PCAA Roundup : 49ers’ Templeton Has 18 Catches in 14-3 Win

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Graham threw for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Cal State Long Beach to a 14-3 victory over Utah State in Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game Saturday at Logan, Utah.

Long Beach fullback Mark Templeton had 18 receptions for 173 yards to break the PCAA record of 17, set by San Diego State’s Tom Reynolds in 1971, also against the Aggies. Templeton ranks third in the nation for pass receptions.

The victory boosted Long Beach to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in PCAA play. Utah State is 2-5 and 2-2.

The 49ers jumped to an early lead when Graham tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Greg Locy to complete a 76-yard drive.

But Long Beach didn’t score again until Graham passed seven yards to Templeton with 15 seconds left in the third quarter. The touchdown capped a nine-play, 48-yard drive.

Utah State scored with 6:08 left in the third quarter on a 34-yard field goal by sophomore Dean Garner.

“It was frustrating to move the ball as well as we did and only lead 7-0 at the half,” Long Beach Coach Mike Sheppard said. “We had to make some adjustments this week because we had some players hurt, including our center (Mike Hollingshaus). I thought that hurt us at times. Our defense won this game. They did a great job.”

Utah State had only 161 yards of total offense.

Graham, who completed 31 of 48 attempts, accounted for all but one of Long Beach’s 348 yards.

Templeton, from Foothill High School in Santa Ana, had 16 in a game earlier this season.

“Mark did an outstanding job all day,” Sheppard said. “He caught a lot of passes because Utah State did a nice job of doing good, deep drops on our receivers. That left Templeton open.”

Templeton’s 225 catches make him No. 3 on the NCAA list behind Howard Twilley (261) of Tulsa and David Williams (245) of Illinois.

San Jose St. 45, New Mexico St. 7--Junior fullback James Saxon scored four touchdowns as the Spartans beat the Aggies at Las Cruces, N.M.

San Jose State, the Division I leader in total offense and passing offense, riddled the New Mexico State defense for 550 yards, including 321 rushing. The Spartans came into the game averaging 479 yards in total offense.

Saxon, who rushed for 126 yards in just 11 carries, scored on runs of 8, 1, and 50 yards and caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Perez, who completed 19 of 37 passes for 229 yards. Kenny Jackson was the Spartans’ leading rusher with 136 yards in 26 carries.

San Jose State, 7-2 overall, remains atop the PCAA standings with a 5-0 record. The loss was the eighth straight for New Mexico State (1-9, 1-5).

Nevada Las Vegas 27, N. Texas St. 26--Steve Stallworth passed for three touchdowns as the Rebels rallied from an early 14-0 deficit to win a nonconference game at Las Vegas.

North Texas State (5-3) pulled to within a point with 40 seconds remaining after halfback Billy Brewer scored on a five-yard run. North Texas went for two points, but quarterback Bron Beal’s pass was broken up.

The Rebels (4-4) took the lead for the first time at 24-20 with 8:46 remaining in the game, as Stallworth threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to George Thomas. Jim Cook kicked a 35-yard field goal to give Las Vegas a 27-20 lead with 4:46 left.