COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : Razo Added Seasoning to Bland Offense

Saying an athlete had a “career day” is among the more popular cliches in sports. Only rarely is such a term even close to appropriate.

Albert Razo’s final game as a Cal State Northridge football player, however, came closer than most.

Razo, a fifth-year senior, made his debut as quarterback and his farewell as punter equally spectacular.

With the Matadors down, 17-0, against Southern Utah late in the first half last week, Razo was summoned from the sidelines and asked to pump some life into the Northridge offense.

That he did.

Improvising on almost every pass play, Razo completed only six of 19 attempts but threw for 118 yards. He also scrambled for gains of 38 yards, although he lost 33 yards on sacks.

Behind him, the Matadors rallied to tie before losing, 20-17. But if Northridge didn’t get a victory, it surely entertained its fans.

A Southern Utah radio announcer summed it up best when, during the second half, he told his listeners, “You have to wonder why (Northridge has) been hiding this guy so long.”

Razo concluded his career as a punter with a bang, too, kicking six times for a 47.3-yard average. He connected with blocking back Travis Hall for a 28-yard gain and a first down on a fake punt play.

With 216 punts in his career and 79 this season, Razo set school records. He averaged 39.2 yards per kick, including 41.1 yards per attempt this season, second best in the American West Conference.

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Duc Ngo and John Herrera were listed as seniors this season, but Northridge athletic officials now say both have a season of eligibility remaining.

Ngo, who has played three seasons for the Matadors, used none of his eligibility at San Jose State before transferring to Northridge. Herrera had been mistakenly credited with briefly playing in one game as a freshman when in fact he did not.

Herrera, a linebacker who led the Matadors with 16 tackles against Southern Utah, said he probably will use the additional season. Ngo, a wide receiver who has led Northridge in receptions the past two seasons, is not so sure.

He planned to return home to the Bay Area to complete work on his degree at San Jose State. His parents only recently found out he was playing football, and they fear for his safety.

“The final decision will be mine,” Ngo said, “but if I’m going to play I need to work some things out with my family.”

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Workers on Wednesday started tearing up the infield of the Matador baseball diamond, which is being replaced at a cost of $21,000.

How bad was the old turf? Apparently pretty bad.

Bill Kernen, Northridge’s coach, said he wouldn’t be surprised if a few former players were misled by the sight of Matador Field after a tractor got through pulling up the old grass.

“Somebody might look at it and say, ‘Geez, nobody dragged the infield today,’ ” Kernen said. “To them it probably won’t look too unusual. Just one extra big divot.”

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The Matador baseball program secured infielder Grant Hohman and pitcher Chris Romero during the early signing period, but only after a couple of top recruits chose to go elsewhere.

Kernen was particularly intrigued by the possibility of Fresno City pitcher Robert Donnelly joining the team. Donnelly, a diminutive right-hander, looks and acts like former Northridge ace Ken Kendrena, according to players and coaches. Both were converted infielders and both threw a pretty good split-finger fastball.

“It was eerie,” Kernen said.

Alas, Donnelly chose to stay close to home, and signed instead with Fresno State.

“Yeah, I’m disappointed,” Kernen said, “but it’s not like it’s real unexpected. Most of the top guys we go after we never get. Why should this guy be any different? One of those guys signs with us and I probably won’t know what to do.”

Around the Campus. . .

* Despite gaining 152 yards in the Matadors’ finale, tailback Robert Trice fell 16 yards short of moving into second place on Northridge’s single-season rushing list. Trice gained 1,362 yards this season, rushing for more than 100 yards five times, more than 150 four times and more than 250 twice. The senior from Rocky Point, N.C., concluded his collegiate career with three consecutive games of more than 100 yards.

* Ivy Calvin, a 6-2, 218-pound senior linebacker, lived up to his preseason All-American billing. He led the Matadors with 59 solo tackles and 346 defensive points, according to a scoring system based on overall defensive performance. Calvin provided a rare, two-barreled threat for Northridge, averaging 22.5 yards while doubling as a kickoff return man.

* Northridge linebacker Angel Chavez finished his two-year career with 15 sacks, second-best in school history behind the 17 1/2 credited to linebacker Ken Wallace in 1989-90.

* Aimee Stone and Missy Clements, junior outside hitters on the Northridge women’s volleyball team, are working their way up the Matadors’ single-season list in kills and total attempts. With two matches left in the regular season, Stone is third in attempts (1,111) and fifth in kills (428), while Clements ranks fourth in attempts (1,015) and ninth in kills (379).

Staff writers Mike Hiserman and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.