Flowers Prepares for Dread End

The countdown is at t-minus seven days and Aaron Flowers can hardly talk about it, his blue eyes suddenly growing misty and his voice trailing off slightly.

This is the week he has dreaded most in his football career, the one he hoped would never come, or at least not this fast.

One week to go before Flowers, Cal State Northridge’s record-setting senior quarterback, walks away from his passion.

It’s no easy task.

After so many falls chasing dreams, after so many afternoons and nights dominated by euphoria and heartache, the days of Flowers taking snaps and finding receivers are dwindling to a precious few.

And dealing with that reality may be more demanding than anything he has faced, on or off the field.

“I’m not going to play college football again, so I’m trying to get as much out of these next two games as possible,” Flowers said, running his fingers across his close-cropped blond hair.

“It’s definitely going to be emotional . . . The [Northern Arizona] game [Nov. 22], when we have parents’ night for seniors, I’ll probably be a wreck before the game.”

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Before all of that, Flowers and the Matadors (5-5, 3-3 in Big Sky Conference play) will try to throw a wrench in the conference race by upsetting Eastern Washington (9-1, 6-1) this afternoon in Cheney, Wash.

Eastern Washington can win the championship outright with a victory, but a loss leaves the Eagles hanging until Montana State, the only other team in the title hunt, plays games tonight and next Saturday.

Flowers would love nothing more than to sabotage Eastern Washington’s plans, and not just because the Matadors have been reduced to potential spoilers.

He would like to preserve a few more moments in his mind along with countless other cherished football memories.

Such savored experiences have been relatively few and far between this season, one that began with so much promise.

“Based on my expectations, it has been frustrating and painful,” Flowers said of this season.

The nadir of his disappointment was reached Sept. 20 in a home game against Azusa Pacific.

The Matadors were toying with the Cougars en route to a 63-21 victory when Flowers suffered a hairline fracture in his right fibula.

At the time, four games into the season, Flowers led the Big Sky with 1,539 yards passing and 14 touchdowns. But for the next five weeks, until his return against Cal State Sacramento on Oct. 25, Flowers could only watch as the Matadors struggled.

“Some people, like my family and friends, told me they didn’t see me smile until the [Sacramento] game,” Flowers said. “It’ll probably be the same feeling again after I’m done playing.”

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Flowers arrived at Northridge just before last season got under way, his dossier thick with remarkable accomplishments.

He passed for 8,873 yards and 79 touchdowns and was a three-time All-Southern Section Division VII pick while playing for his father, Norm, at Artesia High.

Then, after one redshirt season and another one spent mostly on the sidelines, Flowers left Utah State after being told by new Coach John L. Smith that he didn’t fit in.

Flowers transferred to Valley College in 1995 and flourished in Coach Jim Fenwick’s run-and-shoot offense, throwing for 3,135 yards and 26 touchdowns, and helping the Monarchs to a 10-1 record.

“I gained a lot of respect for who he is as a person and as a player at Valley and now here,” said Fenwick, who is in his first season as Northridge coach.

“He’s got a lot of those ingredients that make all the other players play well. He’s competitive, he’s well-liked by his teammates, he’s got a great work ethic and he’s got a good sense of humor.”

But, at 6 feet and 185 pounds, Flowers is not a prototype quarterback. So, while at Valley, he figured that no Division I program would be interested in someone his size and with limited mobility, even though his arm and leadership were clearly solid.

Until Dave Baldwin called.

Baldwin, who coached Northridge for two seasons but left in December to coach at San Jose State, recruited Flowers and watched him become an All-American in the most productive season ever enjoyed by a Matador quarterback.

In helping usher the Matadors into the Big Sky last season, Flowers passed for 3,540 yards, 30 touchdowns and completed 59.5% of his attempts (247 of 415), all Northridge single-season records. The Matadors finished 7-4 overall, 5-3 in conference play and were convinced they could challenge for the title this year.

It hasn’t worked out that way, but Flowers doesn’t see this season as a total wash.

“My goal when I came in was to be a starter and after that was to get Northridge respect,” he said. “I believe people respect us now and teams get fired up to play us. That’s when you know you are something as a program.”

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Flowers by the numbers:

In seven games this season, he has 2,470 yards passing and 20 touchdowns, increasing his Northridge totals to 6,010 yards and 50 touchdowns. He has passed for 300 or more yards in 11 games, including a school-record 500 yards in Northridge’s 49-27 victory over Eastern Washington last year.

The passing yards and touchdowns are school career marks that some might consider unreachable. Not Flowers.

“They are going to be broken within the next five years because of the type of athletes they’ll recruit here,” Flowers said. “You put anyone in this offense who plays for three or four years, they’re going to throw for 10,000 yards or more.

“I hope that when people look back and I’m down the [passing] list, they’ll know I’m one of the guys who helped build the foundation for when Northridge becomes a power. That means a lot more to me.”

Flowers, a sociology major who plans to be a graduate assistant with the Matadors next season, said he is generally satisfied with his two years at Northridge.

“I just wish I had a different college football atmosphere at the [home] games. That’s the only thing I regret,” Flowers said. “When we went to Montana [on Nov. 1], it was fun to play in front of that crowd [16,775] even though we were the visiting team. I can only imagine if that had been our crowd.”

The Matadors have not attracted more than 5,631 to a game at North Campus Stadium during Flowers’ tenure, and the football program remains embroiled in the controversy of whether it should be eliminated to help Northridge permanently restore four other men’s programs.

Flowers finds the argument hard to digest.

“We haven’t done anything wrong and yet we are the whipping boys,” he said. “I think it’s unfair to the players and the coaches.”

After today, Flowers has one home date remaining, a farewell game against Northern Arizona. His parents, who are divorced, will join him on the field for pregame ceremonies recognizing the team’s seniors. Betty Flowers-Ackerman, Aaron’s mother, knows the occasion will tug at her heart.

“It’s more emotional for me,” said Flowers-Ackerman, who hasn’t missed any of Aaron’s games, even in youth leagues. “Football is in his blood . . . Football has helped build his character and self-confidence. It has made him into a stronger man.”

Said Flowers about his mother: “It’ll hit her hardest. With my dad and me, it’s probably going to set in next fall.

“It’s been 11 years that I’ve been playing football.”

Northridge (5-5, 3-3) at Eastern Washington (9-1, 6-1)

When: Today, 1:05 p.m.

Where: Woodward Stadium

Fast fact: Eastern Washington can win Big Sky Conference title outright with victory.