CSUN Wins With Late Touchdown

For the first time in his 30-year coaching career, Bob Burt could not watch.

When Joe Jezulin, Cal State Northridge’s kicker, attempted a 35-yard point-after kick with 14 seconds left in the Matadors’ Western Football Conference opener, Burt, CSUN’s coach, missed it.

But Jezulin, who had missed a 28-yard field goal earlier in the game, didn’t.

He lifted his kick through the uprights despite a flat, knuckleball spin, for a 14-13 win over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before a homecoming crowd of 6,217 at North Campus Stadium.

“I wasn’t looking,” Burt said. “I was staring at the ground and someone was leaning on me. I don’t think they could look either.”

Jezulin’s kick was 15 yards longer because the Matadors were penalized for celebrating on the field after tight end Chris Fregeau caught a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Marty Fisher on fourth down.

“That’s what dreams are made of,” Fregeau said. “That’s what you dream of when you lay awake at night in bed.”

It was only the second reception of the season for Fregeau, a 6-foot-6 junior from Pierce who was spelling injured starter Marlon McBride.

Fregeau made the catch in front of Steve Lombardi, a 6-1 free safety.

“When I came into the huddle Marty (Fisher) winked at me,” said Fregeau, the second option on the play.

“It was a beautiful throw,” Fregeau said. “He had to get it up high because the defensive back was bumping me the whole time.”

After most of the Northridge team danced onto the field, the officials began stepping back the PAT.

“I was dying,” Jezulin said. “Because I missed that field goal earlier and then they called time out so I started praying. That’s gotta be the worst game-winning kick ever. I think it reflected how nervous I was.”

The improbable winning drive, which improved the Matadors to 4-3, began on the 20-yard line with 2:08 left in the game.

The key plays of the 80-yard march included a nine-yard catch by fullback Jim Warren, a one-yard quarterback sneak by Fisher on third down, a nine-yard grab by Saadite Green, catches of 13 and 20 yards by Duc Ngo, and a 12-yard run on fourth-and-one by Jamal Farmer.

In the third quarter, Farmer killed a drive by fumbling at the San Luis Obispo one-yard line.

“As a running back you know that things like that are going to happen,” Farmer said. “The good thing was that the team said it was all right and they kept me in it (mentally).”

Farmer rushed for 135 yards in 22 carries, including a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Fisher threw for 140 yards, completing 17 of 31 passes with one interception.

Fisher did not know it was fourth down on the winning touchdown pass.

“All I knew was that we had only one play left,” he said. “It was a great call by the coaching staff and a great play by Chris.”

Aside from a 50-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, the Northridge defense was solid against San Luis Obispo (2-4-1, 0-2).

Late in the third quarter strong safety Eric Treibatch became the school’s all-time leading tackler with his fifth tackle of the game and 218th of his career, surpassing linebacker Ken Vaughn (1990-91).