Titans’ Dill Savors Role Reversal Against Nevada Las Vegas

Tony Dill never saw himself as the next Damon Allen, but plenty of others did, and said so.

At the very least, he was Cal State Fullerton’s quarterback of the future. This, even though he was so green when he got his first start as a freshman that center Dave Martinez called the audibles for him.

Like Allen, who led Fullerton to an 11-1 season in 1984, Dill is a black quarterback from the San Diego area. Like Allen, he is a scrambler. And like Allen, when Dill was the starter, the Titans were usually victorious. They won their final four games in 1985 when Dill, then a freshman, took over after the top two quarterbacks were injured.

But the quarterback of the future became the quarterback on the sidelines. The next Damon Allen became the guy to signal the next play from the sidelines.

And Monday, Dill--quarterback of the future, 1985 version--began running a wide receiver’s routes in his red quarterback’s practice jersey. When the Titans play Nevada Las Vegas at 7 tonight in the Big West Conference opener for both teams, Dill probably will take his first turn since high school at catching passes instead of throwing them.

As a quarterback, he has been passed by. This time, perhaps, for good.

It would be hard to fault Dill if he were bitter, but he is not.

“It was a tough adjustment,” Dill said. “I had been up to certain levels and down to certain levels. I’d been through a lot of mood swings . . . I’m glad I’m going to get some time to play.”

In 1986, Dill struggled in the first two games--both losses--before a knee injury put him out for the year. Ronnie Barber took over at quarterback.

The next year, Barber beat out Dill for the job, and Dill ended up playing third string, behind Carlos Siragusa.

“Ronnie had already established himself, and he was a senior,” Dill said. “I came back to take a back seat to him.”

Last spring, with Barber gone, it seemed as if the job might be Dill’s again. But Dan Speltz, the much-heralded transfer from El Camino College, beat him out for the job.

“Not being able to get the starting job back after Barber left was a disappointment,” Dill said. “But he won the job.”

Even though Speltz has struggled in the Titans’ first two games, completing just 39.5% of his passes for 186 yards, Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy has made it clear he is sticking with Speltz, who like Dill and Siragusa, is a junior.

Even though Dill guided the Titans to four straight victories--a feat Fullerton hasn’t matched since--and passed for 218 yards and 3 touchdowns against Pacific in his final game as a freshman, his future now is as a receiver. He’s too good an athlete to stand on the sidelines, Murphy said.

Dill, after an initial suggestion from the coaching staff, approached Murphy last week.

“I went to Coach and said, ‘Hey, I’m willing to help out at wide receiver. We can use it to the team’s advantage.’ ”

So on Monday, Dill began running pass routes, something he hadn’t done since high school.

Murphy was impressed.

“He’s caught on so fast. He’s such a good athlete,” Murphy said. “After Tuesday, we said, ‘He’s ready.’ ”

It helps, of course, that as a quarterback Dill knows the routes and understands the coverages. Even so, it wasn’t an easy week.

“It’s a drastic change for me physically,” Dill said. “The preparation is a lot more physically demanding than quarterback, which is mostly mental.”

With Dill at wide receiver--he’s listed fourth on the depth chart behind starters Rocky Palamara and John Gibbs and backup Mark Hill--Siragusa moves to backup quarterback, and Dill drops to third quarterback, which should make Dill and Siragusa happier.

“I think it was a wise decision,” Dill said. “We’ll see Saturday. We’ll see how I do.”

Titan Notes

Cal State Fullerton beat Nevada Las Vegas, 28-14, last season at Santa Ana Stadium, breaking a nine-game losing streak that dated to 1972. . . . UNLV quarterback Scott Sims is the only Big West quarterback who has been less effective than Fullerton’s Dan Speltz. Sims completed only 4 of 22 passes for 39 yards in a 27-3 loss in the Rebels opener two weeks ago. UNLV did not play last week. . . . For Fullerton--which was outscored, 69-19, in losses to Southwestern Louisiana and West Virginia--a game against UNLV is a welcome respite. “We played some teams that were out of our conference, and maybe out of our league,” Tony Dill said. “Now we feel like we’re playing someone we should beat if we do what we’re capable of doing.” . . . Offensive lineman Kevin Bernell, who missed the first two games with a knee injury, will not play.