Uphill Battle : Titans Have Endured Numerous Setbacks and Expect More Once the Season Begins

FULLERTON —  It’s Aug. 26. Do you know where your football team is?

Cal State Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy is still asking this question, after spending much of last winter, spring and this summer asking it.

Murphy thought the Titans would be vastly improved over their 1-11 disaster last season, when they were ranked last nationally among 106 Division I-A teams and were outscored, 485-223.

Then the school nearly dropped football last January. Then several players who helped comprise what Murphy considered a strong recruiting class decided in February to go elsewhere.

Then about 20 players left the team last spring for various reasons, some citing instability in the program. Then 10 incoming players, including three probable starters, were ruled academically ineligible this summer.

And here it is, five days before the Titans’ season opener at Mississippi State, and Murphy is still waiting to see if four community college transfers, including two probable starters, will be academically eligible to play.

Is this any way to start the season?

“I wish we had two more weeks to get ready,” Murphy said.

Ready or not, the Titans will travel to Starkville, Miss., Saturday with a team that will be hard-pressed to surpass preseason expectations--Fullerton was picked to finish last in the Big West by conference coaches and media.

“It’s a great motivational factor, a great incentive,” Murphy said of the preseason polls. “We don’t have to win a conference championship. If we win four or five games, people are going to wonder what the heck happened. From everything I read, we’ll be lucky to win a game.”

Murphy sees some encouraging developments. Senior Reggie Yarbrough, who rushed for 1,014 yards in 1990 but had to take summer-school classes to remain eligible, has been cleared to play, and Fullerton received some added depth at the position when Arthur Davis, an extremely quick running back from Taft College, joined the team last week.

The Titans also should be very strong at inside linebacker despite the loss of Lorenzo Hailey, who led the team in tackles last season but will red-shirt to concentrate on school.

Fullerton returns senior starter Teddy McMillan, who will team with senior Chad Lindsay. The pair will be backed up by junior Mike Gullo, redshirt freshman Dan Godfrey and junior transfer John Haynes.

But questions abound nearly everyplace else. Sophomore Terry Payne, who completed 58 of 97 passes for 618 yards--mostly in relief of starter Paul Schulte--will take over at quarterback, so the Titans have some experience at the position.

But the Fullerton receiving corps, usually a Titan strength, could be the team’s weakest area. If the Titans ran the wishbone, this might not be a problem. But Fullerton employs a one-back, pass-oriented offense, so it most likely will be a problem.

Kerry Reed, who missed most of spring practice because of a knee injury, is the only receiver who has caught a pass at the Division I level.

Fullerton was expecting help from the community college ranks, but Shannon Thompson (El Camino) and Marcus Bridges (Los Angeles Valley) were ruled ineligible, and speedy Steve Danzy (El Camino) is still awaiting academic clearance.

Junior Frank Davis and senior Anthony Pack, who have been hampered by injuries, junior Pat Lynch and Reed will catch most of the passes.

“We looked good on paper a long time ago, but much of that has been depleted,” Murphy said. “I suspect they’ll get better as the season progresses. They have to.”

So will the offensive line, which will be completely new except for returning tackle John Cotti. Redshirt junior David Porter will play center, sophomore Wally Bonnett, a defensive lineman in 1990, and freshman Seth Braithwaite, who replaces injured Shannon Illingworth, will play guard, and junior transfer Terrance LaCount will play the other tackle.

“That’s some serious inexperience,” Murphy said. “That could be a problem.”

Defensively, the big questions will be: Can Titan linemen generate a pass rush? Can Titan defensive backs cover anyone?

Fullerton did neither last season, when it allowed an average of 40.4 points and 507 yards. Murphy thinks the defense will be better, “but I don’t know if it will be able to keep us in games,” he said.

Jason Wells will move from linebacker to nose guard and will be joined by returning starter J.C. Farrow and newcomer Bill Jones on the three-man front. Returning outside linebacker Stan Breland has been bothered by injuries and lost his starting job to redshirt junior Mike Allen.

Defensive back Terry Sullivan, who started as a freshman last season, safeties Michael Jones and Howard McCrary and cornerback Darrius Watson return. Mike Brown, a junior transfer from Citrus College who joined the team last week, will probably start at one cornerback.

B.B. Hudson, a junior transfer from Mt. San Antonio College who began practice last week, and two other community college transfers who are awaiting academic clearance, Lamark Allen and Derrick Mitchell, could provide help.

Junior Phil Nevin will handle the kicking and punting duties for the third consecutive season, but Murphy is still looking for solid punt and kickoff return men.

The Titans’ schedule provides little relief. Fullerton also has September road games at Texas Tech and Georgia. Murphy is expecting Division II Cal State Northridge to give the Titans all they can handle Sept. 21, and most Big West teams have improved.

“One thing I’ve stressed is, regardless of what happens, we want to keep a positive attitude,” Murphy said. “I sense this is a closer team than last year’s group. We’re going to need to be close, because when bad times do come, we have to respond to it.”