Although Big Favorites, Titans Won’t Look Past Sonoma State : Football: After a scare from Division II Cal State Northridge last year, the Fullerton can’t afford to be complacent in opener.

It’s not often the Cal State Fullerton football team gets the role of heavy favorite, the big bully whipping a helpless foe.

But in Sonoma State, the Titans’ opponent for the season opener at 1 p.m. today in Santa Ana Stadium, the Titans will face an even lower life form in college football’s food chain.

Think the Division I Titans, who allocate the equivalent of 60 scholarships, 35 fewer than the maximum allowed by the NCAA, have it rough? The Division II Cossacks don’t give any football scholarships.

Think the Big West Conference doesn’t get any respect? Can you name another team besides Sonoma State and UC Davis in the Northern California Athletic Conference?

Just listen to Cossacks Coach Tim Walsh, assessing his chances today.

“We’re doing everything we can to compete with them,” he said. “We just want to play hard and make a good showing.”

Sounds like Cal State Fullerton’s motto when the Titans play the Auburns and Louisiana States of the world. But for one rare day, Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy gets to preach to his players the perils of complacency.

“I told them don’t ever look down your nose at anyone,” Murphy said. “People say we should walk all over Sonoma State. Don’t talk to me like that-- never. We should win, but I don’t have any idea what will happen.”

Murphy has vivid memories of the last time Fullerton played a Division II team it was supposed to defeat easily. The Titans needed a second-half comeback, in which they scored 20 consecutive points, to defeat Cal State Northridge, 27-20, in the second game of the 1989 season.

“We were lucky to win that game,” Murphy said.

Murphy wouldn’t tab his team a huge favorite today. Not when he’ll be relying on so many inexperienced players, many of whom will be making their first starts for a four-year school.

Fullerton returned only two offensive starters and four defensive starters from last season’s team, and all of Murphy’s offensive skilled-position players, with the exception of receiver J.J. Celestine, are new.

Sonoma State also is inexperienced, with only six returning starters from 1989. The Cossacks will start a freshman quarterback, Les Vanderpool, and five of six offensive linemen are new. However, Sonoma State’s center, two guards and two tackles average 269 pounds per man.

The Cossacks have a solid running game with Glenn Campbell, former Saddleback High and Rancho Santiago College standout, and Shelton Trosclair, who combined for 1,050 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Walsh says both could play in the Big West.

Four other former Orange County community college players, linebackers Lenny Wagner (Fullerton) and James Solley (Golden West), safety Kurt Szuba (Golden West) and offensive guard Todd Little (Golden West), will start for Sonoma State.

“It’s like a homecoming for them, and I know they’re excited about playing in Orange County,” Walsh said. “We just want to compete with Fullerton, but the players really want to win.”

The Titans and Cossacks are also similar in that two of their best players are kickers. Fullerton’s Phil Nevin made 15 of 21 field-goal attempts with a long of 54 yards, and Sonoma State’s Ed Beaulac, formerly of Long Beach City College, kicked a 60-yard field goal against St. Mary’s in 1989.

“He’ll have a legitimate chance to get drafted,” Walsh said. “If he’s feeling good, he may try a 65-yarder in a game.”