CSUN Adds Santa Clara to List With 38-32 Victory

Repeating as a champion is considered one of the hardest feats in sports. Make the Boston Celtics an exception. And add Santa Clara to the list.

The Broncos fell from the chase for their second straight Western Football Conference title Saturday, but they didn’t go without a fight.

Cal State Northridge defeated Santa Clara, 38-32, in a game that was not close until the fourth quarter.

The Matadors began the last 15 minutes with a 38-16 cushion, but Santa Clara quarterback Greg Calcagno didn’t sit down. He led the Broncos to 16 fourth-quarter points, and finished the second half by completing 18 of 26 passes for 231 yards. The Broncos were an onside kick recovery from threatening to win the game with less than a minute remaining.

It was enough to make Northridge Coach Bob Burt want to laugh and cry at the same time.

“I don’t know why we gave up so many yards,” Burt said. “I guess some of the credit has to go to them. They had a good game plan, and they protected the quarterback well.”

Calcagno finished 25 of 39 for 318 yards and 2 touchdowns. Northridge, which had the WFC’s stingiest pass defense two weeks ago, has allowed 638 yards passing in the past two games.

While the defense has weakened, however, the offense has bulked up.

Northridge rushed for more than 300 yards a second straight week. Mike Kane gained 174 of CSUN’s 305 yards on the ground and set a school record for carries (193) in a season. Surprisingly, he did not score a touchdown.

Chris Parker, who played the entire game at quarterback for only the second time this season, accounted for three of the Matador touchdowns--throwing for two and running for another.

Bryan Kellen caught two touchdowns, including a 63-yarder in the third quarter that provided the margin of victory. On that play, Kellen was double-covered in the center of the field, but leaped high between defenders to make a spectacular catch. It was the kind of play that would cause Burt to scream “Oh, nooooo!” and “Nice pass!” in the same breath.

The other key catch of the second half was made by strong safety Kip Dukes, who one-handed an interception of a Calcagno pass at the Northridge three-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the third period.

With Northridge ahead by more than two touchdowns, it didn’t seem that important, but Dukes might have saved the game.

The Matadors (7-1, 3-1 in the WFC) stayed within a half-game of first-place Sacramento State and tied a school record with their fourth straight win.

Northridge, ranked 10th in the NCAA Division II, will play host Saturday night to undefeated and third-ranked UC Davis at North Campus Stadium.

The Matadors will have to improve their pass defense and cut down on mistakes to have a shot at upsetting the Aggies. Against Santa Clara (3-5, 2-2 in the WFC), Northridge survived two errors to hold a 24-13 halftime lead.

Kane had 109 yards rushing and 39 yards receiving in the first half.

A 47-yard field goal by Mike Doan got Northridge on the board on its first possession. Kane carried seven times for 35 yards on the 50-yard drive that put Doan within range.

The Matadors took a 10-0 lead the next time they had the ball, going 55 yards on five plays after a 21-yard punt. A 35-yard run by Kane keyed the drive. By the time Northridge had reached the four, Kane had attracted such a crowd that quarterback Parker waltzed into the end zone.

Northridge’s first mistake, a punt that was fumbled by Dukes at the Matador 38, set up a 20-yard touchdown pass from Calcagno to Kevin Collins that cut the lead to 10-7.

The Matadors went back up by 10, driving 58 yards on seven plays after a 42-yard kickoff return by Richard Brown. Kane opened the drive with a 16-yard run to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau this season. He has 3,095 career rushing yards.

Brown, starting from the six, flattened a defender at the two and scored his second rushing touchdown of the season.