CSUN, Flowers Blossom in Desert

The shoe is stepping on the other head now.

Cal State Northridge, which was on the wrong end of many embarrassing football losses to not-so-great teams last season, pulled off perhaps the greatest victory in the program’s 34-year history Saturday night, trouncing Division I-A New Mexico State, 33-0, before 12,259 stunned fans at Aggie Memorial Stadium.

“The whole Big Sky is going, ‘Oh . . .’ ” said Northridge linebacker Marc Goodson with a huge grin.

For the Matadors (2-1), who have been I-AA since 1993 and were Division II before, it was the second victory against a Division I-A opponent. The other was a 24-18 victory over Nevada Las Vegas in 1993.

Northridge players weren’t apologizing either for New Mexico State (0-4) being one of the worst Division I-A teams in the country. Doesn’t matter.

“They’ve got 85 scholarships,” Goodson said. “They just played UTEP [the Aggies lost, 14-7] and they are in the Big West. They played the [Texas] Longhorns and [Texas]couldn’t even shut them out.” The Aggies lost 41-7.

Northridge (2-1) plays Northern Arizona in its Big Sky Conference opener next week. The Matadors, who lost to the Lumberjacks, 68-7, last year, have given them a little more to think about this time.

Northridge played so well that the Matadors fumbled away two chances inside the New Mexico State five that didn’t even hurt.

“Usually for a I-AA team to beat a I-A they have to play a perfect game,” quarterback Aaron Flowers said. “But we didn’t play a perfect game and we still scored 33 points.”

The Matadors outgained the Aggies, 430-284.

Flowers completed 24 of 42 passes for 309 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

David Romines, who caught seven passes for 129 yards, had his third 100-yard receiving game of the season. Running back Chad Marsalek ran for 118 yards in 18 carries, his second straight 100-yard game.

“The offense didn’t have as good a game as I’d hoped,” Flowers said. “We scored 33 points but we should have had more. I think the defense was the biggest reason we won this game.”

Northridge took the ball away six times, held the Aggies to 14 first downs and recorded seven sacks. The Matadors got some help from New Mexico State receivers dropping numerous passes but had the Aggies going through the three quarterbacks on their roster like a guy in the dark trying all his keys to find the one to open the door.

Northridge recorded its first shutout since Sept. 25, 1993, against Sonoma State.

The biggest play was turned in by linebacker Rob Pifferini early in the third quarter. He hit Duane Gregory just as he was about to score and pull the Aggies to within two touchdowns, popping the ball loose and recovering it in the end zone.

“That was the game-changer right there,” Flowers said.

The Matadors got their first break without doing a thing, when the Aggies trotted onto the field for their first possession without Denvis Manns, their leading rusher. Manns has a sprained left ankle and didn’t play.

The second break came moments later, on the Aggies’ first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Chad Salisbury dropped the ball trying to hand off to Mickey Murray, and Mike Greslie of Northridge recovered at the Aggie 31.

On the Matadors’ first play, Flowers hit Jerome Henry with a short pass. Henry broke several tackles on his way to the end zone for a 7-0 lead 21 seconds into the game.

Twice in the first half the Matadors fumbled inside New Mexico State’s five, once on a mishandled snap by Flowers and another time when Norman Clarke bobbled the ball just before crossing the goal line.

“When we scored the first touchdown I didn’t know if it was a fluke, but when we scored again and we were driving the ball well, I knew we were going to win,” Flowers said.

Northridge scored its second touchdown in the second quarter after Goodson recovered an Aggie fumble at the New Mexico State 27, setting up a 12-yard scoring pass from Flowers to Romines.

Northridge finished the half with a pair of field goals by Manny Marquez from 27 and 49 yards, sending Northridge to the locker room with a 20-0 lead.

Northridge’s defense got even better in the second half, allowing 91 yards.

Flowers dumped a short pass to Cameron Perry over the middle and Perry went 45 yards for a touchdown, giving Northridge a 26-0 lead with 2:35 to play in the third quarter.

On the next possession, Flowers hit Chad Marsalek for a 37-yard touchdown, ballooning the lead to 33-0.