CSUF Notebook : Talk Turns Positive After the First Victory

For the first time this season, Gene Murphy, Cal State Fullerton coach, was able to sit back on a Monday and talk more about the things his Titans did well than those they did poorly.

After lopsided losses to Hawaii and sixth-ranked Louisiana State, finding the high points wasn’t always a simple matter. After Saturday’s 31-12 victory over Cal State Long Beach--a team more on the Titans’ level--it was much easier.

There was that steady opening touchdown drive in which the Titans covered 95 yards in 17 plays and 9:27, without a third down longer than third-and-goal at the 7-yard line.

There was the time of possession--the Titans had the ball for more than 41 minutes.

There was that forward-moving offense that had managed only 100 yards against Hawaii and 289 against LSU, but rolled up 496 yards against Long Beach.

And there was the defense that had given up 100 points in two games, but Saturday helped make it a long night for Jeff Graham, the 49ers’ outstanding quarterback, limiting him to 166 yards passing.

“The most pleasing part was the scoreboard,” Murphy said. “I would guess a lot of people thought we weren’t going to win the football game.”

Murphy did find a thing or two to be unhappy with, however.

There were those school-record 16 penalties--nine of them on special teams’ play, and one that caused a touchdown to be called back.

And there were two sizeable mistakes by quarterback Ronnie Barber, who had the second-best game of his career, passing for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns. He fumbled on the Long Beach 20-yard line and threw a pass that was intercepted at the Long Beach 14-yard line.

Concerns, certainly, but nothing to upset Murphy too much after the victory.

Eric Franklin, who had only 11 career carries before this season and only 64 career yards before Saturday, has been named the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. offensive player of the week after rushing for 104 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries against Long Beach. One 37-yard touchdown drive, Franklin, a senior, carried the ball on every play except one--a no-gain quarterback sneak by Ronnie Barber.

The Titans’ next opponent, Utah State, opened the season as Fullerton did--with two difficult nonconference games that help the program financially through large guarantees. But the Aggies, who lost to Nebraska, 56-12, and to Kentucky, 41-0, were idle on Saturday--a day the Titans were able to bolster their spirits, their record and their statistics.

“Just like Long Beach State was for us, playing us is going to be the most important game of the year for them,” Murhpy said.

Without playing a game against an opponent more on their level yet, the Aggies remain at or near the bottom of a number of NCAA Division I statistical categories.

The Aggies, who play host to the Titans in Logan, Utah, Saturday, are last in punt returns (minus 3.3 average), scoring defense (48.5 points allowed average), total defense (566.5 yards allowed average), rushing defense (444 yards allowed average) and rushing offense (9.5 yard average).

Titan Notes

Kelly Gogerty, a senior tackle, had two sacks among his five tackles . . .Tyrone Pope, the Titans’ starting cornerback, is doubtful for Utah State after sustaining a knee injury against Long Beach. Todd Baird, a senior special teams player who sustained a knee injury that likely will require surgery, probably has been lost for the season . . . The status of linebacker John Smith, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery last week, remains uncertain.