Defense Shines for Northridge

For coaches, the great thing about an intrasquad scrimmage is that you know someone on your team is going to do something good.

And that’s a nice change for Cal State Northridge football Coach Dave Baldwin, whose team was 2-8 in his first season.

The defense, particularly two players who did not play last season, was impressive for the Matadors in Thursday night’s scrimmage, which concluded a month of spring football.

Marc Goodson, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker who signed with Northridge this off-season, was the game’s dominant player, recording three punishing tackles for losses.

“I felt really good,” Goodson said. “I think [the defense] really came together well in the past four weeks.”

Freshman defensive back Tayari Ferrell, who was a redshirt last fall, intercepted two passes to help the defense win, 23-21. The defense was awarded points for big hits and the five turnovers it forced.

Goodson, who was the state junior college defensive player of the year at Oakland’s Laney College in 1994, came to Northridge after taking a year of from football for, as he put it, “soul searching.”

Ron Ponciano, Northridge defensive coordinator, is certainly glad Goodson found Northridge.

“He came into our system and really took the leadership role we had hoped,” Ponciano said. “He’s definitely been a great linebacker. He’s exceeded our expectations.”

Ponciano said the defense’s domination of the offense does not mean too much right now.

“There have been plenty of practices where it’s been reversed,” Ponciano said. “But this was our practice.”

Much of the offensive unit’s struggle could be attributed to generally sloppy play by the three quarterbacks.

Junior Derek Brown, the most experienced of the group, completed seven of 17 passes for 82 yards and a 21-yard touchdown, but threw three interceptions.

Freshman Josh Fiske, whom Northridge coaches consider the team’s most talented quarterback, completed only five of 14 passes but had touchdown pass plays of 40 and 60 yards and did not throw an interception.

Freshman Dewayne Hervey completed four of 10 passes and threw an interception.

“We definitely need some improvement at quarterback,” Baldwin said. “Our quarterbacks made some poor reads.”

That could be moot in the fall when Aaron Flowers, who led Valley College to a No. 2 national ranking, arrives. Flowers could not work out with Northridge this spring because he first needs to get his Associate in Arts degree at Valley.

Matador Notes

The offensive player of the game, and maybe of the entire spring, was receiver Jason Tucker, who transferred from Arizona and practiced as a walk-on at Northridge. Tucker, who was at the receiving end of many Keith Smith touchdown passes during Newbury Park’s Southern Section Division III championship season in 1993, played with the first-string offense, catching touchdown passes of 21 and 60 yards. “He’s been a pleasant surprise,” said Jeff Kearin, Northridge receivers coach. “He’s going to play a ton.”. . . .

David Romines, who figured to be Northridge’s top receiver last season until a separated left shoulder forced him to become a redshirt, caught three passes for 67 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown. “That felt really good,” Romines said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in an end zone.” Romines said his surgically repaired shoulder is 100%.