Cal State Fullerton Notebook : Titans Gaze Through the Looking Glass at Spring Football Game

With a few exceptions, spring football games are often unspirited affairs that spark little interest.

But at Cal State Fullerton, where a fledgling tradition of a joke-filled game is taking hold, the Titans’ May Bowl is becoming a highlight.

It began last year, when Coach Gene Murphy appointed equipment manager Cliff Hatter and trainer Jerry Lloyd as opposing coaches for the intrasquad game.

Hatter and Lloyd, a pair whose one-liners and antics are a longstanding part of Fullerton athletics, have done the rest.

This year’s game will be played Saturday night at the Fullerton High School District Stadium, and the insults are flying between Hatter and Lloyd.

Supporters of the Mad Hatters, as Hatter’s team is known, are still simmering over a disputed fourth-quarter pass play that set up the winning touchdown in the Lloyd Boys’ 21-17 come-from-behind victory last year.

“They won on an illegal play devised by (assistant coach Jim) McAllister that was exposed in the film,” Hatter said. “If they go by the rules this year, we win.”

Lloyd has heard this talk before.

“Accusing us of illegal plays--I think it’s unfortunate they couldn’t let it be decided on the playing field instead of whining about alleged illegalities,” he said.

Lloyd, defending his team’s conduct, said he “did not recall” any illegal plays. “Most certainly, I will not do anything my opponent would not do. I would just hope for the foresight to do it first.”

Hatter went so far this year as to have T-shirts made up for each team. The Mad Hatter shirts feature a rather stylish logo of the “Alice in Wonderland” character. The Lloyd Boys’ shirts--a surprise to Lloyd--feature a 1961 photo of a scruffy-looking Lloyd.

“He looks like some sort of gangster,” Hatter said. “The personality of his team will probably reflect that.”

The teams--and a staff of assistant coaches--are chosen by a draft. This year, Lloyd took defensive end A.J. Jenkins first.

“I don’t see any guy that can stop A.J.,” Lloyd said. “I think he’s too explosive, too quick, too strong, too competitive. I don’t think he can be stopped.”

Hatter chose offensive linemen Marc Hauser and Tom Gang (a community college transfer), hoping to get the best of Fullerton’s few available linemen. The Titans lost the core of their offensive line after last season, and returners Dennis Ellis and Mike Oliver are out of action because of injuries.

Somewhat surprisingly, quarterbacks were chosen well down in the draft, a concession to perceived equality in the abilities of community-college transfer Dan Speltz (Lloyd Boys) and Tony Dill and Paul Schulte (Hatters).

The rules for the game provide for a running clock and prohibit defensive stunting and a one-back offense. But perhaps the most noted rule is this: “Blatant cheating is not permitted unless you can get away with it.”

To the winners go the spoils. In the coaches’ case, that is a ribs and beans dinner scheduled for next week. The catch? The winners eat ribs. The losers eat only beans.

“I’m looking forward to eating ribs,” Hatter said. “I know Jerry’s used to eating beans, being from Texas.”

Lloyd, of course, countered that.

“You don’t keep a body like this eating beans,” he said. “This is strictly a meat-and-potatoes body.”

For all the fun, the football is still plenty serious--to a point.

Hatter will even predict the score: “Many to few.”

Lloyd has his own prediction: “If everything is true to form, they’ll finish a proud second.”

The spring game marks the end of spring practice, and Murphy assessed the team’s progress as “good.”

The offensive line remains the primary concern.

“They’ve improved, but you can’t expect it to happen overnight,” said Murphy, who mentioned the play of Gang and returner Kevin Bernell in particular.

The defense, led by Jenkins and featuring returning players James Howard and Tommy Thompson and newcomers Jerry Leggett and Alex Stewart, is expected to be the team’s strength.

A battle is expected at quarterback, where Speltz, Dill and Schulte are all fairly even.

“This presents a good problem, a problem you would like to have,” Murphy said.

A fourth quarterback, Carlos Siragusa, and wide receiver John Gibbs did not work out with the team this spring after their involvement in the death of a Marine, Richard Bottjer. No charges were filed, and both are expected to return to the team in the fall.

Brent Mayne extended his Pacific Coast Athletic Assn.- and school-record hitting streak to 32 games Wednesday, and he will take it into a three-game weekend series against San Jose State in San Jose.

Fullerton will play its final scheduled game of the regular season Wednesday at Titan Field against USC, but the Titans are likely to schedule additional games to keep them in game shape until the NCAA regionals begin May 26. The Titans (36-14) seem all but assured of a bid.

The Fullerton softball team, which has finished first or tied for first in its two previous seasons in the PCAA, can finish no higher than second this season. Fresno State clinched the title.

But Coach Judi Garman still has a chance to keep another streak alive. She needs just one victory to record her eighth consecutive 50-win season.

Titan Notes

Eric Franklin, Fullerton’s leading rusher last season, has signed with the San Diego Chargers as a free agent. Franklin, a graduate of Santa Ana High School, rushed for 905 yards on 191 carries last season. Two Titan players were drafted--tight end Jim Thornton (Chicago Bears, fourth round) and wide receiver Todd White (Philadelphia Eagles, seventh round). Two others have signed as free agents--offensive lineman Ed Gillies (Dallas Cowboys) and linebacker Bryan Riggs (Denver Broncos). . . . Mark Cohen, a student who is the statistician and media coordinator for the Titan baseball program, has been hired as an intern in the University of Houston’s sports information office for next year.