Game 1 - Aggies 38 - Northern Colorado 7

GREELEY, Colo. -- A strong UC Davis defensive effort, which was highlighted by three sacks and a safety from end Mike Ng and a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker David Heckman, helped lift the No. 21 Aggies to a 38-7 season-opening win over Northern Colorado on Saturday before 6,072 fans at Nottingham Field.

UC Davis, which scored 28 unanswered points after leading just 10-7 in the third quarter, beat the Bears for the third straight year, including a 24-14 victory at Toomey Field in the final game of last season.

Running back Alex Garfio had 130 yards of all-purpose offense for the Aggies, including 71 yards on five catches from quarterback Jon Grant and 60 yards on the ground on 17 carries. He also scored UC Davis' first touchdown from a yard out in the first quarter.

Running back Marcus Nolan had 65 yards rushing on 13 carries while Grant completed 17 of 33 passes for 224 yards.

The Aggies' defense, which last season allowed just 87.5 rushing yards per game, picked up where it left off. Northern Colorado had just 32 yards on the ground against UC Davis, including only 12 yards before halftime. The Aggies helped that total by collecting four sacks against quarterback Dominic Breazeale.

UC Davis led 10-0 at halftime but the Bears took the opening kickoff of the second half 81 yards on six plays, scoring on a 29-yard pass from Breazeale to fullback Jahir Waterman to make it 10-7.

Northern Colorado got the ball back later in the quarter but free safety Jonathan Barsi picked off Breazeale at the Aggies' 35 and returned it to the Bears' 31. Garfio then took the first play 24 yards to the 7 before Grant swept around the right side from six yards out for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead.

Heckman then came up with one of the biggest plays of his first career start, intercepting Breazeale at the 39 on the first play of the ensuing drive and returning the ball down the Bears' sideline for another score that put the Aggies up 24-7 with 38 seconds left in the quarter.

Ng, who had two sacks in the first half, collected his final sack midway through the fourth quarter when he tackled Breazeale in the end zone for a safety. Nolan's four-yard touchdown with 2:11 to play helped make it 32-7 while cornerback Jeremy Scott's 38-yard fumble recovery for TD after a Bears completion to Andre Wilson in the game's final minute, resulted in the final score.

Cornerback Nevan Bergan had six tackles, including five solo, to help lead the UC Davis defense while Heckman and Ng had five total stops. Ng also recovered a fumble while linebacker Michael Morales and end James Amos combined for the Aggies' final sack.

Garfio's 71 receiving yards were a career-high while his 59 yards on the ground were the second-most for his career. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Chris Carter also had a standout showing in his first game as an Aggie, catching five passes for 97 yards, including one for 42 yards. Sophomore Brandon Rice had four receptions for 37 yards.

Breazeale completed 23 of 31 passes for 213 yards to help the Northern Colorado offense with running back Patrick Ealy grabbing nine of them for a game-high 106 yards. Wilson, who rushed for 1,034 yards in 2005, was held to just 54 yards on 16 carries. He had just 12 yards on nine rushes in the first half.

Punter Gabe Ellis had four kicks for a 43.8 average, including a 44-yarder in the second quarter that hit at the 1 and promptly jumped horizontally out of bounds, pinning the Bears near their own goal line. Kicker Emmanuel Benjamin's 16th career field goal, a 37-yarder in the first quarter, moved him alone into eighth place on the program's all-time list.

UC Davis, which won a season-opener on the road for the first time since 2002, will visit TCU next Saturday for a 4 p.m. (PDT) kickoff. The Horned Frogs, ranked as high as No. 21 in Div. I-A preseason polls, face Baylor on Sunday.

Recap courtesy UC Davis ICA/Media Relations

Northern Colorado Game: Players Of The Week

• Offense - Alex Garfio (RB)
• Defense - Michael Ng (DE)
• Special Teams - Gabe Ellis (P)
• Offensive Scout - Reggie Mason (OL)
• Defensive Scout - Marcus North (DB)

Return to 2006 Game Summaries