A Balancing Act in the Backfield

For those who assume the Cal State Northridge football team will be one-dimensional next season, two words:

Think again.

The Matadors, under first-year Coach Jim Fenwick, will deploy a one-back, pass-oriented offense much like the one they used the past two seasons under Dave Baldwin, now the coach at San Jose State.

But Northridge is overloaded with running backs who are sure to get plenty of carries, balancing the scheme and keeping defenses guessing.

That much was clear during an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday night that concluded about a month of spring practice.

For the record, the defense got the victory, 36-34, based on points awarded for stopping drives and favorable plays.

But the offense showed it has more than senior quarterback Aaron Flowers, who owns several Matador passing records, and a well-stocked receiving corps.

Senior running back Norman Clarke, who last season rushed for a team-leading 690 yards and helped Northridge to a 7-4 record, will be pushed for playing time by several talented newcomers that include Jahi Arnold, Marcus Harvey, Deriek Charles and Tyrone Crenshaw.

“We are loaded,” said Jeff Kearin, the running back coach. “It’s going to be a real competitive group.”

Only Clarke, who had 59 yards in eight carries, and Arnold, who gained 57 yards in 11 attempts, played in the scrimmage. Charles, a transfer from Nevada Las Vegas, watched from the sidelines after hyperextending a foot in practice Wednesday. Harvey and Crenshaw won’t join the team until the fall.

Arnold, a senior who is not yet on scholarship, is a former Downey High standout who transferred from Iowa State. Charles was a standout at Hart High and played at Valley College. Crenshaw, the City Section 4-A Division player of the year at Sylmar High in 1992 and ‘93, transferred from Michigan State. Harvey rushed for 2,262 yards the past two seasons at Valley.

Despite the logjam, Clarke and Arnold say they welcome the challenge.

“We’ll have a good package at running back when the other recruits come in,” Clarke said. “The backs are just going to duke it out in the fall.”

Said Arnold: “The competition is making us better. We’ve been going through the whole spring battling each other.”

Kearin said the Matadors need depth at running back.

“What we found out last year is that this [Big Sky] conference beats up on running backs,” Kearin said.