COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Fullerton Downs Las Vegas, 20-10 : First Time the Titans Have Won in Silver Bowl Since 1972

Cal State Fullerton was headed full-throttle toward what Coach Gene Murphy calls “self-destruction” against Nevada Las Vegas Saturday night.

The Titans couldn’t seem to score a touchdown from first-and-goal, and the demons that haunt kicker Stan Lambert inside 30 yards were acting up.

But guess what? UNLV did a bit of self-destructing itself. The Titans capitalized on six UNLV turnovers, and Fullerton took a 20-10 victory in front of 18,865 in the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl, winning here for the first time since 1972.

Had Fullerton lost, Murphy’s “self-destruction speech,” one that he’s used before, would have been forthcoming.

“You almost got it,” Murphy said. “Missed field goals, receivers open . . . we missed some scoring opportunities.”

But after trailing at halftime, 10-9, Fullerton came back.

“We knew we could move the ball, it was just a matter of scoring,” Murphy said.

In the second half--after Lambert’s second missed short-yardage field goal--Fullerton pulled away.

It took three tries, but after a 12-yard run by Mike Pringle gave the Titans a first-and-goal at the 1, Pringle finally carried the ball in from a yard out.

Fullerton went for the two-point conversion and made it when Dan Speltz lofted a pass to John Gibbs in the right corner of the end zone, making it 17-10. That was all the Titans would need, but Lambert got a chance to at least partially redeem himself.

An interception by Jerry Leggett at UNLV’s 33 gave Fullerton good field position, as other turnovers had.

Fullerton drove to a first-and-goal, but once again the Titans couldn’t score a touchdown. Once again, Lambert came on for a short field goal--this one, a 23-yarder--and he made it, putting Fullerton ahead, 20-10.

The victory was Fullerton’s first of the season, after lopsided losses to Southwestern Louisiana and West Virginia.

UNLV, which lost to Baylor in its opener, dropped to 0-2.

But for numerous mistakes, Fullerton easily might have led by 10 points at halftime, but instead trailed, 10-9.

UNLV scored on its first possession, a 14-play, 80-yard drive sustained by the running of Tommy Jackson, who accounted for 55 of those yards. The Rebels ran the ball every play but one, an incomplete pass by Scott Sims, and went ahead, 7-0, when Sims carried the ball in from the 1-yard line.

Fullerton responded with a ground-attack of its own. The Titans put the ball in Michael Moore’s hands six times, and Moore racked up 55 yards. But after getting a first-and-goal at the 6 on Speltz’ 16-yard pass to Gibbs, the Fullerton drive stalled.

Moore tried to take the ball in twice, and was turned back twice. On third down, Speltz’ pass for Moore in the end zone was just out of reach, and Fullerton had to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Lambert.

Fullerton very quickly got another chance. UNLV fumbled a handoff between Sims and Jackson on the first play of the next possession, and Fullerton’s Kevin Henderson recovered at the 18.

Three plays later, Moore scored on a three-yard run. But the snap on the extra-point attempt was botched, and Fullerton was left with just a 9-7 lead.

Fullerton got still another chance in the second quarter, when Sims fumbled trying to get a pass off. But once again, Fullerton couldn’t score.