No Stopping Northridge

As the Cal State Northridge football players filed off the field toward their locker room after Saturday night’s game, they found the doors locked.

It was the only thing that stopped them all night.

Northridge crushed Portland State, 46-14, in front of 3,083 at North Campus Stadium, giving the Matadors (3-2) one more victory than they had last season.

Though both teams are in the Big Sky Conference, the game did not count in conference standings because Portland State (1-4), which is in its first year at Division I-AA, is not eligible for the conference title.

“We needed to come home and win and we did it in a big way,” said Coach Dave Baldwin. “It showed we have stepped up. We have progressed a lot farther than people think.”

As usual, the Matadors put up impressive passing numbers (333 yards from two quarterbacks), but Northridge also improved in two areas in which it didn’t figure to do well: rushing and passing defense.

The Matadors came into the game having allowed 344 yards passing per game. But without having to stack up on the line of scrimmage against an explosive runner, as Northridge had to do in two of its first four games, the pass defense was much improved.

Viking quarterbacks completed 19 of 47 passes for 271 yards--much of that after the game was decided--and Northridge intercepted four passes. The Matadors had six sacks.

“We’ve been playing all right, but tonight I think we stepped up a notch,” said freshman defensive back Tayari Ferrell, who had an interception in the Matador end zone, snuffing a Portland State comeback attempt in the third quarter. “Tonight we showed we can play.”

For the Northridge offense, it was the same pinpoint passing from quarterback Aaron Flowers, who completed 24 of 33 attempts for 323 yards. David Romines, the leading receiver in I-AA, caught eight passes for 108 yards. The new offensive wrinkle was added by Jeramie Thomas, a freshman receiver who was moved to running back this week because of an injury to senior Chad Marsalek.

One of the team’s fastest players, Thomas also proved to be one of the most elusive as he juked his way to 92 yards and three touchdowns in 12 carries. Norman Clarke, the running back who was supposed to emerge as the star, ran for only 39 yards in 12 carries.

Thomas last played running back in high school.

“In high school playing running back was hard,” Thomas said, “but here it’s easy because you take the ball and the offensive line just blows open holes.”

Marsalek returns next week, and Thomas said he doesn’t care if he still plays running back or goes back to receiver.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I just like to play football.”

The Matadors dominated the game early, stuffing the Vikings on three downs on their first possession. Northridge then drove 58 yards on its first possession for a touchdown on a 10-yard catch by Cameron Perry.

Flowers completed his first nine passes, guiding the Matadors to touchdowns on their first three drives and a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter.

A few plays later, Northridge defensive back Bennie Herron intercepted a pass at the Viking 22 and sprinted around several defenders to the end zone. The touchdown gave Northridge a 26-0 lead.