CSUN Faces Season With Seasoned Cast : College football: Coach Bob Burt confronts few uncertainties as veteran Matadors prepare for a challenging schedule.

There are still questions left unanswered, but the Cal State Northridge football team will not be the subject of a full-fledged examination during summer drills.

The training sessions, which begin today at North Campus Stadium, will be more like a pop quiz.

For the first time in his five years as CSUN coach, Bob Burt knows most of the answers as his team begins preparation for a season. And it’s a good thing, because ahead lies the toughest schedule of his tenure.

Northridge will open the regular season Sept. 1 at Northern Arizona, an NCAA Division I-AA school, and close Nov. 10 at Cal State Long Beach, a Division I-A team. In between, the Matadors will face the usual assortment of strong Division II squads, including Portland State, the three-time defending Western Football Conference champion.

“We’ve got the toughest schedule of any team in the conference,” Burt said, “and we also have the talent to win every game we play.”

The tailback? That’s an easy one. Albert Fann (6-foot-2, 215 pounds), returns for this fourth season as a starter. An All-American as a junior, Fann is a candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top Division II player.

The quarterback? Another cinch. Sherdrick Bonner (6-4, 190 pounds) returns for his senior season after passing for 1,817 yards in his first campaign as a starter in 1989.

The wide receivers? There are six correct choices--Joe Rice, Anthony Harris, Billy Nealy, Paul Peters, Rodney Gatlin and Adam McKinney.

In the defensive secondary, at least three of the four spots are filled. Clayton Bamberg and Eric Treibatch will be the safeties and Baron Atkinson will be one of the cornerbacks.

At linebacker, Terrell Taylor and Kenny Vaughn are all but automatic at the inside slots. Ditto for Ken Wallace on the outside.

Abo Velasco will do the kicking for the fourth consecutive season and the punter will be either Darren McMahon, a sophomore who held the job last season, or Albert Razo, a redshirt freshman.

With so much already determined, Burt has time to study portions of both lines and the positions of fullback and tight end.

Tom Berry (6-4, 255) and Eric Ahola (6-5, 265) are expected to anchor the defensive line, and there is a trio of possibilities at fullback in Jason Ferguson, Anthony Nicholson and Oscar Pittman.

The tight end will be either George Fua, Jon Carlson or Scott Harper.

The offensive line is the source of Burt’s greatest concern. Rodney Menzel (6-4, 250), last season’s starting left guard, is back along with part-time starter Mark Whitley (6-4, 265) and redshirt Art Espino (6-6, 255).

“Our emphasis is going to be to find out who our best five offensive linemen are going to be,” Burt said. “We’ve got some pretty good thoughts coming out of spring practice and through the recruiting process and we have a couple of new guys who could be a factor.”

Standing out--literally--among them is Donnie Goodman, a 6-8, 315-pound tackle from Cerritos College.

With such an experienced group of players returning, Burt expects summer drills to progress more smoothly than usual.

“There’s a lot more fluid practice time,” he said. “You teach fundamentals, you review, but there’s a confidence factor involved. They already understand the concepts of what you want them to do.”