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Titan Numbers Game Buries Long Beach

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

Another Cal State Fullerton game Saturday, another flurry of numbers. This is beginning to sound like a broken record.

Among those to fall during Fullerton’s 31-13 Big West Conference victory over Cal State Long Beach at Santa Ana Stadium:

--Damon Allen’s career passing record of 4,218 yards, broken by Dan Speltz on a 55-yard touchdown pass play to Rocky Palamara in the second quarter. Needing 62 yards, Speltz passed for 233, completing 15 of 24 passes for three touchdowns, with one interception.

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--Palamara’s record of 875 receiving yards in a season, which he broke himself. Needing 28 yards to pass last season’s mark, he caught five passes for 111 yards.

--The record for touchdown receptions in a career, which Stan Chapman and Allen Pitts shared at 16. Broken by Palamara, who had two Saturday and has 17 in his two-year career.

--And, ironic twist of ironic twists, Mike Pringle’s shared Division I single-game rushing record of 357 yards, broken Saturday by Indiana’s Anthony Thompson, who ran for 377 yards on 52 carries against Wisconsin.

Pringle got the news over the public address system as he walked off the field during the fourth quarter. It caused him to shake his head at the missed opportunities of last week, when Coach Gene Murphy decided to hold him out of the final five plays of a runaway victory over New Mexico State.

“I congratulate Anthony Thompson,” Pringle said. “He probably stayed in the whole game.. . . You never know what would’ve happened if I had played the whole game.”

Pringle ran for 269 yards on 38 carries Saturday, which puts him 180 yards away from tying the Big West Conference record of 1,789 yards in a season, set by Fullerton’s Obie Graves in 1978.

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In between the record-breaking, a game was played.

Cal State Long Beach (3-8, 1-5), which learned Thursday that Coach Larry Reisbig had resigned effective at the end of the season, started its next-to-last game under him by taking a 7-0 lead on its first possession. Paul Oates lobbed a seven-yard pass to Sean Foster in the corner of the end zone.

But Fullerton scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, taking a 21-7 lead it never gave up.

“We wanted to win this one bad for (Reisbig),” said Oates, who completed 13 of 30 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. “The losing isn’t his fault. Today we just had so many little things that just didn’t click.”

Long Beach came back in the third quarter to narrow Fullerton’s lead to 21-13 on a three-yard run by Freddie Leslie Jr., set up by Leslie’s 44-yard punt return to the Titan 18. John Bavaro blocked the point-after attempt, his fourth blocked kick of the season.

Fullerton stopped Long Beach deep in 49er territory on its next possession and then pulled out again with another touchdown.

The offense got all the attention, but it was Fullerton’s defense that played what coordinator Kirk Harmon called its best game of the season.

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Concerned by the 49ers’ passing attack, Fullerton added a fourth pass rusher, sending Bavaro, Harold Jones, Clarence Siler and Shawn Forristall at Oates for much of the game.

But the hullabaloo was all about the offense, and there were at least two people who wanted little or nothing to do with talk of records.

One was Speltz, who already this season has set a handful of records, including a single-game passing mark of 481 yards in a loss to Utah State.

But the one record Speltz says he wants--a winning one--is still a victory away.

Fullerton is 5-4-1 and 4-2 with only a game at San Jose State next week remaining. A victory would give the Titans’ their first winning season since 1985, when they were 6-5.

“We’ve had a lot of success statistically,” Speltz said. “I don’t look at it as an individual record. There’s no way an individual can be singled out for what takes 11 guys to do . . . Having a good running back helps; so does having good receivers. And the coaches deserve credit. The offense we’re running is a great offense.”

The other person who wants no more dealings with records would be Murphy, still a bit miffed over the attention drawn by the Pringle controversy.

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“I don’t want to talk about numbers or records or Speltz or Palamara,” Murphy said. “I want to talk about how many knockdowns (offensive lineman) Reggie Redding has, about how many blocked kicks John Bavaro has. I’m more concerned about football players than the damn numbers.”

Speltz, who also set a record for career completions Saturday with 334, has started every game for Fullerton in his two seasons at the school. The Titans were 5-6 last season, and this season are one game above .500 for the first time.

Titan Notes

Defensive end Clarence Siler injured his right ankle and was replaced by J.C. Farrow. Two regular offensive linemen missed substantial playing time. Laita Leatutufu left the game with a knee injury and Shannon Illingworth did not play because of a shoulder injury. . . . Phil Nevin made a 19-yard field goal and has now made 12 of 17 this season.

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