Cal State Fullerton Notebook : Titans Gear Up With Three-a-Day Practices

Two-a-day football practices in August are a preseason standard, but Cal State Fullerton began full-squad practice Saturday with something even more tiring:

Three-a-days.

Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy says the Titans need to be more disciplined and better conditioned. This, apparently, is the way to start.

“We’ve always conditioned real hard,” he said. “We’re gonna go that much harder.”

At least part of the impetus for this emphasis on conditioning and discipline can be found in the Titan record book. Last season, Fullerton set school records for penalties (138) and penalty yardage (1,167).

As Murphy sees it, this is the first step toward leaving that record unchallenged.

“The thing we have to do is become a more disciplined football team--as coaches and as players,” he said. “We need to eliminate some penalties. The reason for penalties--especially in the fourth quarter--is a lack of conditioning. People get tired, and that results in a lack of concentration, which results in penalties.”

Murphy also sees a need for extra conditioning because of the first three games on the Titans’ schedule: Southwestern Louisiana, Sept. 3, at Lafayette, La.; West Virginia, Sept. 10 at Morgantown, W.Va; Nevada Las Vegas, Sept. 17 at Las Vegas.

They aren’t likely to encounter much nice football weather.

So it will be thrice daily for the Titans until Wednesday, when the first practice in pads is scheduled and practice will be cut to twice a day.

“I told the players it’s going to be a miserable camp,” Murphy said. “They’re not going to enjoy it. I’m going to enjoy it, but not them.”

Murphy has learned to expect a few unexpected absentees come reporting time, but this season there seem to be more than usual.

The chief loss is tight end Bill Brennan, who has quit the team.

“Football just wasn’t important to him anymore,” Murphy said.

Brennan, a junior, caught 11 passes for 97 yards as a backup last season and was the expected starter at the position vacated by Jim Thornton.

Now, the apparent heir to the position is Damien Macaluso, a sophomore who caught two passes last season for 15 yards. Macaluso started the final game of last season because Thornton and Brennan were out with injuries.

“Now the concern gets back to tight end,” Murphy said. “Macaluso is the only one with a semblance of experience.”

Other players who were expected for camp but are either ineligible or have not reported: defensive lineman Deryl Henderson, offensive lineman Dean Carter, offensive lineman Carlos Martinez and Guy Williston (ineligible), all transfers; transfer receiver Carter Jefferson (failed to report); fullback Kevin Harper, linebacker Troy Grimes, offensive lineman Tony Alvarez and Don Hamann (failed to report), all veterans.

“We didn’t have quality depth going in, and this takes away from that depth,” Murphy said.

“It’s disappointing. But what are you going to do? We’ve got some good football players in camp. We’re going to worry about them, not the guys who aren’t here.”

The status of two players remains uncertain. Carlos Adley, a senior nose guard, is not yet academically cleared to practice, and freshman quarterback Joe Mauldin has not yet been declared eligible under the NCAA Proposition 48 guidelines.

Both conference coaches and media representatives recently picked Fullerton to finish third in the Big West. But the annual college football publications saw it differently.

Fullerton was picked no higher than fourth in the polls of six publications, and Athlon’s picked the Titans to finish seventh.

Street & Smith’s, The Sporting News, GamePlan and Don Heinrich’s College Football picked Fullerton fourth. College & Pro Football Weekly picked Fullerton sixth.

All six publications picked either Fresno State, Utah State or San Jose State to win. Big West coaches and media chose Utah State.