Murphy May Resort to Titan Bag of Tricks at Utah State

Lynn Eilefson, the former Cal State Fullerton athletic director who now holds the same position at San Jose State, went down on the field Oct. 3 after the Titans’ 20-18 win over the Spartans to congratulate longtime friend Gene Murphy, the Fullerton coach.

“Nice coaching job, partner,” Eilefson said, hugging Murphy.

“Hey, I wasn’t out there,” Murphy said. “Give the players the credit.”

Eilefson winked and waved goodby, but he knew his assessment of the game had been right on target.

The Fullerton defense didn’t beat San Jose State. And the offense certainly didn’t, either. It was Murphy’s play-calling--make that trick play-calling--that carried the Titans to their first win of the season.

Murphy called two special first-half plays that accounted for touchdowns. So, give the game ball to Murphy, he deserves it.

All of which brings us to Logan, Utah, where Fullerton, now boasting a 1-0 Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. record, meets Utah State (2-2 in the PCAA and 2-3 overall) today in conference game No. 2 for the Titans.

And the question is: Since the Aggies already have the game films of last week, how many more gimmicks does Murphy have? Or, maybe: How many times can you expect to overcome a fair defense, mediocre special teams and a struggling offense with trick plays?

“You certainly don’t want to live or die on tricks,” Murphy admitted, “but our numbers keep dwindling (from injuries), and there are tricks off tricks, you know, so don’t be surprised if you see some more.”

Fullerton has a depth problem that could be accentuated today. The Titans will not only be outmanned. They’ll be outsized, too.

“Utah State is a gigantic football team, big and physical as usual,” Murphy said. “They try to wear you down and hurt you, and we just can’t afford to get anyone else hurt.”

Off the Titans’ five starting interior defenders, two--tackle Ron McLean and linebacker Russ Maybury--have been lost for the year, and the three others--tackle Ruben Lizarraga, nose guard Jim Baioa and linebacker Bryan Riggs--have all missed at least two games.

The defense has played remarkably well under the circumstances, and the Titan offense has been showing some improvements lately.

Utah State Coach Chris Pella wishes he could say the same for his offensive unit.

The Aggies, who won two of their first three games, have lost two in a row since. Last week against Nevada Las Vegas, they took possession of the ball inside the Rebel 40-yard line five times and managed to score once. The week before, against University of the Pacific, they committed seven turnovers.

Aggie quarterback Brad Ipsen has thrown nine interceptions and just one touchdown.

“Having the two PCAA losses is a tough obstacle to overcome,” Pella admitted, “but we’re not going to make any excuses. And if the kids start feeling sorry for themselves, then things could really start to skid.”

The defense has also been a point of frustration for Pella. Utah State has shut down its opponents’ rushing game, allowing just 88 yards per game on the ground, best in the conference. But after forcing teams to go to the air, they have yielded 218 yards per game passing, worst in the PCAA.

Titan Notes Titan wide receiver/kick returner Corn Redick, who caught two touchdown passes and totaled 167 all-purpose yards last week against San Jose State, was named PCAA Offensive Player of the Week. Redick needs 37 yards to become the Titans’ all-time leader in receiving yardage and 49 yards to set a school record for career punt-return yardage. . . . Utah State, as usual, has huge linemen again this year. The smallest defensive lineman on the team is senior Dale Perine (6-4, 233 pounds). The smallest offensive starter is Scott Burton (6-5, 263). “I’m afraid we could get some delay of game penalties walking around them on the way back to our huddle,” Murphy said. . . . Injury Dept.: Murphy has decided to move sophomore offensive tackle Kelly Gogerty to defensive tackle and freshman fullback Bill Jaquish to linebacker to shore up the decimated defense. “Jaquish is a tough football player who has the ability to help us,” Murphy said, “and Gogerty played defensive tackle at Troy (High School), so he’s at least had some experience.” Defensive end Mark Chisom, who suffered a neck injury at San Jose and was taken by ambulance to the hospital for observation, still has a “tingling sensation” in his fingers and is listed as questionable. Linebacker Bryan Riggs, safety Trent Baker and defensive tackle Jeff Taylor are all still bothered by ankle injuries and are also questionable. . . . Utah State has been struggling, but Murphy doesn’t think there’s any chance the Titans will be thinking about next week’s game against rival Nevada Las Vegas. “The way things are going for us, we can’t look past our scout team,” he said.