CSUN’s Quarterbacks Pass Test of Coping With Coaching Changes

Cal State Northridge starting quarterback Marty Fisher and fellow passers Coley Kyman and Damone Scott are being instructed by their third quarterback coach in less than a year.

Pat Degnan coached them last fall, Jeff Feldman was the coach last spring and Dale Bunn is coaching now.

Fisher claims to have had no difficulty adjusting.

“Whoever it is looking over me, if I concentrate enough--this is gonna sound horribly cocky--I probably won’t make a mistake,” he said.

“If I’m lackadaisical . . . if I just drop back and throw it, Coach Degnan would get in my face mask and tell me. Coach Bunn is the same way.”

HOMECOMING

Bunn, Cal State Fullerton’s starting quarterback in 1977 and ‘78, and a Titan assistant for eight years, can’t wait to return to Fullerton on Saturday when the Matadors play the Titans in a season opener.

“It does mean a lot to me,” Bunn said. “I still feel for Fullerton, but I want to beat them.”

When Bunn was a player, he was shown the plans for Fullerton’s campus stadium. When he was a Titan assistant, he saw the stadium being built. Now, he will be there for its debut.

“I’ve come full circle,” Bunn said. “I’ll be there for the opening of the new stadium, but I’ll be coaching against the Titans.”

BACK ON HIS FEET

When Northridge offensive guard Brian Hay was knocked to the ground during a practice last week, he feared the worst. “I thought I was paralyzed,” Hay said. “I couldn’t feel anything. It was a horrible experience.”

For almost two hours, Hay did not feel anything in his left leg. Slowly, his sensations returned, and after four hours of examinations at Granada Hills Community Hospital he was released.

On Saturday, he is expected to start against Fullerton. Like his linemates, he is eager to pave the way for Jamal Farmer, the Matadors’ new tailback.

“Jamal can read a block better than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Hay said. “That makes the offensive line look real good. It makes the whole team look real good.”

MR. INTENSITY

Northridge starting inside linebacker Tyrone Dorsey is determined to find the fun in football.

“I used to take things so seriously,” Dorsey said. “I was tense . . . angry, but I’ve learned from Coach (Bob) Burt and (assistant) (Mark) Banker that I have to have fun too.

“I was so uptight I was afraid to make a mistake. Then if I did make a mistake, I would get so frustrated I wasn’t able to let it go. I have to laugh with my teammates and learn to relax.”

Obviously, it is easier said than done. During a drill Tuesday, Dorsey slipped, screamed in disgust, yanked off his helmet and hurled it 20 yards into a fence.

His standards run nearly as high as his temper runs hot.

“I haven’t played up to my potential,” Dorsey said. “I want to be the person everyone can count on. I want that extra pressure. I believe it makes you play better.”

PLENTY IN RESERVE

The Glendale College men’s cross-country team is expected to rebuild this fall, but a lack of experience should not be a problem for the Vaqueros’ distance program during the 1993 track season.

Robert Nelson, who has exhausted his junior college cross-country eligibility, is expected back for his sophomore track season. Nelson is the school record-holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8 minutes 57.4 seconds) and placed third in that event in the state track championships.

Hugo Allan Garcia, the 1990 state cross-country champion for Glendale, also has a season of track eligibility remaining and is expected to return to the school from his native Guatemala in the spring.

Staff writers Theresa Munoz and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.