Cal State Northridge, Fann Spoil Southern Utah’s Plans for a WFC Championship

Figuring out how to stop the Cal State Northridge offense is a fairly simple task.

See No. 22. Tackle No. 22.

If only doing so was that easy.

The Southern Utah State Thunderbirds knew that a share of the Western Football Conference championship was theirs to take with a win over CSUN on Saturday night at North Campus Stadium.

But that man wearing No. 22, Matador tailback Albert Fann, got in the way.

Fann, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior, scored twice and rushed for 182 yards in a season-high 35 carries as Northridge defeated Southern Utah, 41-30. That result handed Portland State its third consecutive conference championship.

Fann, the WFC’s leading rusher, strengthened his bid to become the conference’s offensive player of the year by accounting for 303 in total offense.

He ran back a kickoff for a touchdown, scored on a six-yard run and, just for good measure, dusted off the old throwing arm and tossed a touchdown pass.

Fann finished the season with 1,377 rushing yards, 188 shy of Mike Kane’s school single-season record, set in 1986. And he finished with a flourish, running for 433 yards in the Matadors final two games.

None of which is likely to make Southern Utah feel any better.

The Thunderbirds, who finished 5-5 overall and 3-2 in WFC play, had won three in a row, including a 36-26 upset of Portland State.

Saturday’s game marked the first time Southern Utah has played a game for the WFC championship, but the thrill of it all lasted all of 15 seconds.

That’s how long it took Fann to gather in the ball at the CSUN seven, start left, cut back across the field and down the right sideline, then out-sprint Southern Utah’s Thane Marshall to complete a 93-yard kickoff return.

It was the second kickoff runback of Fann’s CSUN career and it was the first of two kicks the Matadors brought back for touchdowns in the first quarter.

Clayton Bamberg provided the other big play, following a key block by Daved Benefield to pop free on a 50-yard punt return. It was Bamberg’s second return for a touchdown this season and it gave Northridge a 21-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game.

In between, Fann threw the first touchdown pass of his collegiate career, connecting with Anthony Harris from six yards.