CSUN GOES PRIME TIME MATADORS COUNT ON RARE TV APPEARANCE TO GIVE THEM BOOST AGAINST WEBER STATE.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

It's happened only once before, at least as long as anyone can remember. But tonight, Southern Californians can turn on their televisions and catch a rare Cal State Northridge football game.

CSUN (1-3, 0-2) plays Weber State (2-3, 1-2) at Stewart Stadium in Ogden, Utah. The Fox Sports Net broadcast will begin at 7:30 p.m., with the kickoff scheduled for 7:37.

With the exception of a game against Division I-A Hawaii in 1997, the Matadors have never been on local television. The prospect of landing television exposure was one of many reasons CSUN moved to the Big Sky Conference in 1996.

``I find it ironic that finally the year we're getting out of the conference and here we go (with a TV game),'' CSUN coach Jeff Kearin said. ``This is exactly what (the Big Sky) wanted.''

And exactly what the Matadors wanted, although this likely will be the final television game for a while. The football program will become independent next year. Big Sky Conference games have proven to be a tough sell in the L.A. market but not so in other states. Fox Sports has targeted Big Sky Conference games in Oregon, Montana, Utah, Arizona and Idaho.

``It's disappointing as much for me as it is for the Big Sky,'' Kearin said. ``One of the big draws for us and Sacramento State coming in was to open up a whole new media market, that being California. The problem is Fox, Prime Ticket or whoever had contracts and never wanted to open up this media market. They had no desire to put us on TV. I didn't see much relevance in that but that's what I was told.''

Not that the Matadors mind. The prospect of playing on television is a big deal.

``For us as a team, it's a big motivating factor,'' said senior receiver Gil Rodriguez, who watched the Hawaii game. ``Everyone wants to play on TV. That's everyone's dream come true. For the future, it gives this program exposure. That's two TV games this year. It's something to show recruits to impress them a little.''

CSUN also was on television in the Colorado area when it played Division I-A Air Force in the season opener. CSUN lost 55-6 and defensive lineman Jason Nicastro said he was thankful the game wasn't shown locally. Nicastro hopes, however, that this game might attract more people to North Campus Stadium.

``This is a big community and no one ever comes to our games,'' Nicastro said. ``Maybe they'll see us winning on TV instead of reading about us losing in the paper. Maybe it will make a bigger difference and people will come out if they see us as a winner.''

Fans had only one chance to see CSUN on television before the 1990s, according to Bob Hiegert, CSUN's athletic director from 1978-95. Hiegert said CSUN's game against West Texas State in the 1967 Junior Rose Bowl was on television, mostly because of West Texas State's program.

``The Western Football Conference was trying to get packages with different cable stations but they were never able to put together a package to seal it,'' Hiegert said. ``. . . At that time, we had to sell a package ourselves to get it on the air. The only program that was able to do that was Portland. They had pretty good fan support. We couldn't get a complete conference package.''

--Rare Thursday game: CSUN's game against WSU is on Thursday for several reasons. The Utah Educational Conference and the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints Conference are this weekend in Salt Lake City. Plus, WSU officials figured a Thursday game would be picked up by television. CSUN officials agreed to play today.

--Football gathering: Northridge alumni interested in watching CSUN play Weber State are invited to Weber's Place at 19312 Vanowen (near the corner of Tampa and Vanowen).

CSUN at WEBER ST

Today

7:30 p.m.

CSUN at WEBER STATE

Kickoff: 7:37 p.m., at Stewart Stadium (capacity 17,500)

Records: CSUN 1-3, 0-2; Weber State 2-3, 1-2

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net

Series history: CSUN leads the series 6-3. Last year, CSUN beat Weber State 30-28. Receiver Gil Rodriguez caught a 13-yard pass from Marcus Brady on fourth-and-3 with 13 seconds left for the game-winning touchdown. CSUN is 4-0 against WSU since joining the Big Sky.

Injury update: CSUN: Receiver Drew Amerson (knee) is scheduled to start. He missed two games with a hyperextended knee. . . . Offensive lineman Ashcon Madjid missed the second half against ISU with a shoulder injury but is expected to play today. . . . Receiver Jamaal Perry (ankle) is questionable. He didn't play against ISU and hasn't practiced this week. WSU: Defensive back Sylvester Daniels (triceps) is out for the season. . . . Running back Johnnie Gray and defensive tackle Jason Miller (ankles) are probable. Offensive tackle Russ Judd (hip) is out.

Keep an eye on: The CSUN offense, which ran an uncharacteristic 60 times out of an unfamiliar two-back set. Tailback Bruce Molock had a career-high 199 yards on 36 carries and one touchdown Saturday while fullback Crayton Milton had a career-high nine carries. . . . Marcus Brady, who completed 38 of 62 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns against WSU last year. He also threw three interceptions and fumbled once. . . . Linebacker Lewis Blanton, who has a team-high 45 tackles. He leads the team with three interceptions, including two in CSUN's 31-30 overtime loss to Idaho State.

Weber State update: The Wildcats' running game netted just 14 yards in a 35-7 loss to Sacramento State on Saturday. The Wildcats passed for 211 yards. . . . Jon Jefferson leads the team in receiving with 366 yards on 26 receptions (14.1 average) and one touchdown while Ryan Prince has caught 25 passes for 360 yards (14.4 average) and four touchdowns. . . . Gray has 441 rushing yards on 98 carries and four touchdowns. . . . Quarterback Cole Cooper has thrown eight touchdowns against six interceptions. . . . A win today would give the program its 200th victory. . . . WSU has outscored its opponents 24-7 in the first quarter.

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CSUN at WEBER STATE (see text)