Las Vegas Game Comes as a Relief for Fullerton

With that troublesome Southeastern Conference schedule out of the way, Cal State Fullerton will begin the second half of its season today by facing an old foe, Nevada Las Vegas, in a Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game.

The Rebels, who joined the PCAA in 1982, have beaten Fullerton nine straight times, and Fullerton has beaten them only once in its 16-year football history--in 1972.

But for the Titans, who have played the likes of Louisiana State and Florida, and were outscored, 234-92, in the first six games of the season, this matchup has considerable appeal.

“We know we’re going to play folks on our level,” Titan Coach Gene Murphy said.

It is a game between teams that have been heated rivals. But the enmity seems to have dwindled, particularly since last year, when Wayne Nunnely, who was briefly a Fullerton assistant under Murphy in 1979, was named UNLV coach. Both Murphy and Nunnely have sought to downplay the intensity of the rivalry since then.

“It used to be hostile, but it’s not anymore,” Nunnely said.

“The big thing for us isn’t the rivalry,” Murphy said. “The big thing for us is to play at home and win a game.”

For both teams, it is a key PCAA game. In a conference in which one loss can eliminate a team from contention and two losses is almost certain to, neither team figures it can afford one this afternoon.

Fullerton (2-4, 2-1) can take some encouragement from the fact that UNLV (2-2, 1-0) needed a last-minute touchdown and a two-point conversion last week to beat Utah State, a team the Titans beat, 30-11.

Although UNLV had a big lead over the Aggies, too, the Rebels allowed Utah State to come back and take a one-touchdown lead with less than a minute to play, necessitating the scrambling drive.

The Rebels have shown an ability to come back before, though, as they did last year against Fullerton. The Titans led, 17-7, in the first half but ended up being blown out, 40-23.

“We’re going to be very wary,” Murphy said.

The Titans will need to be cautious about George Thomas, a receiver who last year caught 34 passes with an average of almost 24 yards a catch, and who already has caught 19 passes this season. Against Fullerton last year, Thomas caught 6 passes for 197 yards.

For Fullerton, which has been susceptible to the pass, that’s reason aplenty to worry.

UNLV also has a mobile quarterback in redshirt freshman Scott Sims, who has led the Rebels to two victories since he took over for former Fullerton College quarterback Richard Williams, who sustained a badly bruised shoulder in the Rebels’ second game. Williams has recuperated, but the quarterback job no longer was his when he returned.

Murphy sees cause for concern in the UNLV defense, too, which he said is much more complex than last year.

But after last week’s 65-0 loss to Florida, the difficulties in playing UNLV have to look minor.

Titan Notes

Safety Tom Phillips, who broke his hand against Florida last week, will not play. . . . Kicker Stan Lambert, who made eight of eight field goal attempts in the first four games, has not attempted a field goal in two weeks. . . . The Titans, who played only three games at home last season, play four of their final six games at home, traveling only to a nonconference game against Northern Illinois and to a PCAA game against Fresno State.