Winless Utah State Ready for Titans

Utah State, which plays host to Cal State Fullerton in a Big West Conference game today, didn’t suffer one serious injury in games against Nebraska, Oklahoma and Brigham Young.

But that bye week sure took a toll.

Four Aggie players, three starters and the team’s second-leading rusher, were injured in an automobile accident last Sunday in Snowville, Utah, and are questionable for today’s game.

Utah State Coach Chuck Shelton said there’s a chance that his best defensive player, linebacker Del Lyles, and his starting free safety, Damon Smith, will play.

But Rod Moore, the team’s leading receiver with 37 catches for 577 yards and six touchdowns, and running back Floyd Foreman are out. And so is starting offensive tackle Joe Moore, who tore ligaments in his knee during practice Tuesday.

“We’d be safer playing, wouldn’t we?” Shelton said. “The open date last week didn’t help us much.”

But Fullerton’s presence in Romney Stadium should. Utah State, a preseason pick to challenge for the conference championship, is 0-5 and in desperate need of a victory.

After opening the season with losses to Utah (12-7), Nebraska (59-28), Oklahoma (55-21), San Jose State (23-7) and BYU (38-10), the Titans should be a sight for sore eyes and egos.

“It’s a difficult thing, because we know we’re better than our record,” Shelton said. “The bad thing is your fans, boosters and students don’t really understand what’s going on.”

According to USA Today, Utah State has the fifth-most difficult schedule in major college football, but not because Fullerton is on it. Despite the Aggies’ record, the 1-5 Titans, who have enough of their own problems, are decided underdogs today.

Fullerton was so beat up after Saturday’s 25-3 loss to Nevada Las Vegas that the Titans practiced only three days this past week. And Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy doesn’t expect things to get any easier today.

“Utah State is more physical than Las Vegas on both sides of the football,” Murphy said. “What’s scary was I watched them against San Jose State, and San Jose had to throw to win that game. They could not run against Utah State.”

Another scary sight for Murphy is seeing an opponent shut down the Titans’ running game. It happened last week, and Fullerton was forced to put the ball in the air, but what went up usually didn’t come down in the hands of Titan receivers.

With Reggie Yarbrough and Arthur Davis grounded to a combined 80 yards rushing, quarterbacks Chad May and Terry Payne struggled, combining to complete 15 of 40 attempts for 121 yards.

May, who injured an ankle Wednesday, is expected to start, and Murphy acknowledged that May must have success passing for Fullerton to compete with the Aggies. But he hopes to take pressure off the quarterback by incorporating some different running strategies--namely, going outside instead of pounding it inside.

“We’ll try to hit the perimeter and get outside more with our running game,” Murphy said. “We don’t have an option quarterback, but we need to find ways to get outside, because these guys are as physical inside as Georgia was.”

Ah, Georgia, how long ago it all seemed. Since playing extremely well and nearly upsetting the Bulldogs in Athens, Ga., Sept. 28, the Titans have reverted to their 1990 form, losing to Pacific, 56-28, on Oct. 5 and Las Vegas last week.

The Titans may not be very good, but they’re certainly intriguing.

“I saw the Georgia film and that was no fluke,” Shelton said. “I know they’re better than what they showed last week, but you never know which Fullerton team is going to show up. I’m planning for a tough, physical game.”

Notes

Utah State’s leading rusher, running back Roger Grant, and Fullerton’s leading tackler, inside linebacker Chad Lindsay, both suffered broken fingers recently, but both will play today with casts on their left hands. . . . Titan reserve offensive lineman Jim DiFilippo, a former Troy High School standout whose playing time has been limited because of chronic shoulder injuries, has decided to quit football. . . . Fullerton is on a pace to score 132 points this season. The school record for lowest output is 127 points by the 1982 team in 12 games. . . . Utah State quarterback Ron Lopez has had a solid season, completing 88 of 176 passes for 1,235 yards and nine touchdowns. He passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Aggies to a 45-17 victory over the Titans in 1990.