Signs Point To Blowout For Vandals
The UC Davis football team was supposed to have a bye this week.
Instead, the Aggies ended up being Idaho’s homecoming date today at 3 in the Kibbie Dome.
“To be honest, at the time I scheduled them I thought they were a Division I-AA school with 63 scholarships,” UC Davis coach Bob Biggs said. “But now they’ve added more scholarships. It’s not something we’d like to do every week.”
Why? Because the Aggies are expected to get drilled. Idaho, technically I-AA but playing by I-A rules in the Big West Conference, is a couple of classifications higher than the Division II Aggies.
Seventy-four Vandals are receiving full or partial scholarships. The Vandals are bigger, faster, stronger.
“We don’t get the kind of athletes Idaho gets,” Biggs said.
“We hope to do it with execution and not turn the ball over.”
Not all indicators point to a blowout. The Aggies’ last game against a I-A opponent ended with a respectable 24-7 loss to Pacific in 1994. Pacific is a former Big West member that dropped football.
UC Davis lost only 41-20 to Montana during the Grizzlies’ national championship season in 1995.
“They’ve got a proud tradition and they’re one of the top programs in Division II,” said UI coach Chris Tormey, always mindful of good etiquette. “There are a number of players on that team that could play in the Big West.”
And most of them hold down jobs so they can be student-athletes at UC Davis. Quarterback Kevin Daft, who averages 217 passing yards per game, works with a research group as part of his pre-med training. Running back Gerald Burgin, who produces 140 yards per game, works in the campus rec center.
Linebacker Joseph Castagnola, who has a team-high 35 tackles, is a runner for a law firm. Minimum academic qualifying standards at UC Davis are a 3.2 grade-point average and an SAT score of 1,000.
“We find the kids that weren’t quite good enough to go to Cal or UCLA, but want a UC education,” said Biggs, himself a tenured physical education instructor.
By Biggs’ estimate, UC Davis hasn’t played on artificial turf in a couple of seasons.
“We know the game is quicker,” Biggs said. “We feel we have nothing to lose. Obviously, we’re a decided underdog. You just hope in a game like this you show well and don’t sustain any injuries.”
Idaho hopes for the same thing - while taking care of business. Tormey recalled a 1996 opponent, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who was supposed to be an easy win, but Idaho barely held on, 38-33.
“We want steady improvement, across the board,” Tormey said. “Last week we had 11 penalties and we need to get the holding penalties cleaned up. Our short snap in the kicking game has to get better.”
Notes
Idaho will start four freshmen on the offensive line, including Post Falls’ Jeremy Wallace at center. Bill Verdonk is out with hand and knee injuries. Bob Horbaczewski isn’t completely recovered from an ankle injury but could play as a backup lineman if necessary… . Receiver Antonio Wilson needs two catches to reach 100 in his two-year Vandals career. … Freshman Bobby Grey, a walk-on, leads the Big West in punt returns with an average of 12.6. … UC Davis runs a one-back offense similar to Idaho’s.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Vandals vs. UC Davis