It has only been in the last decade or so that modern brain research has revealed the very serious and deleterious effects of repeated impacts to the head which can lead to CTE over time. I recall old school coaches actually instructing defensive players to "put your helmet on the ball" as a method to try and jar the ball loose from the ball carrier. Teams also routinely gave out "hammer awards" for the most violent hits in a game and concussed players were often expected to "shake it off" and reenter the game as quickly as possible.

We now know just how dangerous all that was and the rules of the game are changing to help protect the players and strict concussion protocols are in place for all sports. We will continue to see more rule changes in the future to help protect the players, such as the possible elimination of kickoff and punt returns, and, hopefully, we will continue to see significant advances in safer equipment for the players as well. We will never be able to eliminate all the risks of playing any contact sport but it is imperative in this day and age that we always move forward with the best interest of the the safety of the players first and foremost before all else.

The game notes are up:

http://ucdavisaggies.com/documents/2018/9/6/9_8_vs_San_Diego_Game_Notes.pdf

Nas Anesi is brimming with confidence in an Enterprise article:

First things first for UCD linebacker Anesi

Excerpt: “I love getting to play against a team like Stanford, but we know we have to concentrate on this week’s opponent first,” notes Anesi, a 6-1, 230-pound junior who prepped at football powerhouse St. John Bosco in Bellflower.

“Our coaches believe we can beat an FBS team (in addition to San Jose State) and so do I. It’s just another step for us. We have some athletes here who can match Stanford’s athletes. We definitely have some great talent around here.”

https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/first-things-first-for-ucd-linebacker-anesi/

I've watched a few sets of their games that have been live streamed and they are pretty darn good. They have a good blend of experienced and young players and they have tremendous height including with 10 players who are 6 feet and over: 2 at 6-0, 2 at 6-1, 2 at 6-2, 6-3, 2 at 6-4 and, the tallest player ever for the Ags, a 6-6 freshman.

Outstanding! According to Rivals Thorpe had offers from Air Force, Army, Holy Cross, Howard, NAU, Oregon State, San Jose State, UCD and UNLV. Lots of offers but he chose the Ags!

We'll take a UCLA transfer if they're good enough to play for us... :cool:

Ex-Aggie RB Joshua Kelley had 6 carries for 20 yards = 3.3 yards/attempt playing for UCLA against Cincinnati.

Our freshman RB Ulonzo Gilliam had 23 carries for 132 yards = 5.7 yards/attempt plus 8 catches for an additional 53 yards = 185 yards total against San Jose State.

Kelley might have had more fun playing for the Ags...

Great highlights! I sure wish this game would have been televised.

NDSU is like the Alabama of FCS currently . They know they're the big fish in a small pond and, if they move up, then they're a small fish in a big pond.

NAU 30 UTEP 10
North Alabama 34 SUU 30
Sac State 55 Saint Francis IL 7
Fresno State 79 Idaho 13
Montana 26 Northern Iowa 23

NDSU 49 Cal Poly 3 Final
McNeese State 17 Northern Colorado 14 Final
EWU 58 Central Washington 13 Final
NAU 17 UTEP 7 with 15 seconds to go in the half
SUU 10 North Alabama 10 with 6:47 to go in the 2nd

San Diego 38 Western New Mexico 9 Final

Total yards: USD 392 WNM 296
Passing: USD 25-36-1 WNM 15-29-2
Rushing yards: USD 176 WNM 80
Passing yards: USD 254 WNM 216

Nice photo gallery of the game:

https://www.facebook.com/UCDavisFootball/photos/ms.c.eJxFj1EOwEAEBW~;U8Dys~_1~_sqQ39nYwBBCg6kYkMnAcXRKqElOWAis~;w5IB0WhGBNawB1zi3ods4bAAZQPRI~_QBn36ExwOQzTLZBvSNreHSUe7rbbeTfaMBdG~;1LCF~_VGzNX.bps.a.2022945251060979/2022945427727628/?type=3&theater

Davis Enterprise: Minefield of a schedule ahead for UC Davis football

Excerpt: "...fasten your seatbelt, coach, because the 2018 schedule at least is equally as daunting, starting with two Football Bowl Subdivision opponents in the first three weeks and finishing with a murderer’s row of Montana, Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington and Sacramento State.

“There is no different (preparation) based on opponent since this is a talented conference from top to bottom,” Hawkins notes. “There are no easy weeks. We just focus on our upcoming opponent and playing the best football. In this conference, every game is decided by a few plays. The team that makes those plays, more often than not, earns the win.”

https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/minefield-of-a-schedule-ahead-for-uc-davis-football/

Bob Dunning mentioned the following about Sac State's, brutal opener against the the Saint Francis of Illinois Fighting Saints:

"EVEN MORE FOOTBALL … an attractive and very large ad in a nearby newspaper featured an excellent 2-for-1 ticket offer for Sac State’s season football opener Saturday night without a mention of where the game will be played or who the opponent is …

Because I am an ace investigative journalist with sources all over the country, I was able to determine that Saturday’s opponent is St. Francis of Illinois, known as the “Fighting Saints,” which is a bit of an oxymoron in my book … the Hornets were very good last year and may be even better this year, but an ad like this doesn’t do anything to help the cause …"

https://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/dunning/bob-dunning-have-a-seat/

Stanford 31 SDSU 10 Final

Not hurt. It looks like SDSU's game plan has been to stop Love and make Stanford go to the air to beat them and that's what they're doing...up 31-10 with 5 minutes to go.

Stanford scored on a long pass with 34 seconds to go in the half to lead SDSU 9-7. The Aztecs have dominated the first half though. So far, Bryce Love has not been a factor for the Cardinal. He has 7 yards on 10 carries.

7-0 SDSU at the end of the first quarter. Stanford's offense and Bryce Love haven't shown much yet. SDSU's RB Juwan Washington has been running wild on Stanford's defense.

Davis Enterprise: Aggie up! Maier unloads on Spartans in 44-38 UCD win

Excerpt: “I’ve been in this game long enough to know there’s no such thing as an ugly win,” said Aggie coach Dan Hawkins as he begins his second season leading his alma mater.

“It’s obviously good to win your opening game, to win on the road and to beat an FBS opponent. To win your opener says a lot about the hard work our guys put on in the off-season.”

“Our inability to stop them and our inability to move the football were crippling in the first half,” Brennan noted.

“They outplayed us, they outcoached us and they deserve all the credit. I was proud of our fight in the second half. I think we made things interesting, but Jake Maier is an awesome player. Davis has some fantastic playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.”

Article link: https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/aggie-up-maier-unloads-on-spartans-in-44-38-ucd-win/