Northridge Has Rundown Feeling

The defense rested again.

It’s no secret that Cal State Northridge’s football team is among the worst defensively in Division I-AA, especially against the run.

Montana State, obviously wanting to confirm it, ran all over the Matadors in a 31-20 Big Sky Conference victory Saturday in front of 9,357 at Reno H. Sales Stadium.

“People just want to load up and pound on us,” said Jim Fenwick, Northridge coach.

Why not?

The Matadors (3-4, 1-2 in Big Sky play), who probably dropped out of playoff contention, went into the game allowing 401.7 yards per game. They ranked 96th in the nation against the run at 201.7 yards per outing.

Montana State (4-2, 3-1), which relies on the passing of Rob Compson, went to a ground attack from the start, finishing with 228 yards rushing and 380 yards total.

It came one week after the Matadors limited Weber State to 156 yards rushing in a 30-20 victory at North Campus Stadium.

But Weber State didn’t have tailbacks Travis Wright and Eric Kinnaman, who each rushed for 100 yards, the first time a Montana State player has reached that milestone this season. Wright had 25 carries and Kinnaman had 22.

None of their runs were as damaging as Kenyatte Morgan’s 91-yard kickoff return with 11:15 remaining to put the Bobcats ahead, 28-20, only 18 seconds after Northridge pulled to within 21-20 on Manny Marquez’s 44-yard field goal.

Morgan took the kickoff from Marquez through a crowd up the middle, cut to the left sideline and sprinted to the end zone with Montana State’s fifth longest return in history.

“That took the wind out of us,” Fenwick said. “It was pretty devastating. It was one of those things that never should have happened.”

The loss wasted an excellent effort by Northridge junior receiver Drew Hill, who caught 13 passes for 153 yards, both career highs. His previous best was eight receptions for 115 yards against Boise State on Aug. 30.

“They blitzed their inside linebackers and the safeties were going deep, which kept the middle open,” Hill said. “It doesn’t matter what your stats are when you lose. It really hurts, especially when the offense was doing as good as we were.”

The Matadors started well against Montana State, taking a 3-0 lead on Marquez’s field goal with 6:33 left in the first quarter. Sophomore Josh Fiske completed three passes to Hill for 38 yards and drove the Matadors to the Montana State 19 before the drive stalled.

Fiske, in his third starting assignment since replacing injured Aaron Flowers, passed for a career-high 295 yards with 30 completions in 47 passes, but had five passes intercepted. He suffered a possible broken pinky finger on his left hand when he was sacked early in the second quarter but played the rest of the game.

Flowers, who just started rehabilitating a broken right leg suffered against Azusa Pacific on Sept. 20, was in uniform but not available to play.

“I had two balls I shouldn’t have thrown,” Fiske said. “The other ones I had pressure. I was trying to do so much.”

The Bobcats capitalized on the first interception, marching 62 yards in five plays to take a 7-3 lead on Compson’s 26-yard pass to an uncovered Tony Vallez.

Compson, who had 1,173 yards passing going into the game, connected with tailback Terrence Crump on a three-yard touchdown pass to increase the cushion to 14-3 at halftime.

Fiske’s three-yard touchdown pass to Jerome Henry, tipped by a defender, got Northridge to within 14-10 with 5:52 to play in the third quarter but Compson moved the Bobcats ahead, 21-10, with a six-yard scoring pass to tight end Scott Harry about three minutes later.

The Matadors closed the gap to 21-17 when Fiske hit Aaron Arnold on an 18-yard fade pass to the back right corner of the end zone with 18 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Compson finished with 12 completions in 23 passes for 152 yards but had two passes intercepted by free safety Jeremy Golden, who leads the Matadors with three.

“We knew what was coming but we couldn’t stop it,” said Golden, a freshman from Westlake High. “I don’t know what happened.”

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On The Agenda

CSUN Task Force on Intercollegiate Athletics

* Next meeting: Monday

* When: 7 p.m.

* Where: Fernandeno Room, Satellite Student Union, southwest corner of Lassen and Zeizah streets.

* Topics: Big West Conference Commissioner Dennis Farrell will speak; a budget subcommittee report will be offered; a sicussion will take place on how to conduct a suvery of student opinions.