UC Davis football coach Bob Biggs was optimistic at the beginning of the season despite having such a young team.

The Aggies had a winning record in 2010 and returned eight starters on both offense and defense, led by sophomore Randy Wright at quarterback.

Injuries, however, negated some of the Aggies' weapons, and the running game did not click until late in the season. Redshirt freshman Colton Silveria ran for 170 yards and a touchdown in UCD's 23-19 victory over Sacramento State in the season-ending Causeway Classic on Saturday.

UCD finished with a 4-7 record, disappointing for its standards. The Aggies' offense stalled for much of the season. The defense carried the team throughout the second half of the season, notably lifting the Aggies to wins over rivals Cal Poly and Sac State.

Biggs sat down with The Bee to discuss the season, what he expects next year, recruiting needs and joining the Big Sky Conference next season.

Why did the team fail to meet your expectations and finish 4-7?

We weren't being consistent. We couldn't put back-to-back wins together all year long. We played well enough at times, I thought, defensively. It took them the second half of the season to stay in games. The special teams were good enough to stay in games. We were just inconsistent on offense. We just couldn't score enough points (19 per game). We weren't consistent enough with our pass game and our run game to put (wins) together. We lost some close games. That's something we'll really evaluate.

Among returning players, who do you expect to step forward next season?

On the offensive line, Sean Davies and Ray Wilburn are two proven players, two all-league players. Anthony Soto will be a senior wide receiver … and (running back) Nick Aprile, who got hurt, will return. He'll be a big part of our offense. Defensively, I would start with Andrew Benjamin and Bobby Erskine on the line. Two linebackers, Jordan Glass and Byron Gruendl, and Kevyn Lewis at safety. Those would be the prominent seniors on the team next year. And our punter, of course, Colton Schmidt.

Which of the 14 seniors from this team be the toughest to replace?

Robert Ayotte has been a starter for us for four years at right tackle. Mike Cody, our tight end. On the defensive side, Tommy Grillo had a really strong season for us this year. Jake Maxson and Brock Galvin are two defensive tackles. And Sean Kelley, our kicker. Of the 14 seniors, those were the ones who played a lot for us. And Neil Pierce may have been our most outstanding special teams player.

Now that the season is over, what are your plans for the next month or two?

We've been recruiting. On the 29th of November, we get out and start visiting people in their homes. We've made some offers to players, and we'll try to see if we can get some early commitments. We only have about 11 scholarships to give next year because we have a small graduating senior class, so we've got to be exact. We've got to get two (wide) receivers. We got a quarterback – which I can't mention names – but we've got a commitment. We've got to get one interior offensive lineman. We've got a stable of tailbacks, so that's not a high priority for us. We need a (defensive) end, a (defensive) tackle, at least two linebackers, a corner and a safety. That's what's on our list.

What do you see as potential strengths of the 2012 team?

So many young players got so much experience that we've got depth across the offense. All but one player is returning on the offensive line. I think we'll get better and better. Coach (Brad) Bedell did such a great job with those guys. Our quarterback situation, with Randy Wright and London Lacy, they will compete for the position next year. Tailback is a real strength with Colton Silveria and Austin Edmonson's development. Jon Maricic, hopefully, coming off injury. Nick Aprile will be healthy, and he's that hybrid guy we can use at receiver, at fullback and tailback. Taylor Sloat got great experience at tight end this year. Defensively, Bobby Erskine will be in his third year as a starter (on the defensive line). At linebacker, Ryan Dimino will have shoulder surgery, but we expect to have him back and give us depth on the inside. Steven Pitts, who also got injured, showed tremendous promise at outside linebacker to complement Byron Gruendl. To complement Kevyn Lewis, Charles Boyett and Trae Sayles will be returning at safety.

How do you feel about joining the Big Sky Conference next year and what do you expect the competition will be like?

I feel great about going into the conference because it solves a lot of the problems and (scheduling) issues we've had. … Having eight conference games done every year really helps to take care of that. We've already contracted with San Jose State for 2012, Nevada for 2013 and Stanford for 2014. We've had issues where we had to schedule two (Football Bowl Subdivision) schools every year. We won't have to do that anymore. Now, it's a matter of just finding one or two (Football Championship Subdivision) schools. And the rivalries will continue. We will continue to always play Cal Poly and Sacramento State, hopefully at the end of the year. That adds to those rivalry games, but it also gives our fans a chance, year in and year out, to know the players on the opposing teams in the Big Sky.

Will UC Davis' rivalry with Sacramento State be even better now that both teams play in the same conference?

I hope we're both in contention for conference titles by the end of the year, or maybe we both have six wins. That seventh win might propel you into the playoff picture. There's all kinds of scenarios that could make it really exciting. At some point, I hope that all comes to fruition.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.