Northridge Has the QB to Run New Pass Offensive

The Cal State Northridge football team launches a new era this season, having abandoned its conventional I and pro-set offense for the unorthodox and more complex run-and-shoot.

That would seem to present a problem, since the Matadors, who begin fall practice with two-a-day workouts today, do not have any experienced quarterbacks in camp.

But Coach Tom Keele, who decided to make the change after studying under Denver Gold Coach Darrel (Mouse) Davis when the USFL team trained at CSUN last winter, told a group of reporters at the team’s media day Wednesday that he is not concerned.

“I don’t think it’s as difficult for the quarterback as it is for the wide receivers,” he said of the new, pass-oriented offense, “because the wide receivers have to learn to read coverages.

“It’s a passing offense where the wide receivers run routes according to what the defensive backs do. It takes time to get good at it.”

Keele believes he has a capable quarterback in junior Danny Fernandez, a transfer from Chabot College in Hayward, who learned the run-and-shoot in spring practice.

Fernandez, who passed for 2,029 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, said he ran a sprint-out offense at Chabot and at Arroyo High, also in Hayward.

“That offense is tailor-made for him,” said Chabot Coach Terry Cagaanan. “He’s uncanny at it. He’s a very intelligent kid. He’s got great vision. He’s got great mental toughness and he can throw on the move. And he’s got good leadership ability. He’s a tough, tough competitor. He was like a coach on the field for us. . . .

“He’ll be an outstanding player for Northridge.”

As he steps into uncharted territory, Keele can’t help but like hearing an endorsement like that.

“I don’t have any predictions on it,” Keele said of the run-and-shoot, on which he took 154 pages of notes last winter. “We like it. We know a lot about it.

“It will be interesting to see how we do with it.”

Running back Mike Kane, who has led the Western Football Conference in rushing the past two seasons and needs just 239 yards to become CSUN’s all-time leading rusher, missed the media day.

Kane’s family inherited a house in Ireland, and Kane went with his father to Europe to iron out the details.

He is expected at practice this morning, Keele said.

Kane will be the lone setback in the run-and-shoot, which employs four wide receivers, and Keele hopes the offense will present more opportunities for the junior from Temple City.

“At Denver last year, when they would get people ganging up on their passing game, their tailback or their fullback would get 200 yards a game,” Keele said. “Because Kane is a heck of a rusher, I hope people do play pass defense against us because then we could run the heck out of him.”

Notes

Quarterbacks Tim Rapp and Anthony Ford have decided to not play this season, said CSUN Coach Tom Keele. Rapp started three games last year; Ford started two. . . . CSUN was 3-7 last season, including a win by forfeit. . . . Of the change to the run-and-shoot, Keele said: “We were lousy last year, so we thought it was a good time to change. We felt it would create a little enthusiasm.”