Without Preparation, USD Begins Division III Countdown : Football: Toreros play final season in lower classification before moving up to Division I-AA.

There was no dress rehearsal this time. The troupe has gone straight from auditions into the opening act.

No one’s expecting a standing ovation, but past performances would indicate the University of San Diego’s football team is no Theater of the Absurd.

When the curtains finally close on the Toreros season, its last as a Division III program, it hopes to have given the performance of a lifetime.

The season begins at 7 tonight at Torero Stadium, when USD opens the 1992 season against Division II Cal State Hayward.

Because of NCAA rules limiting schools to a 10-game schedule, USD passed on its usual preseason scrimmage against Mesa College, leaving the Toreros hazy on how prepared they are is.

“Without the scrimmage, we don’t have the feel for where we are,” said senior Michael Bennett, USD’s returning starting quarterback. “But I have a gut feeling we’re prepared.”

Coach Brian Fogarty is concerned for the same reason: “We don’t want to spend a lot of time teaching the guys how to beat our own defense.”

Defensive back Matt Horeczko, who had 77 tackles and deflected seven passes last year, said USD is sick of lining up against its own.

“We’re looking forward to going out there and hitting as hard as we can for four quarters,” he said.

That work ethic must be sustained for two months if USD is to reach its longtime goal of making its first NCAA playoffs since 1973.

Next year, this independent, non-scholarship Division III school aligns itself with the Division I-AA Pioneer League. Realistically, it will be several years before a playoff berth is possible for USD at that level.

“It has been a goal we’ve had for several years,” Fogarty said. “But because it’s left up to people who vote, and we’re so far away from everyone else in the region, our kids have learned that they can have a great year and still not go.”

And so, USD won’t base its entire season on a place in the playoffs. But the general feeling among the Toreros is playoff or no playoff, this team owes something to history.

“What we do this year will be remembered for a while,” said junior linebacker Marcus Carter. “We want to be remembered as the best.”

Carter, one of a handful of non-senior starters, said he welcomed the move up and the chance to play “a lot of guys that are bigger and more talented.”

But the immediately need is the season at hand.

“This is the last chance to be Division III champion,” said Carter, who had 60 tackles as a sophomore. “That’s a big challenge. We’d like to go out on a high note.”

Bennett, a Point Loma High product, said playoffs are a goal, “but 10 things (games) have to go right to get there.”

Ten things almost went right last year.

In 10 years at USD, Fogarty has compiled a 47-38-2 record. The last three years his teams have gone 21-7, including a 7-3 mark in 1991, when USD lost, 21-20, in back-to-back games. The third defeat was by eight points loss to Azusa Pacific.

“Had we even gotten one of those, we’d have probably been in the national playoffs,” Fogarty said. “It’s frustrating, but when you’re that close, you don’t make many changes, because you know you’re right there. If they were big losses, then you have to rethink what you’re doing.”

But they weren’t. So he’s not.

Instead, USD returns to the system that has taken them this far.

On offense, that means the misdirection of the Wing-T, which USD has used successfully since 1987.

As it traditionally has, USD should run more than throw, and senior fullback Scott Sporrer (876 yards, five touchdowns) and sophomore running back Michael Henry (269 yards) have some experience.

Missing from 1991’s offensive bonanza is Sweetwater High graduate Willie Branch, the Toreros’ offensive player of the year, who set a season rushing average (10.6) last year.

Thanks in large part to Branch, USD outrushed opponents, 2,741 to 1,184 yards--the 2,741 is a season, team rushing record--and outscored them, 282 to 170 points. Branch and his brother, Danny, a defensive back last year, were both academically ineligible.

The players are aware of the void and where they must pick up slack.

“We lack the explosiveness we had last year with Willie,” Sporrer said. “He’d have those big plays, and we’d be able to get off the field and rest.”

Said Bennett: “Now it’s three yards and a cloud of dust.”

Some dust. Sporrer is 719 yards shy of breaking the career rushing mark Todd Jackson established from 1986-89.

“Sure you have individual goals,” Sporrer said. “But you do your best to help the team. People always ask me how many yards do I need to break the record, but I don’t even know what the record is.”

To come close to it, Sporrer will need room to run, and Fogarty said it should get it. The coach has habitually employed the Wing-T to offset relatively undersized offensive lines, but this season is different.

“That’s why we’re looking forward to this year. We think we’re very strong,” he said.

Beefing up the line are senior tackles Eric Brown (6-1, 250), Sean Parks (6-0, 235) and junior guards Victor Cruz (6-1, 265) and Kevin Barres (6-0, 250).

Bennett, who threw for 919 yards and nine touchdowns last season, doesn’t have a surplus of veteran targets, but Fogarty is happy with the progress of sophomore tight end Aaron Pingel.

For a program that prides itself on a stingy defense, the emphasis shifted to a runaway Toreros offense in 1991.

Not that USD’s defense was down. The Toreros allowed 118.4 yards a games, with two bad outings figured into that number.

“In two games, we stunk up the field,” defensive coordinator Kevin McGarry said. “I don’t think it was so much us having a bad year as the offense had a great year. They gained something like a million yards.”

To maximize his defensive talent, McGarry has devised a two lineman, five defensive back scheme to keep the smaller players off the line.

“If you put the big bodies on the small bodies, you could move some people,” he said.

Seniors Jeff Blazevich, Stephen Crandall, Horeczko and junior Scott Buccola boost an experienced crop of defensive backs; Neal Weitman and Carter are key linebackers; and Chris Sirek and Rick Salazar return to the line.

With San Diego giddy over that other college game in town today, USD might resent all the attention cast toward their Montezuma Mesa neighbors. Not so.

“Division I and Division III are two different kinds of football,” Horeczko said. “I’m taking pride in what they’re doing over there. I’m as excited for them as I am for us.”

Sporrer said when you’re not getting paid to practice as hard as they do, you do it because you love to play.

“That, or you either have to be stupid or crazy,” he said.

USD Roster

No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown 70 Raul Aguilar OL 6-1 188 Fr. Solvang 97 Amir Amirian OLB 5-11 174 Fr. La Jolla 80 Tim Antongiovanni WR 5-10 158 Fr. Bakersfield 7 Chris Aparicio WR 5-10 185 Jr. Moranga 47 Ryan Azlein OLB 5-10 190 Fr. Simi Valley 99 Chris Bainer OLB 6-0 180 Fr. Lake Elisinore 68 Steven Balelo OL 6-1 240 Fr. San Diego 35 Brian Barr FB 5-8 197 So. Murrieta 64 Kevin Barres OG 6-0 250 Jr. Carlsbad 10 Matt Bechtel QB 6-1 172 Fr. RCucamonga 89 Carl Benedetti TE 6-2 200 Fr. Beverly Hills 13 Michael Bennett QB 6-2 202 Sr. San Diego 36 Jeff Blazevich DB 5-10 185 Sr. San Diego 95 Brad Bowles ILB 5-11 195 Fr. Lafayette 94 Derek Brown DL 6-3 195 Fr. Woodside 65 Eric Brown OT 6-1 250 Sr. San Diego 4 Scott Buccola DB 5-11 185 Jr. Huntington Beach 34 T.J. Burke DB 5-10 187 Jr. Seattle, Wash. 49 Marcus Carter ILB 6-0 200 Jr. Downey 45 Jason Concannon OLB 5-11 220 So. Castro Valley 14 Andrew Contreras WR 5-11 165 Fr. Camarillo 27 Dave Corrao RB 5-8 154 Fr. Mission Viejo 21 Stephen Crandall DB 5-10 180 Sr. Walnut 69 Victor Cruz OG 6-1 265 Jr. Moreno Valley 33 Curtis DeMers DB 6-2 215 Fr. Lake Elsinore 29 Patrick Escamilla DB 5-11 160 Fr. San Gabriel 76 Ron Etscheit DL 5-10 266 Fr. Kln Pohnpei, Hawaii 59 Alatise Fa ‘Agata ILB 6-0 210 Fr. MtView, Hawaii 3 Daniel Furleigh DB 6-0 195 So. Fallbrook 53 Hector Gamez OL 5-11 220 Fr. Phoeniz, Ariz. 55 Mike Greiner ILB 5-9 188 So. Walnut Creek 2 Jamie Gutierrez RB 5-10 170 Fr. Ontario 41 Jesse Hall DB 6-1 190 So. Glendale 42 Michael Henry RB 5-6 155 So. Encinitas 92 Tom Hollopeter OLB 5-10 170 Fr. Calif.City, La. 44 Matt Horeczko DB 5-11 190 Sr. San Pedro 38 Chad Izmirian FB 5-10 187 Fr. Englewood, Colo. 83 Brent Kennedy DL 6-0 180 Fr. Maple Valley, Wash. 67 Matt Klawitter C 5-10 201 Fr. Woodland Hills 57 Frank Knafelz DL 5-11 220 So. Tucson, Ariz. 16 Alex Knight OLB 5-11 180 Fr. Holtville 25 William Kobayashi DB 5-8 152 Fr. Honolulu 6 John Lambert RB 5-10 184 Jr. Evergreen, Colo. 84 Bryan Loyce TE 6-0 200 Fr. Sring Valley 51 Tim Lynch ILB 6-1 195 So. Houston 81 Tony Maggio DB 6-0 190 Fr. La Jolla 62 Hytham Mansour OL 6-2 289 Jr. El Cajon 31 Mark Maruccia ILB 6-0 195 Fr. San Diego 46 Bill Mathauer OLB 6-0 200 Sr. Indianapolis 85 Edward Messina OLB 5-11 185 Fr. La Mesa 15 Vince Moiso QB 6-2 210 So. Tigard, Oregon 54 Jason Morey OLB 6-0 190 Fr. Encino 12 Darrick Morse DB 5-10 170 Jr. Carlsbad 9 Chip Packard WR 6-1 170 Sr. Irvine 20 Jay Parks DB-K 6-0 180 Fr. Englewood, Colo. 66 Sean Parks OL 6-0 235 Sr. Mission Viejo 32 Mick Pepper RB 5-8 165 Fr. Colorado Springs, Colo. 52 Ryan Pietranton OT 5-11 242 Fr. Las Vegas 91 Aaron Pingel TE 6-0 208 So. Palos Verdes Estates 18 Douglas Popovich DB 6-0 175 Fr. Tucson, Ariz. 28 Todd Rademacher DB 6-0 175 Fr. Scottsdale, Ariz. 11 Robert Ray QB/P 6-0 181 So. Bakersfield 77 Sean Renfro OL 6-1 230 Fr. Littleton, Colo. 30 Paul Reyes DB 5-9 135 Fr. Chula Vista 5 Randy Rivera DB 5-10 175 Jr. Peoria, Ariz. 8 Tim Romano DB 5-10 170 So. Tucson, Ariz. 61 Brad Rossin OG 6-3 230 Fr. San Diego 71 Rick Salazar DL 6-1 210 Sr. Reno, Nev. 37 Dominic Sanone RB 5-9 185 Fr. Salt Lake City, Utah 40 Fred Shaw OLB 6-0 215 Sr. Kaneohe, Hawaii 19 Sidney Sheppard WR 5-9 175 Fr. San Diego 74 Christian Sirek DL 6-4 210 Sr. St. Paul, Minn. 56 Adam Smith DL 6-3 205 So. Coronado 26 Scott Sporrer RB 5-11 188 Sr. Placentia 43 Chon Starlin OLB 6-1 185 So. Tucson, Ariz. 22 Michael Stathem RB 5-8 167 Fr. Fair Oaks 88 Scott Steingrebe TE 6-2 204 So. Turlock 72 Michael Tanghe DL 6-3 205 Fr. Edina, Minn. 96 Stephen Thompson OLB 5-11 217 Jr. San Diego 78 Eric Torykian OT 6-0 270 Jr. Rockville Centre, N.J. 87 Mike Troxel TE 6-1 205 Fr. Lafayette 90 John Trujillo OLB 5-11 201 Fr. Phoeniz, Ariz. 63 Mark Trukki OG 5-11 228 Fr. Fresno 58 Jared Tyler OL 6-0 236 Fr. Long Beach 86 Ben Valenzuela WR 5-8 152 Fr. Bakersfield 98 Kyle Von Feldt ILB 5-11 231 Fr. Great Falls, Mont. 24 Eric Wallis RB 5-11 185 Fr. Tahoe City 48 Neal Weitman OLB 6-1 200 So. Tucson, Ariz. 23 Bernard Westmoreland DB 5-8 152 Fr. Las Vegas 93 Stephen Wilson DL 5-9 198 Fr. La Mesa 79 Joshua Wright DL 6-4 250 Fr. Morro Bay 17 Bryan Wynne DB 5-6 190 Fr. Los Angeles 82 Bill Zelko WR 6-0 170 So. Danville 50 Matt Zeller OL 5-11 233 Jr. Corona