Titans May Have Committee Replace Calhoun

The biggest questions for Cal State Fullerton’s football team may be on defense, but the biggest hole is on the other side of the ball. It measures, oh, say, 1,398 yards.

That’s precisely the number of yards Rick Calhoun, the school’s career leading rusher, gained last year, and the largest part of his 2,646-yard four-year total.

Now Fullerton must seek to replace him, or at least cut the losses. The problem is that when you have someone like Calhoun, you tend to go with him. And now that he’s gone, the Titans find themselves with two top halfbacks who between them have carried the ball only 36 times in their Fullerton careers.

Senior Eric Franklin--who has gained a slight edge over senior Tracey Pierce, according to the depth chart prepared after two-a-day practices ended Tuesday--carried the ball 10 times in 1986. Pierce had 25 carries. Neither scored a touchdown.

It may be that neither will gain a clear edge and both will get equal time. One thing seems certain: No one will approach the load carried by Calhoun, a ninth-round draft pick by Detroit who remains on the Lion roster.

“They’re good football players,” said Titan Coach Gene Murphy. “But they’re not Ricky Calhoun.”

Besides Franklin and Pierce, the Titans hope to get help from junior Keith Bowman, sophomore Jon Bell and Michael Moore, a speedy community-college transfer who already has impressed coaches enough to earn kickoff and punt-return duties--another thing Calhoun used to do.

Murphy calls Franklin “the most talented” of the group, but says “what we’re looking for from him is commitment.”

That’s something Franklin says is there this year.

“This is the first time I’ve come into camp with only one thing on my mind,” said Franklin, who said that last year he was preoccupied with the birth of his son, Eric Jr., who now is 13 months old. “Before, I’ve always had a lot of things outside to worry about.”

“I think he is committed now,” said Murphy, who likes Franklin’s size and speed.

What Pierce needs is consistency, Murphy said.

“He has excellent hands and good size but can’t be so sporadic.”

Pierce said he figures a few more carries and a better knowledge of the system will take care of that.

Franklin and Pierce are similarly built--5-feet 11-inches tall and weighing 190-195 pounds. Pierce himself calls them “the twins of the team.”

This summer, Pierce left his home in Phoenix early so he and Franklin could work out together before preseason drills began.

“Of course I’d like to be the No. 1 back,” Franklin said. “But we work together. Before camp, we ran together and lifted together. I always try to tell him what he’s doing wrong, and he tries to help me.”

In any case, Franklin doesn’t lack confidence.

“I watched Rick last year. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an excellent back. But when I watched him, I felt I could do what he did. I’m bigger than he is, and seeing him playing pro, that’s an inspiration.”

Moore, who rushed for 1,425 yards and helped lead Riverside City College to a 10-1 record last year, reported to camp several days late because he was slightly injured by a stray bullet as he jogged in his San Bernardino neighborhood. But already he has moved up on the depth chart, even though he’s still learning the system.

“He’s the quickest back I’ve seen,” Franklin said.

Titan Notes

Tight end Bill Brennan and center Marc Hauser, reserves whose academic eligibility had been uncertain, have been declared eligible. Coach Gene Murphy is still awaiting word on defensive lineman A. J. Jenkins and nose guard Carlos Adley, both crucial to a defense that lost six starters. . . The Titans are basically through hitting and are well into preparations for the opener at Hawaii Sept. 5, Murphy says. One major task is preparing for Hawaii’s run-and-shoot offense. . . Chris Wright, a sophomore who was ineligible under Proposition 48 last season, has been one of the most impressive newcomers and may challenge for a starting position in the defensive secondary. “Even if he doesn’t start, he’s going to play a lot for us,” said Murphy. Wright, who was an all-Southern Section running back at Loara High School, may get some playing time at outside linebacker. “On Aug. 8, he was ranked fourth on our depth chart,” Murphy said. “He’s not there anymore.”. . Ronnie Barber is the returning starter at quarterback, but is being pressed alternately by Carlos Siragusa and Tony Dill, who missed most of last season with a knee injury. In last Saturday’s scrimmage, Barber completed 9 of 13 for 100 yards with three balls dropped. Dill was 5 for 5 for 56 yards, and Siragusa, who had an excellent spring, was 3 of 8 for 37 yards.