Yarbrough, Davis Provide 1-2 Punch : Titans: Two running backs have 100-yard games for first time in Coach Gene Murphy’s tenure.

SANTA ANA —  Two running backs playing in a one-back offense each gained more than 100 yards Saturday. If that sounds odd, consider these mind-boggling numbers: Cal State Fullerton 17, Cal State Northridge 10.

Yes, it’s true. The nation’s longest losing streak is history, thanks in large part, to 138 yards rushing from Reggie Yarbrough and 133 yards and touchdowns runs of 10 and two yards from Arthur Davis.

It figured it would take something special to end the Titans’ losing streak at 13 games. Never mind that Northridge plays NCAA Division II football, and Fullerton plays Division I-A--this was a rare day in the sun for the Titans.

In Gene Murphy’s 12 seasons as Cal State Fullerton coach, the Titans have won a conference title (1983), cracked the top-20 rankings (1984), and in recent years, gone for the big paydays against overpowering foes just to keep the financially strapped program alive.

But in those 12 seasons, the Titans have never had two running backs gain 100 yards or more in the same game. And they did it with an offensive formation other teams use to pass. And pass. And pass some more.

The Titans went to the one-back offense in 1987 and, for the most part, followed the crowd by passing more than running. This season, they kept the offense but suspended conventional wisdom by running instead of passing.

“This is the third game we’ve tried to do that,” Murphy said. “We want to control the ball with the run, take the burden off the defense and keep the clock moving. It goes against what we’ve done in the past, but we’re trying to go with what we do best.”

Saturday, it produced a school-record-low 28 yards passing by quarterback Chad May, a redshirt freshman who was making his first start, but also 274 yards rushing and the Titans’ first victory since a season-opening, 38-24 decision over Sonoma State Sept. 1, 1990.

Though Murphy’s dedication to the running game did little to stop Mississippi State or Texas Tech in the Titans’ first two games, they found a team they could run over Saturday.

“We knew if we just kept running, kept pounding on them we could win,” said Yarbrough, a senior.

Yarbrough took over as the Titans’ one-back when Deon Thomas was sidelined by a knee injury suffered against Sonoma State last year and later pushed his way into the Titan record books by becoming the fifth rusher in school history to top 1,000 yards in a season.

This year, Davis cut into Yarbrough’s playing time with a 39-carry, 128-yard performance against Texas Tech.

Against Northridge, each had ample time--and room--to run. Yarbrough carried 33 times; Davis 29. Yarbrough said he doesn’t mind sharing the position with Davis, a junior.

“That’s OK with me,” he said. “It keeps a fresh running back in the game. If I can’t run, if I’m tired, the next running back can come in.”

Davis, standing nearby, agreed. “Northridge was a really good team,” he said. “But they got a little fatigued and that helped us.”

On the Titans’ first touchdown drive, Yarbrough carried on eight of Fullerton’s 13 plays. Davis carried the final three plays and scored on a 10-yard run on the final play of the first quarter.

On the second scoring drive, Davis carried on seven of the Titans’ 10 plays, including a 42-yard run around left end, which set up his two-yard dive into the end zone with 8 seconds left in the half.

Saturday, all that running paid off in a rare Titan victory.