CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK : Murphy Picks Redshirt Freshman at Quarterback

Cal State Fullerton quarterback Terry Payne suffered a back injury Saturday against Texas Tech, but that had no bearing on Titan Coach Gene Murphy’s decision to start redshirt freshman Chad May against Cal State Northridge Sept. 21.

Payne, a sophomore who completed eight of 16 passes for 118 yards in two games, simply hasn’t been doing a good job, and Murphy decided to make a change, regardless of Payne’s condition.

“Terry hasn’t regressed, but he’s been in a holding pattern,” Murphy said Monday. “Chad has really come on, and we have to give him some playing time before the conference season starts. I haven’t ruled Terry out at all. We’ve just got to start doing something offensively.”

Fullerton scored only 10 points in losses to Mississippi State (47-3) and Texas Tech (41-7) and has been relying almost exclusively on running backs Reggie Yarbrough and Arthur Davis for offense.

The Titans, a sophisticated passing team the past two seasons, have rushed 102 times and passed only 25 times in two games. Yarbrough and Davis are good backs, but it’s obvious the coaching staff has had little confidence in the passing game.

Murphy hopes May, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Damien High School, will be able to bring balance to the offense. May completed four of eight passes for 52 yards after replacing Payne late in the third quarter Saturday.

“He showed some leadership,” Murphy said. “He communicated well with the sideline and the players. He threw an interception, but he also threw some good balls.”

In and Out: Steve Danzy, a highly regarded receiver from El Camino College, has been cleared academically and began practicing with the Titans last week. But Los Angeles Valley College cornerback Lamark Allen, who would have added talent and depth to the secondary, has been ruled academically ineligible.

Danzy, who didn’t make the trip to Texas Tech but is expected to play against Northridge, caught 17 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns at El Camino last season. The 5-9, 160-pounder will be the team’s fastest receiver.

“If we can get him the ball, he could make an impact,” Murphy said.

Murphy is still awaiting final word on the academic status of offensive lineman Pooh Jenkins and cornerback Derek Mitchell, both junior transfers from Glendale College.

Bulldog days ahead: The Titans suffered numerous bumps and bruises Saturday on the artificial surface at Texas Tech’s Jones Stadium, and the Fullerton training room is expected to be busy after a Sept. 28 game at Georgia.

But Murphy said he’s not really concerned about Georgia’s potential for inflicting physical and emotional pain on the Titans a week before Fullerton’s Oct. 5 Big West opener at the University of the Pacific. All he wants is a victory over Division II Northridge.

“If we could get a win now, I’d play a hundred Georgias,” Murphy said. “The games I’m concerned about are the ones we have an opportunity to compete in and win. I didn’t say we can’t beat Georgia, but I’m talking about realism.”

Old-timers day: Former Fullerton defensive coordinator Bob Burt, now head coach at Northridge, won’t be the only familiar face on the other side of Santa Ana Stadium on Sept. 21 when the Matadors play the Titans.

Northridge nose guard Carlos Adley spent five years (1984-88) at Fullerton and played three seasons under Murphy. The 6-2, 285-pound senior played in 1984 and 1985, was academically ineligible in 1986, played most of 1987 and was ineligible again in 1988.

The NCAA’s five-year time-clock rule, which states that Division I athletes have five years from the time they are enrolled as a full-time student to complete four years of athletic eligibility, does not apply to Division II Northridge, so Adley was able to play one more season.

He turns 25 on Sept. 20, the day before the game.

Titan Notes

The Fullerton women’s volleyball team, which is winless in six matches, will play host to the 16-team J.M.N Premiere Tournament, Thursday through Saturday at Titan Gym. Pool play begins at 1 p.m. Thursday and continues through Friday afternoon. Championship-round play begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and the championship match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The visiting teams are Cal State Long Beach, Florida, Baylor, California, Washington State, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Southwest Texas State, Fresno State, Oregon, Texas A & M, Wright State, Oregon State, Oklahoma and Weber State. . . . The Titan men’s soccer team, which has won once in four games, will play New Mexico at 8 p.m. Friday in the home opener at Amerige Park. Western Kentucky travels to Fullerton for a game at 4 p.m. Sunday. . . . Titan junior Steve Frisone won the university division of Saturday’s Cal State Fullerton Cross-Country Invitational, covering the 8K course at Carbon Canyon Park in 24 minutes 51.0 seconds. Fullerton runners Heather Killeen (18:35.5) and Kristin Peters (18:47.6) finished fifth and eighth, respectively, in the women’s 5K.

Titan running back Reggie Yarbrough, who reinjured a sprained ankle on his third carry against Texas Tech and sat out most of the game, is expected to return to practice this week. Quarterback Terry Payne (back), linebacker Terry Sullivan (hamstring), offensive tackle John Cotti (concussion) and cornerback Mike Brown (ankle) suffered minor injuries but have two weeks to recover before their next game. Running back Arthur Davis, who carried 39 times--three short of the school record--for 128 yards and also returned three kickoffs for 46 yards, came out of the game unscathed. “We’re just going to stick him into a Jacuzzi up to his neck,” Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said. “He’s a little sore.” . . . Reserve offensive lineman Abe Elliott, who suffered a knee injury in the opener at Mississippi State, will undergo arthroscopic surgery and probably won’t return this season. . . . Murphy said the punting job is up for grabs. Returning starter Phil Nevin has been having problems, and Murphy replaced him with Kurt Bloedorn, who had a 41.5-yard average in four kicks Saturday.