Titans Continue Rocky Road Against Aggies

Gene Murphy was reclining at his desk--feet up, hands behind his head--reflecting on his team’s fortunes this season when he stopped mid-sentence.

“Which of the Rocky movies is the one where he gets the dog knocked out of him by ‘ol Mr. T., loses his title and then wins it back?” the Cal State Fullerton coach asked.

When a visitor said he thought it was Rocky III, Murphy yelled for assistant Dale Bunn, who stepped in the office a few seconds later.

“Get a copy of Rocky III,” Murphy said.

“Are we gonna watch it Friday night?” Bunn asked.

“Yeah,” Murphy said. “Why not?”

The Titans have certainly taken a beating in 1985 (both physically and in the standings), their hopes of defending the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. title are all but dashed, and only a miracle comeback can save them from being thrust back into obscurity after a long, difficult climb to recognition.

But this is Fullerton and not Hollywood, and the Titans need more than inspiration these days . . . like maybe a healthy quarterback, a touchdown once in awhile and about a half-dozen defensive replacements.

The fact that Murphy was desperately seeking spiritual propaganda for a game against a school which has yet to beat a PCAA team since joining the conference last year tells a great deal about the state of Titan Football.

After last year’s 20-0 win over New Mexico State, Murphy said the Aggies reminded him a lot of his own team just a couple years earlier: a collection of young, talented athletes who figured to be a team of the future.

New Mexico State had managed to cross the 50-yard line just once that rainy day in Las Cruces, so the remark was filed in the Find-Something-Nice-To-Say-About-The-Team-You-Just-Humiliated Department and forgotten.

It would seem that the Aggies, who have staggered to a 1-7 overall record and a 0-5 conference mark, have done little to prove Murphy a prophet.

But a closer look indicates that New Mexico State is, indeed, a team on the way up. And, for that matter, a team very capable of winning its first conference game today, when the Aggies meet a team on the way down (Fullerton) at 1 p.m. in Santa Ana Stadium.

The Titans, 2-2 in conference and 2-5 overall, have what can only be called a home-field dis advantage, considering that they have yet to score a touchdown at home this season.

Fullerton has shown little offensive consistency anywhere and has failed to score a touchdown on offense in its last two outings. And injuries have decimated a scrappy defense that was a major factor in the Titans’ only two wins.

New Mexico State, on the other hand, is playing its best football of the season right now. Last week, the Aggies lost at Nevada Las Vegas, 17-12, but sophomore quarterback Jim Miller passed for 233 yards against the Rebel defense, ranked second in the nation against the pass.

And the New Mexico State defense, which had been allowing a whopping 456 yards a game coming in, held UNLV to 256 yards.

“They’re improved all over and they’re playing with a lot of intensity now,” Murphy said. “And I think they’re probably saying to themselves, ‘If we ever had a chance to get our first PCAA win, it’s Saturday.’

“Hell, our offense hasn’t scored a touchdown in nine quarters.”

Senior quarterback Kevin Jan, who is hobbled by a knee injury, broken ribs and a painful tailbone bruise, admitted that he’s not sure he can be ready today.

“I’m hurt . . . it (the knee) hurts,” Jan said. “This week, well, I’m just not sure.”

Murphy described Jan’s performance in the Titans’ 42-7 loss to Fresno State last week as “very mediocre,” so the majority of the quarterbacking duties may fall on Tony Dill, a remarkably poised if inexperienced freshman.

“I’m comfortable out there,” said Dill, who didn’t play quarterback until his senior year at Mt. Miguel High School in San Diego. “I never think about being a freshman during a game.”

Dill, who was supposed to red-shirt this season, says he has mixed emotions about losing the redshirt year.

“I guess as long as I’m playing, it’s worth it,” he said. “Not many freshmen, especially quarterbacks, get a chance like this. Most of all, I just want to be part of a good game . . . and a win.”

When Murphy and Co. looked over this season’s schedule after last year’s 11-1 campaign, they must have put the Nov. 8 game against New Mexico State in the “sure win” category.

But for Fullerton these days, nothing is a sure thing.

Titan Notes Tim Wharton, a freshman from Whittier Christian High School in Fullerton, will take over the kicking duties for the Titans today. Coach Gene Murphy has been unhappy with junior Len Strandley’s lack of consistency, both on field goals and kickoffs. . . . As predicted, opponents are avoiding Fullerton cornerback Mark Collins this season and the All-America candidate hasn’t had an interception yet. It doesn’t seem to have hurt the senior’s reputation, though. Gil Brandt, the Dallas Cowboys vice-president for player development, listed 35 “franchise” players available in next year’s NFL draft for Sports Illustrated, and he named just one defensive back--Collins. . . . Corn Redick, the Titans’ do-everything receiver/kick returner, joined the ever-increasing list of Titans who are out for the year after breaking his collarbone last week at Fresno. Redick, a senior, finished his career with a school-record for career receiving yardage (1,337), fourth in receptions (70) and second in return yardage (351). . . . The Aggies operate a run-and-shoot offense that Murphy says is improving every game along with quarterback Jim Miller. “You watch the films and you can see the maturity and the progress,” Murphy said. “They use the run-and-shoot exclusively, and they run out of it quite a bit.”