Pringle, Fullerton Take Big Lead; Pacific Nearly Takes It Back, 35-26

STOCKTON —  A week ago, Cal State Fullerton’s offensive line didn’t open many holes, and Mike Pringle didn’t find many of the ones they did.

Fullerton had 29 yards rushing and a loss to winless Utah State in spite of a 481-yard passing performance by Dan Speltz.

Against Pacific Saturday, the holes were plentiful, and Pringle didn’t let many go wasted, gaining 242 yards rushing in Fullerton’s 35-26 Big West Conference victory in front of 7,127 in Amos Alonzo Stagg Memorial Stadium.

By halftime, Pringle had 124 yards and a school record for touchdowns in a game with four. He added another touchdown--this one on a pass reception--in the second half. By game’s end, he had carried the ball 42 times, another school record, and had become the first Fullerton player to run for 200 yards since Rick Calhoun in 1986.

“Not too bad,” Pringle said when he heard he had 200 yards.

Pringle, the national leader in all-purpose running, has five 100-yard rushing games this season.

Fullerton would have been happy to see the game end sooner than it did.

After building a 35-7 lead in the third quarter, the Titans let Pacific come back.

“We don’t make anything easy,” Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said. “Thirty-five to seven, and here we go again.”

Murphy’s halftime talk was a warning against the dangers of complacency--and a reminder of Pacific’s past comebacks and Fullerton’s past folds. But it didn’t seem to have much impact.

The lead was still 21 points when the fourth quarter began, but Pacific cut the lead to 35-20 with nine minutes left after a 77-yard touchdown drive that began with Louis Greggs’ interception of a pass by Speltz, who completed 17 of 22 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown.

Pacific’s two-point conversion attempt failed.

Pacific got another chance when the Tigers recovered a fumble by Pringle with 7:51 left.

But the Tigers took six minutes to drive 82 yards for a touchdown, scoring with only 1:40 remaining. The Tigers again failed on a two-point conversion attempt before Fullerton recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.

“The win was good for the record, and that was it,” Murphy said.

Fullerton is 3-3-1, 2-1 in the Big West, and plays conference favorite Fresno State (6-0, 3-0) next week in Fresno.

Pacific (1-6, 1-4) started well, driving for a touchdown on its first possession. But the Tigers sputtered after that.

Pacific quarterback Troy Kopp, a freshman from Mission Viejo High School, completed 13 of 20 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and one interception.