Nov. 8, 2009

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -

Saturday's games had big implications on the Great West Conference race for the title. UC Davis' 23-10 win over Cal Poly, coupled with Southern Utah's 45-21 loss at South Dakota, set up a game for the championship this Saturday. UC Davis (2-1 in Great West play) will host North Dakota (2-1 GWC) for the title.

South Dakota running back Chris Ganious led a ground game that took the hope of a conference championship away from Southern Utah, while Mike Morales led a UC Davis defense and kicker Sean Kelley connected on three field goals that also ended the title hopes of Cal Poly.

Offensive

RB Chris Ganious - South Dakota (5-8, 185, Soph., Houston, Texas)

Chris Ganious rushed for 193 yards in USD's win over Southern Utah on Saturday. A workhorse from the start, the sophomore running back averaged 7.7 yards on 25 carries and posted a 45-yard touchdown scamper in the second quarter. He also caught three passes for 41 yards.

Also Nominated - QB Greg Denham (UC Davis); QB Jake Landry (North Dakota); WR Tysson Poots (Southern Utah)

Defensive

LB Mike Morales - UC Davis (6-2, 240, Sr., Los Altos, Calif.)

Mike Morales finished with a game-high 13 tackles, including 11 solo, as UC Davis earned the victory over Cal Poly. Morales had 12 tackles (10 solo) during the first half and stopped Jordan Yocum with a solo stop at the 1 after a one-yard gain in the second quarter and Cal Poly leading 10-7. The Mustangs did not score on the drive (missed field goal) and did not score the remainder of the game. It was Morales' third double-digit tackles effort of the year and tied his season-high of 13 stops earned at Boise State. His 248 total tackles rank No. 4 all-time at UC Davis, and he is also tied for No. 2 in solo stops (131) and is No. 7 in assists (117) (records kept since 1987).

Also Nominated - LB Curtis Dublanko (North Dakota); LB Ryan Routh (South Dakota); CB Colin Pretlow (Southern Utah)

Special Teams

PK Sean Kelley - UC Davis (5-8, 215, Soph., Monrovia, Calif.)

Sean Kelley converted three field goals, including a career-long 52-yarder in the third quarter that tied a school record and gave UC Davis the lead for good during its win over Cal Poly. Kelley also converted from 42 yards earlier in the third quarter to tie the game 10-10 and then made one from 35 yards in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring while adding a pair of extra points. He kicked three field goals for the second time this year (Western Oregon) and has made his last eight attempts. Kelley has 22 career field goals, tying him for No. 6 all-time at UC Davis while his 12 field goals this season are tied for fifth-most. His 52-yarder is tied for 8th-longest in the FCS this season.

Also Nominated - DB Dominique Hawkins (North Dakota); LB Kyle Wheeler (South Dakota); P Trevor Ward (Southern Utah)