Fann Faces Delgardo in Tailback Matchup

The top two tailbacks in the Western Football Conference will meet in a runoff starting at 7 tonight at North Campus Stadium.

Albert Fann, Cal State Northridge’s tailback, was the WFC offensive player of the year last season. Curtis Delgardo, Portland State’s tailback, won the award the previous season before sitting out 1989 because of a broken ankle.

Fann, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, has 6,052 career yards in rushing, receiving, kickoff and punt returns. Delgardo (5-6, 175) has 6,515 career all-purpose yards.

Is it any wonder Northridge Coach Bob Burt had a short reply when asked which player might hold the key to tonight’s outcome?

“No. 3,” he said, in reference to Delgardo’s uniform number.

“He’s a combination of toughness with great feet and balance,” Burt said. “You can’t shut him down, you just try to limit his effectiveness. There’s always going to be a couple of plays when they hurt you.”

Whichever team loses will be hurt a lot. Portland State (4-1 overall) is 1-1 in the WFC after losing to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 36-23, two weeks ago. It was Portland State’s first home loss in conference play in five years.

Northridge (3-1) has won three in a row since losing, 37-3, to Northern Arizona in its opener. The Matadors have yet to play a conference game.

Fann, who needs 95 yards to become CSUN’s career rushing leader, will need his most productive outing of the season if 18th-ranked Northridge is to upset 11th-ranked Portland State. He rushed for 164 yards against the Vikings last season, but the Matadors still lost, 33-17.

Fann has reached triple digits in rushing only once this season, but Burt contends that the senior All-American is still running well despite a nagging hamstring injury.

Shortly after last week’s game against UC Davis, Fann said the injury still bothered him. Burt offers a different reason.

“I don’t think it was his leg,” Burt said this week. “I think it was the defense that was bothering him.”