0-2 START DOESN'T THROW NEW COACH FOR A LOSS : SQUIRES BELIEVES CLU PROGRAM IS ON THE WAY BACK UP.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

First-year coach Scott Squires insists the future is bright for Cal Lutheran University's football program.

The optimist in him tells him that 34-10 losses like the one the Kingsmen suffered Saturday to the University of La Verne is simply a necessary - albeit painful - part of returning the school to football prominence.

``There are too many positive things happening here to focus on the negatives,'' said Squires, a 31-year-old bundle of energy who coached last year at Nevada-Las Vegas.

Squires isn't trying to sugarcoat the Kingsmen's 0-2 start to the 1996 season. He knew when he took the job that it would be an uphill climb to respectability, an even steeper trek to dominance. Two losses to open the season has simply confirmed it.

Everything he has done since replacing Joe Harper - from taking the Kingsmen to the Navy SEALS base in San Diego last month for training camp to unveiling a new purple uniform the team wore in Saturday's home opener - Squires has done for with a specific purpose in mind.

The first goal is to get the Kingsmen to feel good about themselves. The second is to make the program more appealing to hopeful recruits.

``That's the key,'' Squires said of stepping up the Kingsmen's recruiting process.

When Squires and his staff looked across the field at the players La Verne had they saw speed and size, two areas that Cal Lutheran has sorely lacked in the past few years.

Leopards running back Anthony Rice, one of the best backs in Division III, ran for 194 yards Saturday and speedy wide receiver Liron Wilson caught three passes for 90 yards. Those are the type of players Squires hopes to land in the next few years.

It didn't help that Cal Lutheran was without its star back - sophomore Fredrik Nanhed - who is out with a pulled hamstring. Nanhed was injured two weeks ago against the University of San Diego and his absence has been apparent ever since. Without him, the Kingsmen lack a big play athlete who can turn a routine off-tackle play into a 60-yard touchdown run.

``I'm sure (La Verne) feels they have a great back in (Rice) but we feel we've got the best one in Fredrik,'' Squires said.

Unfortunately, Cal Lutheran will have to make due without Nanhed for at least another week.

The biggest problem through two games has been the Kingsmen's inability to string together a consistent stretch of plays on either side of the ball.

Against the Leopards they would follow two good offensive plays with two bad ones. Defensively they got burned in the second half on long runs by Rice and some inopportune penalties.

``It was like click, good, click, good and then click, click bad,'' Squires said. ``That's the type of thing we need to eliminate.''

But Squires blames himself, not his players.

``Right now we're not getting the job done and that's my fault,'' he said.

There were some positive aspects. Much like the loss to San Diego, the Kingsmen hung tough through two quarters - they trailed 14-7 at the half - only to fade later in the game.

And punter Jeff Shea had another spectacular game, averaging 46.7 yards on 10 punts.

``We're doing everything we can to get Jeff into the NFL,'' quipped Squires when he was informed that his star punter had 10 punts Saturday.

After a bye this week, it doesn't get any easier for Cal Lutheran, which will play Southern California Intercollegiate Conference powers Azusa Pacific and Claremont-Mudd universities.