Senior Woods Has Been Stung Three Times by the Hornets

Perhaps no one at Cal State Northridge wants to beat Sacramento State on Saturday night more than linebacker James Woods.

Woods, a senior in a program full of junior college transfers, is the only Matador who has played in each of the last three games against the Hornets.

And each has eaten away at Woods a little more.

“They were just letdowns,” Woods said, shaking his head. “We couldn’t finish.”

Three fourth-quarter leads. Three losses.

--Oct. 16, 1993, Sacramento 31, Northridge 30.

Leading, 30-17, at the start of the fourth quarter, the Matadors watched Sacramento score two quick touchdowns. Northridge, playing at home, had a final shot to win, but Matt Ornelaz’s 44-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right in the last minute.

--Nov. 19, 1994, Sacramento 23, Northridge 22.

The Matadors dragged a four-game losing streak up to Sacramento and seemed on the verge of ending the season with a victory when they took a 19-16 lead after three quarters. But the Hornets took a 23-19 early in the fourth quarter. After Northridge answered with a field goal, quarterback J.J. O’Laughlin was driving the Matadors toward a go-ahead score in the final minutes when he threw an interception.

--Nov. 19, 1995, Sacramento 20, Northridge 16.

The Matadors, needing a home victory in their final game to share the American West Conference title, blew a 16-0 lead in the fourth quarter. After giving up 20 points in four minutes, Northridge had a chance to win, but was stopped on an interception in the end zone.

Dishing it up: If Northridge’s membership in the Big Sky Conference has made you a fan of the league, find your way to a satellite dish on Saturday morning. Montana (6-0), ranked second in the nation, and Northern Arizona (7-1), ranked seventh, will meet at 11:35 a.m. The game will be broadcast on Prime Sports Northwest. The winner likely will be conference champion.

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Medicare: After watching Fredrik Nanhed (hamstring), Tom Herman (knee), Kyle Donovan (knee), Aaron Molinar (knee) and Jason Cowles (elbow) suffer long-term injuries in the first four weeks, Cal Lutheran football Coach Scott Squires is looking for a different kind of break from Mel Hayashi, the team doctor.

“I was joking with Dr. Hayashi that he ought to give us one free surgery,” Squires said. “You know, buy four, get one free.”

Nanhed injured his left hamstring in the opener and returned last Saturday after sitting out four weeks. Herman, also injured since the opener with a dislocated left kneecap, may return today.

Nanhed and Herman did not require surgery. In the past two weeks, however, Donovan, Molinar and Cowles all did, and each will be sidelined for the season.

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Top-rate: Valley College is ranked eighth and Moorpark is 12th in the state junior college football poll.

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Fire drill: With flames and choking smoke bearing down on the campus Monday, the Pepperdine women’s soccer team chose to practice, squeezing in an hour-long workout before heeding calls to evacuate.

“We didn’t get much done,” captain Jennifer Evans said. “It got hard to breathe and the freshmen were in awe.”

After taking pictures with the fire in the background, Evans and roommate Shelby Cox retrieved belongings from their apartment.

They returned to campus but brush ignited as Evans opened her car door, so she headed for her parents’ home in Simi Valley.

“I was really scared. I opened my door and the flames started to come in,” said Evans, who was also at Pepperdine for the 1993 fires. “It was chaos, cars everywhere trying to get out. There was no power and it was really dark.”