Coming to Terms with What Happened at Stanford

aggeeklogo2A 45-0 loss is bad. There aren’t many silver linings to talk about. On the other hand, there are more nuances to this disaster than the comfortable and untrue standby “oh, our football team sucks.” The loss was a product of many unfortunate circumstances that built up in the preceding months. At the very least, we can take solace in the fact that it won’t happen again.
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Game Day: Who Are Some Players to Watch Out For?

aggeeklogo2There’s going to be a pretty thick roster of new and old faces playing on Saturday (The Davis Enterprise has a nice article outlining the starters.) Since a full rundown is too long to be feasible here (and probably not interesting to a casual fan), here’s an abbreviated list of some interesting players to watch. Some have been highlighted for their importance to the team; some for potential, and some because they have interesting stories.

#14 London Lacy, Sr, Quarterback
Lacy may or may not get the starting job — Ben Scott, another Aggie with two first names, is also in contention — but he has made his mark on the program by being a backup for three years. He did make some very good plays at the 2014 Spring Game, maybe enough to earn him his first big-time gig.

#20 Colton Silveria, Sr, Running Back
Silveria had two seasons where he led the team in rushing yards, before getting sideling last year to make way for new talent. Now, with the running back department almost entirely sitting out due to injury, he makes his triumphant return as a starter in the biggest game of the season.

#90 Clint Bozner, Sr, Tight End
Bozner isn’t listed as a starter, but Aggie Sports fans may recognize him as one of the tallest players on our basketball team. (He made a truly epic dunk that circulated on sports news websites.) He left the team earlier this year for unknown reasons, but resurfaced several months later on the football team. He might be a substitute in key moments just due to his sheer size; even Stanford’s tight ends, supposedly among the best in the nation, are smaller than him.

#77 Ian Joseph, Sr, Offensive Tackle
Joseph gets profiled a lot, not just because he’s a potentially NFL-bound lineman, but because he’s a pre-med student who spent the summer interning in the emergency room. His blocking will be key in establishing UCD’s ground game, which may be very good this year if our running backs get healthy and Silveria has another solid season.

#19 Shamawn Wright, Jr, Cornerback
A solid defensive back and kick returner for the Ags, Wright not only helps lead a potentially crushing defense but also brings with him a very inspirational backstory. The Ags were very effective defending against passes last season — Wright (as well as returning safety Charles Boyette) had something to do with that and will look to do it again.

#42 Travon Brooks, Jr, Linebacker
This is as much a shoutout to all the starting linebackers as it is to Brooks. UC Davis returns essentially all of their key players at the position and added Brooks as a transfer to shore up the corps even further. The linebackers will have another year of experience under their belt and will seek to make our run defense as formidable as our pass defense was a year ago.

#38 Brady Stuart, Jr, Kicker
Stuart started last season slowly but ended well, setting the school record for field goals made in a season. If the Stanford game looks like it will end close (or goes into overtime) then Stuart’s talent may be the tipping point that brings us home the unlikely win.

Established Aggie fans will notice that I left someone out. I felt that was necessery not only because he will be sitting out the Stanford game, but because a slightly lengthier description may be necessary. That way, I’d be able to highlight successes but still put them into greater perspective to give Aggie fans realistic expectations about what our offense is capable of this year.

Sources / Further Player Information:
UC Davis Football Roster
The California Aggie
The Davis Enterprise
The Sacramento Bee
Aggie Sports Talk

There’s Nothing Wrong with the Stanford Band

In the wake of the Rose Bowl, Internet comment threads are awash with fury over the unorthodox nature of the Stanford Band (officially called the LSJUMB). Sure, the band’s organization, gloss, and performing presence are miles away from that of bands like Wisconsin’s, but the people who complain about their silly antics are missing the point.

The 2013 Rose Bowl performance of Stanford’s informal fight song (not my video):


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