CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK : Anthony Pack Is Back and Catching On Again at Wide Receiver

Through the gloom of Cal State Fullerton’s 56-28 loss to University of the Pacific Saturday came at least one glimmer of good news: Senior wide receiver Anthony Pack had five receptions, which is three more than he had in his previous four years at the school.

After playing football and running track at Montclair Prep, Pack entered Fullerton in 1987 but was academically ineligible under NCAA Proposition 48.

In his first college game, the 1988 season opener at Southwest Louisiana, Pack tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee while filling in on a play for Rocky Palamara.

Pack underwent reconstructive surgery, sat out the rest of 1988 and the entire 1989 season. He saw limited action in 1990, catching one pass for eight yards in six games. But he has emerged as a starter and the Titans’ most consistent receiver this season.

“He kept coming back and has done a lot to play football here,” Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said. “That (game Saturday) was the closest he’s come to his Montclair Prep days, speed-wise, since he’s been here.”

Pack accounted for 50 yards receiving, 21 of them coming on an acrobatic, leaping catch of a Chad May pass on the last play of the third quarter. That gave Fullerton a first down on the Pacific four-yard line, and two plays later, the Titans scored to cut the deficit to 42-28.

Pack, 5 feet 9 and 160 pounds, is the only Fullerton receiver who has caught a pass in each of the Titans’ five games and now has 10 receptions for 139 yards.

Pack might play a more prominent offensive role if Fullerton decides to rely less on the run and more on the pass. Titan coaches are gaining more confidence in May, the redshirt freshman quarterback who has improved in each of his three starts, passing for 121 yards Saturday.

“We might open up a little more against Nevada Las Vegas (Saturday),” Murphy said. “We’ll try to balance out the offense.”

Double Vision: Preparing for one Pacific offense was difficult enough, but Fullerton coaches must plan for two UNLV offenses this week.

When Derek Stott plays quarterback for the Rebels, who visit Santa Ana Stadium for a 1 p.m. game, UNLV uses a more pass-oriented, one-back set. When Hunkie Cooper plays quarterback, the Rebels become an option team.

Stott played quarterback and Cooper played wide receiver in UNLV’s season opener against Nevada, but the multitalented Cooper switched to quarterback the next three games, two of which the Rebels won.

Cooper, who ranked 11th nationally last season with an average of 155 all-purpose yards, sat out much of Saturday’s 34-19 loss to Long Beach because of a sprained ankle, and Stott passed for 155 yards.

Murphy isn’t sure who will play where Saturday, but he is sure of this: He’d rather see Cooper, one of the Big West Conference’s quickest players, at wide receiver instead of quarterback.

“Heck, I’d rather see him running for the cross-country team at Las Vegas,” Murphy said.

Amazing Pace: Murphy couldn’t quite fathom Fresno State’s 94-17 victory over New Mexico Saturday.

“How do you score 94 points?” Murphy asked incredulously. “If you put us out on the field for three hours--against air --and ran the clock, it would be tough to do.”

Good Riddance: Fresno State forward Gerell Elliott, the nation’s leading scorer, will be in Fullerton Friday when the Titan soccer team plays host to the eighth-ranked Bulldogs in a 7:30 p.m. game at Amerige Park.

Elliott, a senior, has 15 goals and eight assists in 11 games this season for 38 points. By comparison, Fullerton forward Raul Haro is having an outstanding season with eight goals and four assists (20 points).

The game should have a bearing on the Big West Conference championship. Fresno State (8-1-2, 3-0 in conference) is in first place and Fullerton (6-5, 4-1), which had won five consecutive games before Sunday’s 1-0 loss to UC Irvine, is second.

It also will mark Elliott’s last Fullerton appearance, for which Titan Coach Al Mistri is thankful. The New Mexico native has inflicted his share of damage on Fullerton over the years.

“I’d like to drive him out of the country or back to New Mexico myself,” Mistri said. “He’s just a tremendous player, extremely quick and skillful. You swear he’s going 100 m.p.h., and then he’s going 105. He’s scored the winning goal against us several times. He’s the difference in their program.”

Hexed: Fullerton volleyball Coach Jim Huffman’s top two left-side hitting recruits are probably out for the season.

Lisa Parbst, a freshman from Porterville, Calif., injured her knee in August running barefoot in a dormitory. She hasn’t played this season, and Huffman said she will most likely be redshirted.

Then Saturday, Casey Baldwin tore ligaments in her left knee when she came down on one leg after hitting against St. Mary’s. Baldwin, a freshman from Sanger, Calif., is out for the season.

“I’m being punished for something,” Huffman said. “I’m not sure what it is.”

Titan Notes

Fullerton had a rough game defensively Saturday, allowing 662 yards in a 56-28 loss to Pacific, but that didn’t take as much a toll on the Titan coaching staff as Nevada Las Vegas’ 34-19 loss to Long Beach did on the Rebels’ staff. After UNLV allowed 297 yards rushing--Long Beach had averaged 38 yards rushing entering the game--Rebel defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano resigned. . . . UNLV senior Derek Black, who leads the Rebels in rushing with 330 yards in 82 carries, signed a letter of intent with Fullerton two years ago but went to UNLV instead. He played at Banning High School and Mt. San Antonio College. . . . Fullerton coaches named running back Reggie Yarbrough (231 yards, two touchdowns) and tackle John Cotti co-most valuable offensive players for Saturday’s game but did not pick a defensive or special teams MVP. . . . Titan kicker Phil Nevin has had problems with the narrow goal posts used in college this year. He has made only two of eight field-goal attempts, and several of his misses came within a few feet of the uprights. . . . Reserve linebacker Mike Gullo injured his knee Saturday and is expected to miss several weeks. Yarbrough reinjured his ankle and also hurt a knee and is expected to miss several days of practice this week. But Coach Gene Murphy said Yarbrough will probably play Saturday. . . . Former Fullerton softball/basketball player Jill Matyuch will receive a plaque commemorating her selection to the GTE Academic All-American team during halftime of Saturday’s football game.