Aggie News

Update 06/28/06

STREET & SMITH'S TABS UC DAVIS NO.15; BERGAN, FALETOESE EARN SPORTS NETWORK NODS

DAVIS, Calif. -- The UC Davis football team is ranked No. 15 by Street & Smith's Magazine, the Aggies' second preseason Division I-AA top 20 ranking, while cornerback Nevan Bergan and defensive tackle John Faletoese were each mentioned among the top 10 returning players at their respective positions by Matt Dougherty of The Sports Network.

The Sports Network conducts the primary weeklly media top 25 poll throughout the season and also coordinates the major Division I-AA player awards.

Bergan had seven interceptions for UC Davis last season and is ranked eighth among returning cornerbacks while Faletoese had 30 total stops and is ranked ninth among defensive tackles.

UC Davis, which posted its 36th consecutive winning season last year after a 6-5 season and a share of the Great West Football Conference Championship, is one of three GWFC teams ranked in the top 15 by Street & Smith's whose annual college football preview was released on Tuesday. Cal Poly, which shared the league title with the Aggies and advanced to the NCAA I-AA quarterfinals, is ranked No. 6 while North Dakota State is No. 11.

The preseason ranking is the second so far for UC Davis which is was tabbed for the No. 20 position in the AnyGivenSaturday.com (AGS) poll earlier this month. The Aggies, who highlighted their 2005 season with a stunning 20-17 win at Stanford, will face another difficult schedule in 2006. Besides their ranked GWFC rivals, UC Davis will also travel to face No. 8 Youngstown State on Sept. 23.

Texas Christian University, which was 11-1 last season, is ranked No. 25 in Street & Smith's preseason I-A poll and picked to win the Mountain West Conference. The Aggies will visit the Horned Frogs on Sept. 9.

Bergan, a 5-foot-11 senior from San Diego, led the Aggies with seven interceptions last season, tied for second-most in the I-AA stat rankings. He opened his season strong, picking off two passes against No. 7 New Hampshire in the opener which earned him defensive player of the week honors for the GWFC. He had two more at North Dakota State later in the season while also garnering interceptions against Portland State, South Dakota State and Eastern Washington. He also broke up 10 passes and finished with 43 total tackles.

Faletoese, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound sophomore from nearby Carmichael, had 30 total tackles in 2005, including 15 solo and 14 tackles-for-losses. He was a mainstay for the Aggie defense which held opponents to just 87.5 rushing ypg., second-best in I-AA. Faletoese had two sacks against rival Sacramento State and also had a pair against Cal Poly with the four sacks totalling 33 yards in losses. He also broke up three passes and blocked two kicks.

Bergan and Faletoese join quarterback Jon Grant (No. 4) and wide receiver Tony Kays (No. 3) as UC Davis players ranked by Dougherty in preseason position previews.

UC Davis opens the 2006 season with a Sept. 2 game at Northern Colorado.

STREET & SMITH'S TOP 20
1. New Hampshire
2. Appalachian State
3. Montana
4. James Madison
5. Northern Iowa
6. Cal Poly
7. Illinois State
8. Youngstown State
9. Furman
10. Hampton
11. North Dakota State
12. Delaware State
13. Nicholls State
14. Coastal Carolina
15. UC DAVIS 16. Texas State
17. Eastern Kentucky
18. McNeese State
19. Colgate
20. Georgia Southern
21. Eastern Illinois
22. Grambling State
23. Massachusetts
24. South Carolina State
25. William and Mary

Information courtesy UC Davis ICA/Media Relations