Even though the Aggies' first football game was still more than nine months away, Ron Gould knew he needed to hit the ground running when he was named UC Davis' 16th football coach last December.

But after 16 seasons developing some of college football's best running backs while associate head coach at nearby UC Berkeley, moving quickly was nothing new for him. Still, time was of the essence. Gould needed to assemble a coaching staff as fast as he could, there were lots of in and outs of the UC Davis campus he had to navigate and, most importantly, recruiting season was in full swing.

Gould was commuting from his East Bay home much of the time, but that didn't slow him down. His commitment to getting the job done was the only adrenaline he needed.

With the highly anticipated 2013 season on the horizon, Gould's tireless efforts are coming to fruition. He and his coaches put together a highly regarded recruiting class despite the fact that he arrived a little more than six weeks before national letter-of-intent signing day in February. Gould also led a strong winter conditioning program and spring practice season. The Aggies who reported back for fall camp in early August, according to Gould, were in better shape than ever.

You won’t see any wasted movement during the daily practices, although everyone is moving all the time. Enthusiasm from both the players and coaches fuels everything that happens. What results is a renewed sense of excitement for the Aggies, whose schedule will include six home games — the first is on Sept. 14 against Northern Arizona — and six more on the road.

"The future is bright for Aggie football," Gould said upon his hiring. "I look forward to experiencing that great Aggie Pride that defines this wonderful community."

While at Cal, Gould mentored running backs such as Shane Vereen (New England Patriots) and Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks) who have developed into elite NFL players. The Bears were among the nation's rushing leaders during his tenure. He hopes to bring the same kind of success to all areas of UC Davis' program.

The Aggies open the year Aug. 31 at the University of South Dakota and will play their second road game at University of Nevada and the Cal Aggie Alumni Association is chartering a bus to the Reno game.

Mark your calendar for our home games this season:

• Sept. 21: Portland State
• Sept. 14: Northern Arizona
• Sept. 28: Idaho State
• Oct. 12: Montana (Homecoming)
• Nov. 2: Cal Poly (Parent and Family Weekend)
• Nov. 16: North Dakota

Home games are at Aggie Stadium, and tickets are available through www.ucdavisaggies.com or by calling 530-754-AGS1.

— Mike Robles, assistant athletics director