Titans Can Clinch Tie for Second : Win Over Fresno State Would Keep Them in PCAA Race

In the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn., a conference in which the football champion has gone undefeated 14 times in 18 seasons and has never lost more than one game, often the interesting race is the battle for second place.

Welcome to the interesting race.

San Jose State, undefeated in five PCAA games, has a big head start on the title. The Spartans would have to take a large stumble and lose their final two games and Cal State Fullerton would have to win its final two for Fullerton to be the PCAA representative to the California Bowl.

But second place--now, that might be a contest. And tonight’s game between second-place Fullerton (5-4, 4-1) and Fresno State (4-4, 2-2), which is in a three-way tie for third, could be one of the keys.

If Fullerton becomes only the second team in the past 18 games to defeat the Bulldogs in their home stadium, then the Titans would be guaranteed at least a tie for second.

A loss would put them in the thick of a scramble.

In a Fullerton season full of games that seemingly were either too hard or too easy, this one figures to be competitive. Which, apparently, is fine with the Titans.

“I love the tough games,” said Ronnie Barber, Fullerton quarterback. “Those easy games are for the birds.”

Fullerton, which opened the season with two losses, has three straight victories and gone above the .500 mark for the first time in nearly two years. A victory today not only would mean a lot in the conference standings, but it would guarantee that the Titans will not have a second consecutive losing season.

Gene Murphy, Fullerton coach, does not think it will be easy.

“We will have to play the very best we can to win,” he said.

Murphy said he is particularly impressed with the Bulldog defense, which limited UCLA to 17 points in a shutout loss. Jethro Franklin, a Bulldog defensive end, has 9 1/2 sacks this season.

The surprise for Fresno State has been Dave Telford, a walk-on quarterback who was listed third on the preseason depth chart. Jim Sweeney, Bulldog coach, had been looking to Eric Buechele, a Servite High School product, and Dan English to fill the very large void left by the graduation of his son, Kevin Sweeney, who last season broke Doug Flutie’s record for NCAA career passing yardage.

But by the fourth game of the season, Telford was the starter. He has passed for 1,809 yards, more than 200 in each of the past five games. In a 23-22 loss to Pacific, he passed for 536 yards.

Fresno State has lost to San Jose State as well as Pacific, the team Fullerton plays next week. If the Bulldogs are to do anything to make good on preseason predictions of a second-place finish for themselves and a fourth-place finish for Fullerton, it will have to be now.

Titan Notes

Tight end Jim Thornton, who injured his knee last week against New Mexico State, will not play. Sophomore Bill Brennan will start in his place. . . . Fullback William Robinson will play after missing two games because of a knee injury. . . . Stan Lambert, who did not miss in eight field-goal attempts in the first four games, has not kicked a field goal in the past five games, missing three attempts, from 32, 35 and 32 yards. Of his eight successful attempts, six were from 40 yards or beyond. . . . When the Titans return from Fresno--their seventh and final trip of the season--they will have logged about 20,000 miles, or almost twice the mileage of any previous season.