CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK : Bad Weather Makes for Magical Mystery Tour

Travel with the Cal State Fullerton football team long enough and you’re bound to run into a few horror stories, which, with the passage of time, become humorous stories.

Like the 1983 trip to Boise State, when nine members of the Titan contingent were bumped from a Salt Lake City-to-Boise flight because Maureen Reagan and eight Secret Service agents needed seats.

Or the 1986 trip to New Mexico State, when the Titans had reservations on one flight to El Paso, Tex., and tickets on another.

Or the 1987 trip to West Virginia, an excursion that began at 5 a.m. in Fullerton and ended 13 hours later in Morgantown, W.Va.

But all those will take a back seat to Fullerton’s most recent journey, last weekend’s trip to Mississippi State.

It began with a 4 a.m. bus ride from school to LAX and a morning flight to Nashville, which arrived on time. But a connecting flight that was supposed to have taken them to Jackson, Miss., was diverted from Detroit to Grand Rapids, Mich., because of thunderstorms.

The Titans were stranded six hours in Nashville, and when they finally boarded another plane to Jackson, they had to wait 30 minutes for a storm to pass before they could take off.

From Jackson, the team bused three hours to its Columbus, Miss., hotel, arriving just before midnight (CDT).

Elapsed time of trip: 17 hours.

After losing to Mississippi State, 27-13, Saturday night, the Titans were informed by Steve DiTolla, Fullerton associate athletic director and travel agent, that their return trip had been pushed up two hours.

Instead of leaving their hotel at 5 a.m., they had to get up at 3 a.m. for the bus ride to Jackson.

“This trip is the new No. 1,” Titan Coach Gene Murphy proclaimed Monday. “That’s what happens when you don’t charter, but we can’t afford to charter, so that’s fine.

“The guy I feel sorry for is Steve DiTolla. To do what he does, within the confines of our skeletal budget, is amazing. Our kids have always eaten like champs and stayed in decent hotels. But we have no control over the Lord. If He says thou shalt not take off because of thunderstorms, you don’t.”

So what does a football team do for six hours in an airport? It tries to win friends and influence people.

“It’s a great way to spread the Titan word,” Murphy said. “After six hours, I think we knew everyone in the airport.”

During the delay, Murphy met an American Airlines pilot named Sam Venable, an Auburn alumnus who complimented Murphy for the Titans’ performance Sept. 8 in their 38-17 loss to Auburn.

After a lengthy discussion, Venable noticed the team had gone several hours without eating. So the pilot arranged to have the airline serve them lunch in an airport cafeteria.

Murphy said there were other benefits to the delay besides a free meal.

“I think we got closer personally as a team,” he said. “We were in an environment where you’re forced to get along with people, and that fosters camaraderie, unity. If we disliked each other, I don’t think it would have been a healthy experience.”

He only began practicing last Thursday, but running back James Mullins, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound transfer from Merced College, has made quite an impression on the Fullerton coaching staff.

Mullins, who became academically eligible last week, returned the opening kickoff against Mississippi State 20 yards and brought back a second-quarter kick 18 yards. He carried the ball just once out of the backfield, late in the game, but plowed down several Bulldogs on a nine-yard run.

When starting tailback Deon Thomas went down with a season-ending knee injury in the first game, the Titans were left with virtually no quality depth at the position. They had a good runner in Reggie Yarbrough but not much else. The addition of Mullins, though, has changed Murphy’s outlook.

“That one run made my comfort zone go up considerably,” Murphy said. “And he did some great things on kickoffs. He’s a good athlete, a hard-nosed runner, and he’s going to help us.”

Titan Notes

Coach Gene Murphy canceled Monday night’s practice, hoping it would help his players recover from the weekend. “They’re too tired,” Murphy said. “There’s no sense beating the dog out of them because they’re going to have to do it again next weekend, and the week after that, and the week after that.”

Fullerton, coming off trips to Auburn and Mississippi State, plays at Akron Saturday and then travels to Fresno State and Nevada Las Vegas the following weekends. . . . Murphy said there would be no harsh punishment, outside a few extra wind sprints, for freshman kickoff returner/receiver Dwayne McAfee, who missed the bus Friday morning and didn’t make the trip to Mississippi State. “His punishment was not being able to go to the game,” Murphy said.

Injury update: Offensive tackle Mike Simmons suffered a sprained ankle against Mississippi State but probably will play Saturday against Akron. Cornerback Nuygen Pendleton, who missed Saturday’s game because of a sprained ankle, also will play this week, as will defensive lineman Robert Taylor, who injured a knee before the season and hasn’t dressed for the first three games. Starting offensive guard Shannon Illingworth (knee), receiver Kerry Reed (knee) and reserve defensive back Michael Jones (broken finger) are still out.

The Fullerton women’s volleyball team, 3-7 entering tonight’s home match against the University of San Diego, opens Big West Conference play this weekend. The Titans will travel to Cal State Long Beach Friday night and UC Irvine Saturday night. Stephanie Scofield ranks fourth in the conference in digs (126 for a 4.34-per-game average); Becky Howlett ranks fifth in hitting percentage (.310); Michele Paul ranks sixth in blocks per game (1.27), and Stephanie Shrieve ranks eighth in assists per game (8.24).

The Titan soccer team (1-2-2) also starts conference play Friday at Nevada Las Vegas. Raul Haro and Steve George lead the team in scoring with two goals each.

The Titan women’s gymnastics team finished second in the 1990 National Assn. of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches Scholastic Top 20, in which teams are ranked by grade-point averages. Fullerton had a 3.27 team GPA, behind top-ranked Vermont (3.29).