On Defense, Matadors Put Up Strong Front

The preseason scouting report for the Cal State Northridge defense has, through two games, been inaccurate.

Speed, Northridge coaches said, would make the Matador secondary a strength; offenses that pounded the ball inside would give the Matadors trouble.

Just the opposite has been true.

The line has been the dominant unit on defense. UC Davis quarterbacks Mark Grieb and Kevin Daft spent a good deal of time on their backs Saturday night during a 56-31 Northridge victory. The Matadors recorded five sacks and the Aggies were held to 37 yards rushing.

A year ago, the Aggie offensive line dominated Northridge and opened holes for Davis to gain 228 yards rushing.

“I was really happy, because Davis really whipped our [butts] last year,” said Kendall Blackburn, Northridge’s defensive line coach. “We didn’t have nearly the depth that we have this year.”

The Matadors are rotating eight players among the four positions, keeping fresh legs charging against offensive lineman on almost every play.

Tackle David Mori, an All-American West Conference choice last season, has returned to the rotation along with Pete Silvey, Dan Lazarovitz and Seepoleto Imo.

The four biggest additions have been Ronald Aumua, a 275-pound nose tackle from Chabot College; Greg Leyone, a two-year starter at Sacramento City College; Mike Greslie, a red-shirt last season because of a hamstring injury; and, most intriguing, Hernan Santiago, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound transfer from Bakersfield College and the University of Washington.

Santiago played two years at Washington, playing a variety of positions, from linebacker to fullback. He left Seattle, he says, because of “too much rain” and transferred to Bakersfield, near his hometown of Lamont.

Blackburn said Santiago is becoming more of a force every day.

“He doesn’t even know how good he can be if he really wants to,” the coach said. “The other day he got so mad at an offensive lineman and drove him three yards into the backfield.”

*

Linebacker Teddy Mack was released from hospital Tuesday after suffering two seizures at his home Sunday. Mack, a senior from San Diego who played in Saturday night’s game, will be out for at least four weeks.

Mack suffered a third seizure after he was taken to Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Panorama City, according to Coach Dave Baldwin. He underwent a battery of tests but the cause of the seizures has not been determined.

“Teddy Mack has been an emotional leader, a kid who plays hard,” Baldwin said. “All the guys want to win for Teddy.”

Mack led the Matadors with 100 tackles last season and is third this season with 15. He was resting at home Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.

Northridge’s defensive backfield situation has gotten so dire that Howard Henry, a receiver, and Ryan Smith, a freshman quarterback, have been moved to the secondary, at least for practice.

Defensive backs Donnell Day (right shoulder bruise) and Steve Forte (broken right leg) will miss this week’s game and safety Steve Standifer (hamstring injury) is questionable.

Linebacker Robby Proffer, who has missed both games because of a sprained medial collateral ligament, practiced Tuesday and could be ready to play in the Big Sky Conference opener Sept. 28 at Northern Arizona.

*

One of the most consistent players has been punter Joe LaFirenza. In two games, LaFirenza is averaging 42.6 yards, 14th in Division I-AA.