Nevada Reno Presents a Challenge : Fullerton Hopes to Shake Losing Feeling Against Wolf Pack

Sean Foy got a reminder last Saturday, and the Cal State Fullerton defensive end is hoping he won’t get another one today.

“You know, we won so much last year, I think maybe we thought we couldn’t lose,” Foy said. “I’d forgotten how much I hate losing . . . just how bad it makes you feel.”

The Titans (11-1 on the field in 1984) lost their season-opener last week at Montana, 31-30, when the Grizzlies scored with eight seconds left. Foy wasn’t the only one in the Fullerton locker room shaking his head in disbelief afterward.

Foy and Gene Murphy, Fullerton coach, are making sure all the Titans recall that feeling before 1 o’clock today when Fullerton plays hosts to Nevada Reno in Santa Ana Stadium.

“This is like the first year Cal State Fullerton ever had a football team,” Murphy said. “We’re not so good that we can just show up and go through the motions.

“We have to remember that. But to tell you the truth, I still had the feeling something good was going to happen on our last play. We all learned a valuable lesson.”

Murphy has worked diligently to improve the Titans’ schedule over the years, but Fullerton’s 1985 schedule begins with a pair of Division 1-AA schools. The first, Montana (a Big Sky doormat which finished 2-8-1 last year), upset the Titans. The second, Nevada Reno (a perennial Big Sky powerhouse which is favored to win the conference this season) has the ability to leave Fullerton contemplating an 0-2 start. The Wolf Pack, 7-4 last season, has 16 returning starters and both kickers back from last season and will be trying for their 10th consecutive winning season under Coach Chris Ault.

Last week, Nevada Reno routed Cal State Northridge, 56-12. Quarterback Eric Beavers completed 24 of 35 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Ten different receivers caught passes, led by split end Bryan Calder, who had nine catches for 139 yards.

Nevada Reno has produced a wealth of bruising running backs over the years, and the Wolf Pack still has a strong ground game to complement its passing attack. Fullbacks Jason Seybold and Charvez Foger each carried the ball just nine times against Northridge, but they combined for 172 yards as the Wolf Pack amassed 600 yards of total offense.

Fullerton is 5-0 in home openers under Murphy, but the Titan coach realizes the string is in jeopardy today.

“We had a physical advantage against Montana. We were just outplayed and outcoached,” he said. “But Reno is a big, strong, physical team.”

Nevada Reno probably won’t overpower too many opponents defensively, but it may drive a few offensive coordinators out of the game. The Wolf Pack defense forces opponents to prepare for just about everything.

“It’s dial-a-defense with them,” Murphy said. “They use just about every defensive front known to man.”

That could present added problems for quarterback Kevin Jan, who completed only 5 of 20 passes (0 for 6 in the second half) for 53 yards in his first major-college start. Most of Jan’s problems at Montana seemed to stem from a tendency to overthrow the ball rather than an inability to read the defense, though.

“We’re not giving up on Kevin,” said Murphy, after indicating backup Whit Brown would probably see action against Nevada Reno. “He didn’t have a good game physically, but he did a lot of mental things right. And we scored three touchdowns with him in charge.”

Murphy also hopes that the success enjoyed by the Titan running game in the opener--Burness Scott averaged 7.4 yards a carry as Fullerton gained 235 yards rushing--will have the Wolf Pack concentrating on the backs and take some pressure off Jan.

The passing game would seem to be the key for both teams. If the Titans are to revive that winning feeling today, both Jan and the inexperienced Fullerton secondary will have to perform better than they did last Saturday.

Titan Notes

Nevada Reno, which lost at home to Fullerton (36-14) last season has won five straight since. The Titans have a 5-3 series edge, having won all four games in Reno. The last time Fullerton beat the Wolf Pack in Southern California was in 1972. . . . Ricky Calhoun, who went end zone to end zone with a kickoff return against Montana, leads the nation in that category with a 58.5 average. Calhoun had the best average (30.5) in the country last year but was two returns short of the qualifying number. In the Titans’ final game last season, New Mexico State opened with an onside kick and was shut out, 20-0, ending Calhoun’s bid for the No. 1 spot. . . . The Titans will make their 1985 home debut in a slightly refurbished Santa Ana Stadium today. The scoreboard has been outfitted with brighter lights and there are new concession stands. . . . Injury Update: The Titans emerged almost injury free from their season-opening loss at Montana, one of the trip’s few bright aspects. Defensive tackle Ruben Lizarraga has a bruised knee and is listed as questionable. “We didn’t hit anybody hard enough to get hurt,” Coach Gene Murphy grumbled. . . . Murphy, asked if he saw any Titan strengths in Montana: “Yeah, nobody was late for the plane.” . . . Today’s game will be televised on a delayed basis at 7:30 p.m. on Titan Cable Sports, Channel 33. The channel is carried by a number of North Orange County cable services.

CAL STATE FULLERTON

Today’s Game

Opponent: Nevada Reno.

Site: Santa Ana Stadium.

Time: 1 p.m.

Records:

Fullerton, 0-1; Nevada Reno 1-0.

Radio: KWOW (1600).