CSUN ANALYSIS: DEFENSE CARRYING STRUGGLING CSUN OFFENSE.Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer If the Cal State Northridge football team isn't careful, its defense is going to earn a reputation - for being pretty good. The Matadors offense usually garners all the attention, but times are changing. Last year, CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge averaged 450 yards per game. The Matadors couldn't rely on those gaudy numbers, though, because the defense surrendered 430 yards per game. That set the stage for plenty of shootouts. This year, the defense has been put in tough situations by the offense. It was no different in CSUN's 19-13 come-from-behind overtime victory over Southwest Texas State on Saturday. CSUN (1-1) went three-and-out on its first two series. The Matadors have a hard time moving the chains and maintaining possession - they had the ball for just 23 minutes, 23 seconds Saturday, while the Bobcats had a decisive advantage at 36:37. But the defense has stood tall and kept CSUN in Saturday's game. ``The defense has helped in scoring with takeaways and they've really done a great job,'' CSUN coach Jeff Kearin said. ``Travis (Campbell) is meeting and exceeding the expectations anyone had for him. He's been a surprise. Really, the whole defense has been a pleasant surprise.'' Campbell, a sophomore safety from Westlake, scored CSUN's first points Saturday with a 44-yard interception return for a touchdown. Campbell had 18 tackles in his first start against Air Force and added four tackles, a fumble recovery and his first career pick against SWT SWT - Standard Widget Toolkit . Middle linebacker Lewis Blanton led the Matadors with 19 tackles Saturday, including seven unassisted. Linebackers Blanton, Ben Lorier and Cos Abercrombie combined for 38 tackles and three sacks. Abercrombie had two of those sacks. CSUN defenders don't appear to hold a grudge grudge tr.v. grudged, grudg·ing, grudg·es 1. To be reluctant to give or admit: even grudged the tuition money. 2. against the inconsistent offense. ``It could've been the same situation for the offense,'' Campbell said. ``The offense isn't going to score every time and we're not going to stop them every time. We play as a team.'' The defense has been stifling at times, despite the disparity dis·par·i·ty n. pl. dis·par·i·ties 1. The condition or fact of being unequal, as in age, rank, or degree; difference: "narrow the economic disparities among regions and industries" in time of possession. Its stints on the sidelines On the sidelines An investor who decides not to invest due to market uncertainty. on the sidelines Of or relating to investors who, having assessed the market, have decided to avoid committing their funds. usually don't last long. Running back Bruce Molock made a first down with a 12-yard gain on CSUN's third possession of the game. After three plays netted 3 yards, CSUN was forced to punt. On the Matadors' fourth possession, Brady fumbled the snap, and on its ensuing en·sue intr.v. en·sued, en·su·ing, en·sues 1. To follow as a consequence or result. See Synonyms at follow. 2. To take place subsequently. possession, Brady threw an interception on third and 16. ``We have confidence in our offense,'' Blanton said. ``We knew they'd come through. We put ourselves in that situation. We gave up the 13.'' CSUN STATUS REPORT GAME: 2 RESULT: CSUN 19, SWT 13 (OT) RECORD: 1-1THIS 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 : 2.90 CUMULATIVE GPA:2.50 NEXT WEEK: 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. QUARTERBACKS Marcus Brady Marcus Brady (Born September 24, 1979) is a quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. College career He attended Cal State Northridge as a business major, where he started 43 straight games. was 9 for 20 passing with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Also had a fumbled snap in the rain. But he engineered a late scoring drive to tie the game and another to win in overtime - his eighth career comeback victory. C- RUNNING BACKS Solid effort. Bruce Molock overcame a calf calf (kaf) sura; the fleshy back part of the leg below the knee. calf n. pl. calves cramp and scored two touchdowns, including a 27-yarder and the game-winner from 1 yard out. Blemish blem·ish n. A small circumscribed alteration of the skin considered to be unesthetic but insignificant. blemish was a Terrelus Wright fumble. B RECEIVERS Much improved over last week. Gil Rodriguez, Jason Stone and Jamaal Perry - who played for the injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. Drew Amerson - all had key catches. Perry had a huge 24-yard reception to the 1, setting up the game-winning TD in overtime. A- OFFENSIVE LINE Once again, had problems with pass protection. Offense went three-and-out on its first two series. Hasn't started clicking, but needs to soon if a Big Sky Conference title is possible. C DEFENSIVE LINE Registered sacks from Erik Gardner and Romeo Brooks. Decent pass rush. However, surrendered 363 total yards. Survived another sputtering A popular method for adhering thin films onto a substrate. Sputtering is done by bombarding a target material with a charged gas (typically argon) which releases atoms in the target that coats the nearby substrate. It all takes place inside a magnetron vacuum chamber under low pressure. performance by the CSUN offense. SWT had ball for 36:37 - 13:14 more than CSUN. B- LINEBACKERS Three starters combined for 38 tackles, including three sacks. Helped hold SWT to 172 rushing yards - quite an improvement from last week's 583. Lewis Blanton made plays all over the field and led team with 19 tackles. A- DEFENSIVE BACK SNot only can they play defense, they can play a little offense too. Travis Campbell returned a pick 44 yards for a score - CSUN's first TD of the night - and Martin Bacon had an interception in overtime to spark CSUN's victory. This group is on fire. A SPECIAL TEAMS Last week's bright spot, this week's weak link with a missed field goal, missed PAT and only a 31-yard punting average. Gave up average of 25 yards per kickoff return. C- COACHING Game plan had to change to the run because of a heavy downpour in the first quarter. Hasn't solved offensive problems. Won despite five turnovers. Defense still shining. It was ugly, but it was a win. And CSUN will gladly take it. B - Jill Painter CAPTION(S): box Box: CSUN Status Report (see text) |
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