Denham's health

Some tidbits that didn’t make it into the UC Davis/Central Arkansas preview for Friday’s paper:

The Greg Denham era will officially begin this Saturday when the heralded sophomore quarterback starts for the Aggies (0-1) against the Bears (1-0).

But while Denham’s ability to throw deep and accurate passes should give the Aggie offense a boost, don’t forget that the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder missed three weeks of preseason camp. And this was not just any preseason camp - it was his first as a starting quarterback.

Denham said after practice that he thinks he will be fine, but admitted that the time off did affect his timing and footwork and that it takes a little time to get trust back in his knee after the strained MCL.

Head coach Bob Biggs said “Quite honestly, he is a little bit rusty.”

One thing to note, however, is that Denham should not be as affected by playing on the road and sleeping away from home as some of his teamates. That’s because Denham will be living in a hotel room for the next few weeks even when he is in Davis as his apartment isn’t ready yet.

Speaking of the Aggies being on the road, Arkansas has been seeing very heavy rain steadily since Tuesday morning as part of Hurricane Gustav's many negative effects on the South. UCA’s practice schedule has not, however, been drastically affected since the Bears have a $2.5 million indoor practice facility.

Head coach Clint Conque did say though, that his team can’t kick in the facility and with a brand new kicker and punter this season, that might hurt their preparation.

- Chris Saur