UCLA and San Jose State Added to Cal State Fullerton Schedule : College football: The Titans will play Bruins Sept. 12 at Rose Bowl and at San Jose on Oct. 10.

Cal State Fullerton’s 1992 football schedule, a fairly tame creature a few months ago, has grown back its fangs.

Titan Athletic Director Bill Shumard signed a contract Monday for Fullerton to play UCLA on Sept. 12 at the Rose Bowl. And perennial Big West Conference-power San Jose State, after dropping Fullerton from its schedule in November, has added the Titans as a home game Oct. 10.

Fullerton didn’t have much choice with San Jose State. When Cal State Long Beach dropped football two weeks ago, the Big West Conference instructed the Spartans to reschedule the Titans. San Jose State had dropped Fullerton when the Big West reduced the number of conference games required from seven to six.

The Titans, who have traveled to San Jose for three consecutive seasons, were originally scheduled to play host to the Spartans Nov. 14. But because San Jose State was scheduled to play Long Beach at home and Fullerton was supposed to play at Long Beach, the conference awarded the Spartans the home game against the Titans.

Fullerton did have a choice with UCLA, though, and the decision to play the Bruins appears to sharply contrast Shumard’s pursuit of a more realistic schedule, one that emphasizes possible victories instead of large guarantee checks. The Titans will receive about $200,000 to play the Bruins.

One of Shumard’s first moves last September was to drop Hawaii from the 1992 schedule and replace it with a home game against Division II Cal State Northridge.

“I want to level the playing field,” Shumard said at the time. “I want us to play a schedule more conducive to how we compete.”

When San Jose State dropped Fullerton, Shumard secured a home game against Division II Sacramento State, which was scheduled for Sept. 12 but has been moved to Sept. 26. Shumard was glad when Mississippi State dropped Fullerton, and the athletic director had reached an oral agreement with Division I-AA Idaho State for a home game.

Then along came Terry . . .

Long Beach also was on UCLA’s 1992 schedule, and when rumors began to circulate in November about the demise of the 49ers’ program, UCLA officials contacted Shumard about a possible game.

“When they called a month ago, I really had no interest,” Shumard said.

But when UCLA Coach Terry Donahue called Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy last week to invite the Titans to the Rose Bowl, the interest level changed.

“Gene told me he’s extremely pleased with the way recruiting is going and felt this would be a boon to recruiting,” Shumard said. “He came to me and said he’d like to play the game. He thinks it would be really good for the program at this stage.”

Murphy has been a long-time opponent of the big-money, no-win games, but he didn’t see a visit to the Rose Bowl in the same light as trips to Georgia, Auburn and LSU.

“We’re not traveling 3,500 miles--it’s a trip we can take in one day,” Murphy said. “If you ask a recruit if he’d rather play between the hedges at Georgia or in the Rose Bowl, he’ll say the Rose Bowl. This has been a boon to our recruiting.”

Murphy also believes the financial benefits will outweigh possible embarrassment on the field next September for Fullerton, which is 3-20 over the past two seasons.

“For the first time, we’re going to reap some of the benefits directly,” he said. “I don’t want to get into specifics, but football will be directly affected. This will permit us to recruit this spring.”

It won’t permit the Titans to win much in September, though. Instead of opening the season against Northridge, Sacramento State and at Georgia, the Titans will play Northridge, at UCLA and at Georgia.

“I realize to accommodate this game is a bit of a turn from the direction we’re trying to head the program,” Shumard said. “But I also need to respect the wishes of my own football coach.”

Cal State Fullerton 1992 Football Schedule: Sept. 5: Cal State Northridge Sept. 12: at UCLA Sept. 19: at Georgia Sept. 26: Sacramento State Oct. 3: Nevada-Reno Oct. 10: at San Jose State Oct. 17: at Southwest Louisiana Oct. 31: Utah State Nov. 7: at Pacific Nov. 14: at New Mexico State Nov. 21: at Nevada Las Vegas