THE COLLEGES : College Football Today

Cal Poly SLO (1-2, 0-1) vs. CS Northridge (4-0, 0-0)

At CS Northridge 7 p.m.

Although San Luis Obispo has a 22-5 edge in this series, the past two games have been decided by 21-20 scores. Cal State Northridge won in 1986, and San Luis Obispo scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to emerge victorious last season. Northridge has never won five games in a row in its 27 years of football. CSUN is ranked No. 5 in Division II, its highest ranking. The Matadors will be without the services of Lance Harper, who has been alternating with Albert Fann at tailback. Harper will be out at least two weeks because of a bruised knee suffered in the second half of CSUN’s 34-23 victory over Idaho State last week. He had gained 277 yards in 53 carries as a rusher and 153 yards on 5 receptions. Fann leads the Matadors with 454 yards rushing in 76 carries. He is averaging 144.5 yards a game in total offense. Fann’s understudy is Derrick White, a junior transfer from Compton College who has been moved from fullback. Quarterback Rob Huffman had been splitting time with Sherdrick Bonner until last week when he went the distance and completed 9 of 20 passes for 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has completed 54.5% of his passes for 517 yards and 7 touchdowns with only 1 interception. CSUN’s defense, which allowed its first touchdown of the season last week, is led by linebacker Sean O’Brien, nose tackle Dennis McConnaughy and safeties Eric Treibatch and Bill McDonald. Defense is San Luis Obispo’s strength, particularly against the run. The Mustangs have allowed an average of only 51.3 yards a game on the ground, best in the Western Football Conference. Northridge averages 210.3 rushing yards a game. Linebacker Chris Dunn leads SLO with 38 tackles. Defensive end Tom Carey, an all-conference selection last season, has 20 tackles, including 10 for a combined loss of 62 yards. He also has five quarterback sacks. Quarterback Tom Sullivan, who had a big game against CSUN last season, is off to a slow start. He has completed only 14 of 36 passes for 239 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. Rod Riley leads the ground game with 210 yards and a touchdown in 59 carries.

UC Santa Barbara (2-1) vs. Cal Lutheran (2-1)

At Cal Lutheran 2 p.m.

Cal Lutheran committed seven turnovers against St. Mary’s last week in losing its first game. The Kingsmen lost 2 of 5 fumbles and compiled only 47 yards in the first half while giving up 297. Cal Lutheran had 263 total yards and St. Mary’s had 429 yards. The Cal Lutheran defense allowed more points against St. Mary’s than it had in its first two games combined. Quarterback Jim Bees had a rocky outing in his third start, completing only 10 of 22 passes for 72 yards with a touchdown and 4 interceptions. Freshman Tim Zeddies, who replaced Bees in the second half, completed 8 of 20 passes for 106 yards. UC Santa Barbara, an independent, is coming off a 16-6 victory over San Francisco State last week. Freshman tailback Ross Bauer gained 91 yards in 21 carries as the Gauchos gained 277 total yards. Sophomore quarterback Mike Curtius completed 9 of 24 passes for 73 yards. He has had 9 passes intercepted this season. Linebacker Lance Neal, an All-American honorable mention last season, anchors the Gaucho defense. Neal leads the team in tackles with 24. Santa Barbara, which has eight returning starters on defense, defeated the Kingsmen, 16-15, in the teams’ first meeting last season.

Glendale (2-0, 1-0) vs. Pierce (0-2, 0-1)

At Pierce 7:30 p.m.

The Vaqueros, ranked 20th in the nation by JC Gridwire, routed West Los Angeles, 51-0, last Saturday but lost fullback James Bledsoe, a preseason All-American, because of a sprained knee. Bledsoe will not play today and might be out for another week. Freshman Sean Hampton filled in with 105 yards in 12 carries. The Glendale defense held the Oilers to minus-22 yards rushing and 100 yards passing. But Glendale’s statistics are probably not a true indication of the team’s talent--West L. A. had not fielded a football team in two years. Pierce, too, has revived its program after it was cut out of the budget the past two years. The Brahmas, however, could have more firepower than the Oilers if quarterback Ronnie Lopez can get on track. Lopez completed 14 of 41 attempts for 229 yards but had 3 passes intercepted in last Saturday’s 21-13 loss to Harbor. Pierce was able to move the ball at times but had trouble when in scoring position. The Brahmas had the ball inside the Seahawks’ 20-yard line three times in the fourth quarter but were held to just three points.

Moorpark (2-0) vs. Compton (0-2)

At Compton 1:30 p.m.

Moorpark displayed a balanced offense against Santa Monica last week. Freshman Jayson Merrill moved closer to securing the quarterback position. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders’ 28-6 victory. Sophomore tailback Larry Roberts has more touchdowns (4) in two games this season than he had all of last year (3). He scored twice against the Corsairs and gained a game-high 71 yards in 10 carries. The Raiders have outscored their opponents, 45-19. Compton is coming off a 21-13 loss to L. A. Southwest. The Tartars, who have only three returning starters on offense, have scored 1 touchdown in two games. Sophomore quarterback Damon Scott, who scored on a 5-yard run last week, and running back Henry LeBlanc are Compton’s top offensive threats. Linebacker William Phillips and defensive end Calvin Thomas, both sophomores, anchor the Tartar defense.

Valley (1-1, 1-0) vs. L. A. Southwest (2-0, 1-0)

At Valley 7:30 p.m.

L. A. Southwest always seems to get hyped up for its game against Valley and this year should be no different. “They have quite a few kids from down here that are playing out there,” L. A. Southwest Coach Henry Washington said. “So it’s an emotional thing for me and our players.” L. A. Southwest is led by quarterback Herman Tatum, the third-leading passer in the Western State Conference (30 of 64 for 484 yards and 3 touchdowns). L. A. Southwest defeated Rio Hondo in its opener and beat Compton, 22-13, last week. Valley’s defense is led by linebacker Larry Muir, who had 9 unassisted tackles, 3 assists and partially blocked a kick in the Monarchs’ 27-17 victory over Santa Barbara last week. Defensive back Kevin Carmichael had 2 interceptions. Valley’s offense ran up 350 yards in total offense. Tailback Roman Carter was named the conference’s offensive player of the week after rushing for 131 yards in 28 carries and scoring 3 touchdowns. Quarterback Todd Studer completed 11 of 18 passes for 151 yards against Santa Barbara and looked especially impressive when he teamed with tight end Sean Brown, who had 5 receptions.