Titans Should Have Fear, Underdog Is Here : College football: Cal State Fullerton, with 13-game Division I losing streak, plays fired-up Division II Northridge.

In a rare role reversal, an opposing coach--Cal State Northridge’s Bob Burt--is basking in the underdog role for a game against Cal State Fullerton.

“They play Georgia next week, but they’re our Georgia,” Burt said. “They have more scholarships, more full-time coaches, they play a Division I schedule and are building a stadium. By all rights, they ought to blow us out.”

Yeah, right.

This quote might have held water a few years ago, when the Titans regularly finished in the upper half of their conference and the Matadors were a struggling Division II team.

Not this season.

Fullerton has lost 13 consecutive games, the nation’s longest Division I-A losing streak, and Northridge has had five consecutive winning seasons under Burt, who was the Titan defensive coordinator from 1980-85. So don’t think for a minute Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy is buying into Burt’s theory of Fullerton superiority.

“It would be ridiculous to look past Northridge,” Murphy said. “They have a heck of a football team. They’re a scary group.”

That might be an overstatement, too, but the Matadors should give the Titans all they can handle--and maybe more--today in Santa Ana Stadium. Northridge has a solid defense that has limited opponents to a total of 30 points in its first two games, and intercepted nine passes.

The Matadors have several Division I-caliber players, including offensive tackle Don Goodman, a former Huntington Beach High School standout who originally signed with Brigham Young, and defensive lineman Ron McKinney, who had signed with Tennessee but failed to meet academic requirements there.

Defensive tackle Alo Sila was a Division II preseason All-American, linebacker Ken Vaughn was a first-team, community college All-American at Merced College, and 25-year-old nose guard Carlos Adley started for Fullerton in 1985 and ’87.

Wide receiver Adam McKinney and offensive tackle Jack Montes previously signed with Fullerton but were not academically eligible to play for the Titans.

“Your first reaction might be that it’s just Northridge, but when you see guys who signed with Arizona State, USC, Tennessee, you realize how good they are,” Murphy said.

The Matadors lost their opener to Division I-AA Eastern Washington, 20-13, but came back last week to defeat Eastern New Mexico, 12-10. While their defense has played well, their offense has been sporadic.

Northridge has used three tailbacks--Victor Devaughn, Bill Harris and Jess Garner--and none has been extremely effective. Junior quarterback Marty Fisher has completed 25 of 44 passes but for only 229 yards, and has had difficulty throwing medium- and long-range passes.

Fisher and Titan freshman quarterback Chad May, who will make his first college start today, were teammates at Damien High School in La Verne. Fisher was the starter in 1988, and May was Fisher’s backup until taking over as starter in 1989.

May replaces sophomore quarterback Terry Payne, who started but was ineffective in losses to Mississippi State (47-3) and Texas Tech (41-7). May relieved Payne in the fourth quarter against Texas Tech and completed four of eight passes for 52 yards.

Fullerton had a bye last week and should benefit from the two-week layoff. Running back Reggie Yarbrough, who suffered an ankle injury against Mississippi State and was limited to three carries against Texas Tech, is expected to be at full strength today.

Notes

Fullerton and Northridge have played 11 times, and the Titans hold a 10-1 edge. The teams last met in 1989, with Fullerton erasing a 20-7 halftime deficit to defeat Northridge, 27-20. . . . Matador junior safety Eric Treibatch, who was named Western Football Conference defensive player of the week two weeks ago, leads the team with three interceptions, and senior cornerback Tremelle Barnes, a transfer from Nevada (Reno), has two. . . . The average age of Northridge’s starters is 22. Barnes and nose guard Carlos Adley are 25, and receiver Cornell Ward is 27. . . . Matador flanker Paul Peters, who was recruited by Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy, played at Rancho Santiago College at Santa Ana Valley High School.