Greetings, Lion fans, and finally, after roughly nine months……IT’S GAME WEEK! This Thursday, 7pm at The Hawk, the Lions begin the Clint Dolezel era hosting the Aggies of UC-Davis.

In their second season of Division I-FCS play, one thing is apparent…. the Lions have significantly upgraded their schedule. Opponents like Lincoln, North American, University of Ft. Lauderdale, and Seleccion Nuevo Leon have been replaced by the likes of UC-Davis, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, and Sacramento State. According to AD Jim Curry, there are more to come.

Next on the Lion checklist involve an upgrade to facilities, department personnel, and student athletes. All three have seen progress. The proposed Special Events center is under way. The Athletic Department has seen a great deal of improvement not only in numbers, but in the quality of those people filling those positions. The programs are fully funded, and scholarship levels are equal to what currently exist in FCS. Now, will these upgrades transfer into wins? This week, we begin to find out.

ABOUT UC-DAVIS: Davis is a public university founded in 1905 near Davis, California. In 1956, it became the seventh school in the University of California system. A member of the Big Sky Conference, the Aggies finished 6-5 in 2022. They do share a common opponent with the Lions in Sacramento State, which beat UC-Davis 27-21 in the 2022 season finale.

The head coach of the Aggies is Dan Hawkins, who made a name in his coaching career with stops at Boise State and Colorado. He is most remembered for his rant of “Go play intramurals, brother!”(it is an epically funny rant that can be found on YouTube). Hawkins is in his 7th year at Davis, with a record of 37-29, with two playoff appearances. UC-Davis is currently ranked #16 (NCAA) and #17 (Coaches) in national FCS polls.

WHAT TO EXPECT: Let’s get to the 500 lb. elephant in the room: the Lion offense. In a word, it has been offensive (pun intended). Injuries, inexperience, and inconsistency at quarterback cost the Lions a chance at one last LSC title in 2021 and a rare losing season in 2022. Clint Dolezel was brought to Commerce in December of 2022 for one reason: he knows offense. Indoor or outdoor, football is football, and the fundamentals are the same. His experience, bolstered by some new and some familiar faces on the offensive side of the staff, and the Lions look poised to roll in 2023.

Sources in and around the Lion program say that there remains uncertainty surrounding the availability of 2022 starter Eric Rodriguez. It is here where the development of transfers Peter Parrish, Josh Magana, A.J. Abbott, and incoming freshman Lake Bennett over the spring and summer begin to pay dividends. Both Parrish and Magana played well in the spring, and Parrish seems to have taken the reins of the Lion offense at QB1 for now.

Despite showing what only can be described as maybe 10% of the total offense in the spring, there seems to be a great variety of creativity and variations in formations and personnel packages, and in a nod to the Wizard of the Blacklands, Ernest Hawkins, running backs filling in at receiver positions, and vice versa. As fans, we got an appetizer this past April. This Thursday, we get the whole buffet. What will we see on the buffet, and will it satisfy the hunger for wins that the Lions have been craving? We’ll see.

Like almost every team in the days of the Spread/Air Raid offense, UC-Davis operates out of a basic 4-2-5 defensive set, with a safety playing close to the line of scrimmage at times.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Make the routine play. The offensive line has added size and experience over the spring and summer. It’s going to be essential for this group to open holes and give Parrish time to fine open receivers. Who steps up to fill the void left by the transfer of Andrew Armstrong? How will the play calling under new offensive coordinator Bob Bounds go? It seemed difficult for the Lion offense in 2021 and 2022 to make adjustments. According to Dolezel, making complete adjustments to the game plan is an option. Just what will they be?

THE LIONS WIN THIS MATCHUP IF: It all comes down to offense. If the Lions can avoid the silly self-induced and pre snap penalties, cut down on the turnovers, and are able to move the ball, the defense should be able keep the Lions in the game with a chance to win.

And that is what you live for in football. To have a chance to win.

August 31st, 7pm, at The Hawk. Dawn of the Dolezel era.

See You Thursday.