Matadors Get Shot in Arm From Bradley

Jaumal Bradley was back on the football field Friday, taking handoffs for the first time in two days after spending much of the week suffering from flu.

For Northridge, a healthy Bradley is key to bolstering an anemic running attack. The Matadors last season ranked last in rushing in the Big Sky Conference with 1,431 yards, fewer than half the total of the team’s passing yards.

Bradley, a senior fullback, accounted for 374 yards and no rushing touchdowns. He is the Matadors’ only returning ballcarrier.

“I feel fresher than anyone out here,” Bradley said. “I was anxious to get out here.”

Joining Bradley are several talented newcomers, most notably All-City tailback Marquis Brignac from Taft High and senior transfer DeJuan Gilmore from Washington State.

Brignac is nursing a sore knee and has missed a few practices. Gilmore gained academic eligibility Thursday.

“I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t be a starter,” Gilmore said. “I feel good. I avoid getting hit.”

Brignac, who rushed for 1,884 yards and 16 touchdowns while leading Taft to the City title, said his injury will not slow his progress.

The list also includes fullbacks Giovanni Cappalonga, a transfer from Santa Monica College, and Crayton Milton, a 6-foot, 260-pound freshman, whose brother, Trae, played at St. Francis and is at UC Davis.

Freshmen Bruce Molock of Antelope Valley, Brandon McElvaine of Palmdale and Alan Taylor of Yucaipa also are in the mix.

“The challenge is good,” Bradley said. “We definitely have a lot of good running backs out here. But what happened last year didn’t have so much to do with not having talent. I think we put a little too much [emphasis] on the passing game.

“We had only about six or seven running plays in our last game against Idaho State. When you run 60 plays and only seven or eight of them are running plays. . . . We definitely are going to be prepared to run the ball more.”

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Taylor stands 5-7, weighs 175 pounds and has wheels.

That is, he had wheels. Taylor’s Honda Civic was stolen Wednesday from outside his dormitory.

“I only had it a couple of months,” Taylor said. “It happened sometime between 2 and 2:45. I came out to go to practice and it was gone.”

Taylor, one of three players from Yucaipa, reported the theft to police but isn’t optimistic about having it returned.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s gone,” he said.

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Northridge is tabbed to finish second in the Big Sky Conference by Street and Smith’s magazine.

That’s a sharp contrast to the coaches’ poll at Big Sky meetings last month in Park City, Utah, where the Matadors were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference.

Of course, the result of the conference poll might be attributed to the turmoil surrounding the Northridge program. The meetings took place only days after Ron Ponciano was fired as coach and while the program remained the subject of an ongoing internal investigation into possible NCAA rules violations.

Northridge tied for second in the Big Sky last season and was 7-4 overall, 5-3 in conference play.

Street and Smith’s, which picks Montana to repeat as champion, does not mention Ponciano or the investigation, and lists free safety Jeremy Golden among the Matadors’ top returning players.

Golden is academically ineligible.