AFTER THREE-WEEK ROAD TEST, SCHEDULE FIGURES TO GET EASIER.Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer The moral of Cal State Northridge's first three weeks of play is simply this: The Matadors aren't as good as their 63-23 rout of Boise State in the opener, and they aren't as bad as their 28-18 loss to New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). State on Saturday. CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge opened 1997 with the toughest three opponents the Matadors have ever scheduled in consecutive weeks - and all on the road. Ambitious? Yes. And potentially costly. The Matadors' first home game is Saturday against NAIA NAIA abbr. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes affiliate Azusa Pacific. They come home with a 1-2 record, one starter lost for the season (linebacker Franck Pace), another player out indefinitely (cornerback Tayari Ferrell) and several others aching. That's the price you pay as a Division I-AA team, playing with 45 scholarship players and traveling week after week after week to take on Division I-A schools with their 80-plus scholarships. The size, speed and depth that those extra scholarships provide wear down a team like CSUN, as the last three weeks attest. Coach Jim Fenwick, not one to provide excuses for his team's loss, nevertheless said Saturday that injuries hurt the Matadors defense, which gave up 221 rushing yards to speedy, shifty shift·y adj. shift·i·er, shift·i·est 1. Having, displaying, or suggestive of deceitful character; evasive or untrustworthy. 2. Denvis Manns Denvis Manns (Born: July 21, 1976) was the third ever NCAA running back to rush for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons after Tony Dorsett (University of Pittsburgh, 1973-1977) and Amos Lawrence (University of North Carolina, 1977-1980). and another 99 yards to option quarterback Ty Houghtaling. So where does this leave CSUN, now through with the toughest stretch of its schedule? Probably still in good position to contend in the upper half of the Big Sky Conference. The Matadors' final nonconference game should be a nice break. Azusa has some talent but will probably look like a high school team in comparison to the bruisers the Matadors have been looking at across the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for . Then comes a bye week Sept. 27, and after that the Big Sky opener against struggling Portland State. Plenty of time to turn things around. The Matadors will have to contend with the likes of conference powers Montana, Northern Arizona Northern Arizona is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called the Mogollon Rim. In the West lies the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the flow of the Colorado River while the land slowly rose around it. and Eastern Washington
There is no Denvis Manns equivalent in the pass-happy Big Sky and that should bode well for the Matadors. CSUN needs to get its head together, though, to get back above .500. Someone missed a signal Saturday night when the Matadors were lining up for a fake field goal in the first quarter. That forced them to call a timeout, after which Fenwick stuck with the trick play A trick play, also known as a gadget play, is a play in American football that uses deception and unorthodox strategies to fool the opposing team. Trick plays are highly risky, usually with a large potential for a loss of yards or turnover, but the payoff is often high with . The Aggies knew it was coming and stuffed it, killing CSUN's first scoring opportunity. Confusion also led to Fenwick being forced to use two consecutive timeouts in the second half - with the Matadors trailing and in no position to be wasting opportunities. But the signs point to the Matadors being a Division I-AA force: Aaron Flowers passed for 1,157 yards and nine touchdowns against the I-A competition; big-play receiver Jerome Henry has returned to complement talented Brian Comer and Aaron Arnold; the three-headed running back of Jahi Arnold/Marcus Harvey/Norman Clarke works well when it isn't benched for violating team rules, and the banged-up defense has plenty of time to heal before the Big Sky's finest roll into town. The 28-18 loss in Las Cruces? The 34-21 loss in Honolulu? They should be distant memories by midway through the first quarter Saturday, after the Matadors of Week 1 fame return to start the rest of the season - the part with the level playing field See net neutrality. . CSUN STATUS REPORT WEEK: Three. RESULT: New Mexico St. 28, CSUN 18. RECORD: 1-2, 0-0 in Big Sky. THIS WEEK'S GPA GPA abbr. grade point average Noun 1. GPA - a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted : 2.50 LAST WEEK'S GPA: - CUMULATIVE GPA: 2.50 QUARTERBACK: B Aaron Flowers' 404 yards passing is standard for him, but he tossed two interceptions and only one TD pass on a night the offense just couldn't find the end zone. RUNNING BACKS: D+ The top three - Jahi Arnold, Marcus Harvey and Norman Clarke - were suspended for the first half for violating team rules. Arnold earned reprieve with late TD. Fill-in Geoff Snowden impressed with 48 yards in nine carries but had a costly fumble. RECEIVERS: B+ Brian Comer, Aaron Arnold combined for impressive 18 receptions, 282 yards, 12 first downs and a TD. But Comer also bobbled a sure TD in fourth quarter. OFFENSIVE LINE: B+ Line allowed just two sacks over 45 pass attempts, and running game gained 108 yards on 25 carries. DEFENSIVE LINE: D+ Starting front four had 18 tackles combined, couldn't stop Denvis Manns (221 yards rushing) and were slow reacting to QB option plays (99 yards rushing). LINEBACKERS: B OLBs Marc Goodson and Shayne Blakey combined for 29 tackles; Goodson recovered fumble. Manns still ran wild. DEFENSIVE BACKS: C+ On a night when opponent attempted just 12 passes, secondary needed to provide better run-stopping support. SPECIAL TEAMS: C+ Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
COACHING: B- Benching starting RBs in big game was gutsy - and correct. Fake FG try in first should have been called off, though, after CSUN confusion led to timeout before the play, tipping off New Mexico State. CAPTION(S): Box Box: CSUN STATUS REPORT (see text) |
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