggie.org.

After losing all six starters, seven seniors and 59 percent of their goal production from last season, the Aggies knew they had their work cut out for them this year.

Another curveball has been thrown the Aggies‘ way as starting hole set and offensive weapon, Aaron Salit, decided to red shirt in 2009 along with junior Walter Eggert, the team‘s sprinter and most experienced player.

With these obstacles in front of them, the youthful Aggies start a challenging season with only nine out of their 23 players having two or more years of college experience.

“We have a very young group of guys,“ coach Steve Doten said. “It‘s no doubt the most talented group of young players. What I am most excited about is that this team will get better every day.“

The No. 18 Aggies look to improve after a rocky 5-4 start in which four of their five wins have come against unranked Division III schools.

UC Davis has been getting these wins by using its speed while attackers Cory Lyle and Colin Hicks have been leading the way offensively.

Lyle, who entered the season as the highest returning scorer with 10 goals last year leads the team with 12 strikes already in the young 2009 campaign.

Hicks brings in a dynamic game from Irvine, Calif, where he was a two time All-American who led the southern section with 141 goals as a senior. He sparked the Aggies in their only victory against a ranked opponent this season, scoring four goals in an 11-8 win against No. 10 Pacific last weekend.

In addition, junior Matt Richardson is making a name for himself among the great passing lefties before him, leading the team with 11 assists while adding eight goals.

Team captains and fifth-year seniors Brendan Sigourney and Jim Breen bring some size and depth to the team. Breen is the only returning defender on the roster and plays an integral role on the team. Sigourney, a utility player, drew six exclusions, three five-meter penalty shots and scored two goals last weekend at the NorCal Invite in Palo Alto, Calif.

“The way this year worked out we have a lot of different people stepping up rather than just one player,“ Sigourney said. “I think that once we really starting playing together we could be dangerous.“

The Aggies started the season with a loss to No. 3 California followed by four straight wins at Claremont against unranked opponents.

Last weekend, the Aggies headed to Stanford for the most competitive tournament of the year, the NorCal Invite. UC Davis went 1-3 with losses to No. 2 Stanford, No. 12 Santa Clara and No. 17 UC San Diego.

The Aggies did exceed expectations in the tournament, though, as they finished 12th at the invite, thanks to a big win over Pacific despite entering the tournament as the 15th ranked team.

“It would have been nice to get the wins over division rivals Santa Clara and San Diego,“ Lyle said. “But it‘s good we got to play them early and now we can make changes and beat them when it really matters.“

The team returns to action this weekend as it gets another shot at Santa Clara when it hosts the four-game Bronco Invitational.

SAMMY BRASCH can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Over the past two seasons, UC Davis men’s soccer has established itself both as a legitimate Division I program and as a national title threat. The 2009 version of the squad, however, hasn’t had as much luck as in past years to start its season.

With a 26-man roster consisting of a mere nine upperclassman, a learning curve is to be expected but after two straight years of NCAA tournament appearances, a 2-5 record to start the season is difficult to get used to.

“As a coach I’m not accustomed to this,” coach Dwayne Shaffer said. “I don’t like losing. My goal is to make the Big West tournament, to get into the NCAA tournament and to win a national championship.”

The 2009 campaign got off to a bit of a rough start with a 4-1 loss to San Jose State in Spartan Stadium.

Redshirt freshman striker John Joslin got the Aggies on the board first but the Spartans responded with four straight goals to win the match going away.

Next, UC Davis took a Labor Day trip to Sin City for the UNLV Nike Invitational. The Aggies bounced back from the loss to San Jose State at the expense of Robert Morris and Central Arkansas, beating them 3-0 and 3-1 respectively.

Senior forward Chris Leer had two assists on the weekend and co-captain Paul Marcoux found the back of the Central Arkansas net twice.

“We were clearly the better team in both games,” Shaffer said. “It was particularly nice because our returning players really stepped up and played well.”

Following the big weekend in Las Vegas, UC Davis faced two Pacific-10 opponents in UCLA and Washington. The Aggies were mauled 4-1 by the Bruins in Westwood on Thursday before returning home on Sunday to open up play at Aggie Soccer Stadium against the Huskies.

UC Davis dominated Washington in the first half, controlling the ball and keeping on the Husky end of the pitch. The Aggies went into halftime up 1-0 on a Julian Godinez goal in the 26th minute.

The Aggies’ aggressive play let up in the second half and Washington eventually took advantage, drawing even at 1-1 in the 79th minute.

In the second overtime period, the Huskies scored the golden goal to steal the game away from the Aggies. The loss was the first at home for UC Davis since the 2007 season.

“UCLA wasn’t 4-0 better than us, San Jose State wasn’t 4-1 better than us and I didn’t think that Washington necessarily was better than us, but they earned the win,” Shaffer said.

Last weekend, the Aggies made their second trip to the dessert, this time for the Nike/TLC Plumbing and Utilities Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.

That trip unfortunately did not yield two victories, but rather two more hard losses.

On Friday, the Aggies again entered halftime up 1-0 over host New Mexico thanks to a Marcoux header in the 39th minute.

The Lobos came out strong in the second half, finding the back of the Aggie net twice, the deciding goal coming in the 71st minute on a penalty kick.

“Our team has so much talent,” freshman defender Dan Reese said. “When we get ahead we forget to hold them and choke them.”

UC Davis looked to rebound on Sunday against Binghamton. The Aggies fired nine shots forcing the Bearcats keeper to make four saves but were unable to put the ball between the posts.

The Bearcats, however, found the Aggie net in the 26th minute, a goal which proved to be enough as UC Davis fell to Binghamton 1-0.

Marcoux and sophomore defender Lance Patterson were both named to the All-Tournament team. The Aggies slid to 2-5 on the year but Shaffer doesn’t doubt his team’s drive.

“I don’t question the desire and the fight they have,” Shaffer said. “We’re just an inexperienced team.”

As the fall begins, UC Davis will look to turn things around. Tomorrow’s match-up in Moraga against St. Mary’s and Sunday’s La Copa de Causeway at Aggie Soccer Stadium represent the Aggies’ last two opportunities to gain some experience before Big West Conference play begins.

“We have so many new players and when you just train through preseason you don’t get to see the kids in a game situation in the competitive environment,” Shaffer said. “It’s taken the coaching staff a while to realize how we need to play.”

As the team continues to grow, both individually as a unit, it will continue to depend on its small contingent of veteran leadership.

“I’ve been through the last couple seasons with our team in the tournament,” Marcoux said, “so I think our coach is looking for me to guide the guys and show them where to go. It’s not necessarily telling them what to do all the time, but more just coaching them out on the field.”

The Aggies will need that extra leadership on the field as this year’s squad doesn’t lack talent so much as they lack experience.

“We’re just as big, just as fast and just as talented as all the other teams,” said Reese, “but when it comes to the games is when [the inexperience] really shows.”

So far this season that talent has not converted to wins on the field.

“So much of soccer is about the mentality,” Shaffer said. “Learning how to win is a phrase in our program.”

Once UC Davis does learn how to win, it will continue to be a force to be reckoned in D-I college soccer.

JOHN S HELLER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

If you see one of the golfers on the UC Davis team around campus and they seem relaxed or at ease at all, it’s because they have a good reason to be.

Though the Aggies have been unable to win either of their two fall tournaments, they have been hanging around at the top of leaderboard in each one.

“Honestly, I don’t really look at the finishes,” coach Cy Williams said. “I just look more at the performances and each one of our guys has shown that they can play at a high level.“

UC Davis got the fall season under way in Pullman, Wash. with the Washington State Invitational.

Sophomore transfer Tim Honeycutt made his presence known with a first round 3-under (69). Junior Austin Graham paired a first round 73 with another one on the second 18 holes for a first day score of 2-over (146) and a tie for 11th.

Entering the second day of golf, UC Davis sat in fifth place. Graham’s 7-under par (65) tied the Palouse Ridge Golf Club course record and helped propel his team up the leaderboard to a third place finish.

On Saturday, UC Davis teed it up in Kingsley, Mich. at the Spartan Classic. The Aggies ripped off a team two-round score of 11-under (557) on the Kingsley Club to take a share of the lead with California.

In the mix on the final day of play, the Aggies played solidly, led again by Graham, who shot an even par (71). Freshman Andrew Haggen shot a 72 and Honeycutt added a 73.

Unfortunately for UC Davis, California, with whom the Aggies were tied with after Saturday, scored an impressive 5-under (279) as a team during the final round to run away with the tournament.

“We were tied going into the last round, but Cal played a solid last round and we didn’t have our A-game,” Graham said. “We fell just a few shots short.“

The Aggies took second and both Graham and sophomore Tyler Raber finished in the top 10 individually.

Though Williams is not satisfied with his team‘s two finishes so far, he also understands how important it is to be close in golf.

“What a first day we had at the Michigan State Tournament,” Williams said. “We couldn’t quite finish it up, which is okay because you can’t win every tournament, but we had a chance to win and I think that’s the main thing.“

The Aggies‘ next chance to grab a tournament win will be next weekend at the Windon Memorial Classic, held by Northwestern University in Glencoe, Ill.

“Every tournament, we want to come in and win, no doubt about that,” Graham said. “We have every aspect of the game covered, it’s just a matter of putting it all together as a team in the same round and the same tournament“

UC Davis was able to do that last season winning three tournaments including the Big West Conference Tournament, and earning a birth in the NCAA Tournament Division I West Regional.

With all of last season’s success, Williams hopes to both build on it while at the same time moving on.

“We’re not trying to do the same things we did last year, we’re definitely going to try to out-do them,” Williams said. “Our players are just as good, so we’re excited about this season.“

JOHN S. HELLER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

There are some of us out there that can name each of the past five World Series Most Valuable Players, their average during the series and the number of RBI they had during the four- to seven-game stretch.

There are others of us who can recall how many Super Bowls the Buffalo Bills have been to and what their record is in those games (sorry, Bills fans, but you’re 0-5).

Then there are those of us who say, “Who cares?” or “They’re just numbers” or “Why does it matter?”

Well, for that person I have an answer – I care. They aren’t just numbers, and it matters because I say so.

If you don’t believe me, stay tuned as we walk through the affect numbers could have on the UC Davis football team this season.

Thirty-seven: That’s the number of consecutive winning seasons UC Davis‘ football team had from 1970-2006.

Seventy-four: Multiply 37 by two, the place the Aggies finished in the Great West last season, and you get the number of seasons UC Davis played before coach Bob Biggs was hired.

Forty-eight: From 74, subtract 10 (the number of tackles for loss Davis native Pat Michelier had last season), then 16 (the number of rushing touchdowns the Aggies had in 2008) and you get 48, the number of solo tackles for co-captain Mike Morales last year.

Two: Divide 48 by 24, the amount of sacks the UC Davis defense recorded in 2008, and we have two, the number of Aggies to rush for 1,000 career yards by the end of their sophomore seasons (Joe Trombetta last year and Shola Adeyemo in 1987).

Six: Multiply two by three, the number of new coaches to the UC Davis staff this season, and the result is six, the number of times the Aggies have played against Football Bowl Subdivision teams since 2005 (Stanford, TCU, San Jose State twice, Fresno State and the upcoming contest with Boise State).

Eleven: Add six to five, the number of UC Davis quarterbacks to surpass the 3,000-yard passing plateau after Denham did so last season, and you have 11, the number of returners this season who received All-Great West recognition last year.

Twenty: Take that 11 and add nine more because the Aggies return their top nine rushers from last season. Your outcome is 20, the amount of points UC Davis scored to upset Stanford in 2005.

Seven: Subtract 13, the number of Aggies who are on the preseason All-Great West squad this season, and you get seven – the amount of wins UC Davis had at its new Aggie Stadium over the first two years of its existence.

Eighteen: Add 11 for the national rank of the Aggies‘ offense last season and the result is 18, the amount of seasons Biggs will have coached when I graduate from UC Davis in 2011.

Two: Divide 18 by the product of three times three (the number of years the Aggies have been at the Football Championship Subdivision and the fact that they were picked by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview Magazine as the No. 3 most improved team at the FCS level) and the result is two. That’s the number of UC Davis alums currently holding head coaching gigs at the FBS level (Dan Hawkins of Colorado and Chris Petersen of Boise State).

One: Subtract one from two for the catch by Bakari Grant to send Aggie Stadium into complete bedlam after shocking Northern Colorado on Oct. 4, 2008 with three seconds remaining.

So you see, folks, the numbers really do come into the mix here. Make sure to head out to Aggie Stadium for each home game to season if these numbers really do add up by season’s end.

MAX ROSENBLUM can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The UC Davis football team entered the 2009-10 season with a new defense and optimism about the team’s possibilities going forward.

The team is still optimistic, but the Aggies‘ challenging schedule isn’t making it easy for them.

The Aggies opened the season on the road against the Fresno State Bulldogs, losing 51-0, then came home to face the No.4 ranked Montana Grizzlies, falling in a close contest,17-10.

Despite the loss to Montana, coach Bob Biggs believed that the change from the first game to the second game was encouraging.

“I think the real measure of a team is the progress you make from the first game to the second game,” Biggs said. “Our kids really showed tremendous improvement from the first game.“

Going into the opener against Fresno State, Biggs cautioned his team to watch out for the speed and athleticism of the Bulldogs or the game could get out of hand.

Despite the team’s preparation, Fresno State raced out to a 35-0 halftime lead, aided by three touchdowns of 60 yards or more. The Bulldogs ran the ball all night against the Aggies, rushing 52 times for 310 yards.

The Aggies did not appear to let the Fresno State game affect them as they hosted Montana the following week.

On the strength of its defense, UC Davis held a 10-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

Defensive Coordinator Mark Johnson, hired away from Utah State in the offseason, has instituted an aggressive 4-3 zone blitz scheme that stymied Montana for much of the game.

The Grizzlies finally got things going though late in the third quarter, scoring on a 17-yard touchdown pass, their first of 17 unanswered points.

Behind 17-10 with 2:33 left to go, the Aggies got the ball back at their own 33-yard line. Junior quarterback Greg Denham, who tied the school completion record with 43 and set the attempts record with 67 in the game, led UC Davis down the field. The drive stalled at the Montana 12-yard line and on 4th-and-7 with 57 seconds left Denham threw an interception in the endzone and the Grizzlies escaped with a win.

Senior wide receiver Chris Carter set a UC Davis record with 18 receptions for a career-high 190 yards in the loss.

After the game, Biggs said he was proud of the team regardless of the outcome.

“The kids played their hearts out,” Biggs said. “We’ll build on this. We have nine more games, and two games don’t make a season.“

The Aggies schedule does not get any easier and includes a game on the road against Boise State.

Boise State is currently ranked as the 8th best team in the nation in both the AP and Coaches polls.

Playing tough games against teams like Fresno State, Montana and Boise State is all part of the plan, Biggs said Monday during a teleconference.

“Any program that wants to be an elite program at the [Football Championship Subdivision] level has to play those games,” Biggs said. “I don’t see not playing at least two FCS schools [per season] in the future.“

There are several reasons for this, Biggs explained.

“The simple answer is it’s an economic decision,” Biggs said. “We as a football program are one of the only programs that has the opportunity to go play these games and come away with a big paycheck and balance the books. It also helps recruiting when players see that you play top Division I schools.“

The difficult part is sometimes you play these teams early in the season and you can get off to some losing starts,” he said.

Biggs said that there was no doubt that the Aggies‘ current season schedule was one of the more challenging schedules the team has had during his 17 years as head coach.

UC Davis had a bye week last weekend, allowing the team to recuperate between games. At team conditioning following the Montana game, Biggs said 13 players were unable to run. Several players, including receiver Bakari Grant (turf toe), defensive end Patrick Michelier and offensive lineman Robert Ayotte (hamstring) are expected to return.

While there were those that were unable to suit up, those who did spent the bye week focusing on fundamentals.

The Aggies (0-2) host the Western Oregon Wolves (2-1) on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Aggie Stadium. The Aggies are 8-0 all time against Western Oregon, including a 54-2 victory in the last times the two schools met in 2004.

Despite the past success against the Wolves, Biggs said the Aggies won’t be overlooking Western Oregon. “We’re 0-2, we don’t overlook anybody,” he said. The UC Davis defense will be put to the test against the Wolves offense, which is averaging 393.0 yards per game.

“Their quarterback [Josh Riddell] is very scrappy,” Biggs said. “He can throw on the run. He’s mobile and very accurate. They also have some guys that can catch the ball. They’re dangerous.“

RICHARD PROCTER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The UC Davis cross country team has wasted no time finding success this season on both the men’s and women’s sides.

The Aggies‘ first meet, the USF Invitational, resulted in sixth and third place finishes for the men and women’s teams respectively.

“We split our squad and sat probably the top half on both sides,” said coach Drew Wartenburg. “That was a meet to allow some of the newcomers and a few returners to get their feet wet early.“

On the women’s side, sophomore Kristina Taylor paced UC Davis in the 5K race finishing in 10th place. All five of the Aggies‘ times that counted were in the top 25 of the field.

The men were paced in the 8K by sophomore Gregor Lloyd-Smith who posted a time of 26:20.60, earning him a 26th place finish.

After the USF Invitational, both the men’s and women’s squads claimed first place at the Hornet Jamboree hosted by Sacramento State.

Led by Jon Peterson and Russ Pfaff who finished first and second respectively, UC Davis claimed six of the top ten spots in the four-mile race on its way to a total score of 23 and the team victory.

The women’s score of 34 in the 5K easily won in Sacramento. Sophomores Abbey Gallaher and Sarah Sumpter claimed second and third place. With Ali Stoakly and Krista Drechsler also placing in the top ten, the Aggies claimed the dual victory with ease.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are in their second year under coach Drew Wartenburg and are young, with the only senior on each squad as the team captain.

“The men’s side is definitely buoyed by the return of Jon Peterson, who redshirted last fall,” Wartenburg said. “Russ Pfaff had a monster spring in track. Those two along with a transfer we had come in named Matt Sartori are really pulling the weight up front on the men’s side.“

The women’s side lost its two strongest runners from the 2008 squad in graduates Kaitlin Gregg and Kim Conley.

Fortunately for Wartenburg and all the returning runners on both teams, Conley has stayed on as an assistant coach.

“The women’s side is an interesting dynamic having lost both Kim and Kaitlin,” Wartenburg said. “It’s a very young group which is exciting because we’re running well and there’s a lot of development yet to be done.“

Though both sides have experienced success early in the 2009 campaign, Wartenburg is looking ahead to Saturday’s Stanford Invitational and beyond as the true litmus test of his teams.

“The Stanford Invite in terms of size is a large meet,” Wartenburg said. “It’s our first foray into some serious competition. You look at late September through the end of October as when you really try to hit two meets of emphasis and this would be one.“

Conley echoes Wartenburg’s sentiment about the importance of performing well at the Stanford Invitational calling the meet the first big test of the season.

After Stanford, the Aggies return to Davis to host the Doc Adams Open on Saturday, Oct. 3.

This year, the cross country program has introduced a new wrinkle to the annual event.

“What we’ve added this year is a community race open to folks who are young runners, hobby joggers or what have you,” Wartenburg said. “This will allow the community to come out and run on the cross country course, which is typically closed to the public. We hope to forge some kind of link between them and our program. It can be a lonely sport.“

As of late it hasn’t been too lonely for the Aggies as they placed ten total runners in the men’s and women’s races at the Hornet Jamboree.

JOHN S. HELLER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.