CSUN SMACKS SAC ST. THIS TIME : CSUN 36 SAC ST. 14 DEFENSE STIFLES HERALDED ROBERTS.

Byline: Chris Branam Staff Writer

The sound of the pounding was all around them, and all they could do was sit in their cramped locker room and take the emotional abuse.

Finally, a year later, Cal State Northridge's football players answered Sacramento State for the Hornets' postgame taunting of 1998.

And they answered emphatically.

The Matadors threw the Big Sky Conference standings for a loop with a 36-14 victory over the Hornets in front of a homecoming crowd of 5,183 at North Campus Stadium on Saturday. CSUN improved to 3-3, 2-2 in the conference, and Sacramento State dropped to 4-3, 2-3.

Some of the CSUN players left the field without shaking hands with the Hornets. That's how badly they resented the taunting that took place after last year's 35-21 upset loss at Sacramento.

``Now we have a rival in the Big Sky,'' said safety Steve Forte, who had a first-quarter interception that set up a field goal. ``They were banging on the walls, the doors, making a lot of noise. We didn't want them to come down and do what they did to us last year.''

Tailback Jaumal Bradley agreed.

``We were very excited about playing Sacramento State after the humiliating loss last year and the embarrassing things they did to us after the game,'' he said. ``They ran us out of the stadium, literally.''

The Matadors didn't let that happen with an inspired defensive performance against one of Division I-AA's top offenses. Sac State didn't approach its per-game average of 38 points and Charles Roberts, the nation's leading rusher, was held almost 20 yards below his average of 185 per game.

Roberts, who had 231 yards against CSUN last year and already had 1,112 this season, had a quiet 167 on Saturday. He didn't have two consecutive long runs and never dominated a drive.

``We gave up some yards but we were resilient,'' defensive lineman Shawnbay Jones said. ``It was going to be hard for us to contain (Roberts), but we did it.''

The defense did it by eliminating the silly mistakes that had made most of the first five games unbearable for the coaching staff.

The defensive linemen didn't buckle against a bigger offensive line, the linebackers didn't let Roberts out of their grasp and the defensive backs rarely were beaten.

CSUN sacked quarterback Ricky Ray three times and intercepted him twice; Ray entered the game with just three interceptions in 151 attempts this season.

``I'm really, really proud of the defense,'' CSUN interim head coach Jeff Kearin said. ``They responded to a challenge. I've been as critical of (the players) as anybody, and they've been critical of themselves.

``They were the ones who believed in themselves.''

The festive crowd - CSUN's largest of the season - were believers after the first quarter. The Matadors took a 17-0 lead and dominated the stat sheet, outgaining the Hornets 121-50 and holding the ball for almost four more minutes (9:21 to 5:39).

The week before, the Matadors took a 10-7 lead at Montana, then went into the tank in the second quarter. That didn't happen this time, and Terrence Jones' 74-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Brady - CSUN's longest offensive play this season - made the lead 23-6 with seven minutes left in the second.

``(The Matadors) came in with emotion,'' said John Volek, Sacramento State's head coach. ``Somewhere along the line, we lost our emotional edge. They brought the fight to us.''

Jones, a senior, overcame a dropped pass on a sure touchdown on CSUN's first play to have a career-best nine catches for 141 yards. Freshman Joe Gilliam, starting in place of injured Aaron Arnold, had eight receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Five different players scored touchdowns for the Matadors, including Bradley, who had a career-high 132 yards. CSUN rushed the ball 43 times and had the ball almost 10 more minutes than Sacramento State.

If not for Roberts' 28-yard run with a minute left, Bradley would have had the better game, at least statistically.

``I told my defense I wanted to out-rush (Roberts),'' Bradley said. ``Some people looked at me like I was crazy.''

CSUN improved to 3-0 at home this season and the completeness of the win put Brady in a good mood.

``Now we can go out and party,'' he said. ``We can enjoy the rest of the night. No more moping around.''

CSUN vs. Sac. State: A closer look

Notebook: Matadors putting up a good front

After going through several combinations on the defensive line, Cal State Northridge found one that worked in Saturday's 36-14 win over Sacramento State.

The Matadors went with quickness instead of bulk, replacing Sean Beard (5-foot-10, 290 pounds) with Erik Gardner (6-6, 240). Gardner, Jason Mageo (6-0, 249) and Shawnbay Jones (6-3, 265) combined for eight tackles and pressured Sacramento State quarterback Ricky Ray.

``We may have found a defensive front and scheme that fits us, personnel-wise,'' said CSUN interim head coach Jeff Kearin.

Ray was sacked three times and hurried several others. He threw two interceptions in the first quarter, including Mel Miller's record-breaking 90-yarder for a touchdown.

``Those were `defensive-pressure' interceptions,'' Kearin said. ``Those were team interceptions all the way.''

Jones got a few hits on Ray early and said he could see a pattern developing.

``Pressure early was getting into (Ray's) head,'' Jones said.

First with a bullet: Miller's interception was the first of his two-year CSUN career. He broke the school's second-oldest individual defensive record: Jack Burkett's 88-yarder came on Oct. 19, 1963, one month before the assassination of John Kennedy.

``I wasn't just going to fall down on the ground,'' Miller said. ``I was hoping to score.''

Broken record: Jaumal Bradley is proving to be one of the best running backs in the Big Sky. Bradley had 132 yards on 30 carries Saturday, giving him 446 yards in four games.

Bradley's per-game average is 111.5 yards, and he's the first CSUN tailback to rush for more than 100 yards in three consecutive games since Robert Trice did it in 1993.

``If we can somehow be a threat running the ball . . . we can play with anybody,'' Kearin said.

Injury report: The Matadors had two offensive linemen go out of the game with injuries on successive plays in the second quarter.

Freshman Nick Longshore, the starting left tackle, went down with a shoulder injury and starting center Julio Alcala left with a sprained ankle. Both players are expected to start this week.

Bradley bruised a knuckle on his right hand late in the game, but the injury is minor.

Big kick: Fittingly, a CSUN alumnus became the second person to win the $10,000 punt, pass and kick contest during halftime. Rod Shinko, 31, won the money after kicking a 25-yard field goal.

Shinko played tight end at CSUN in 1988 and '89.

THE HERO

Not a single individual could be praised more than the entire effort of the CSUN defense, which held Sacramento State 29 points below its per-game scoring average and almost 100 yards below the Hornets' per-game rushing average.

THE GOAT

Hornets quarterback Ricky Ray, who completed just 50 percent (18 of 36) of his passes and had two interceptions. Ray was 18 of 22 the week before against Portland State.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Matadors had the ball 34 minutes, 59 seconds, almost 10 minutes more than the Hornets (25:01). Sac State entered the game first in the Big Sky in time-of-possession but ran 20 less plays than CSUN.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

``We had an attitude. It was like revenge. It was like, `Let's come out and show people what we can do.' '' - Shawnbay Jones

CSUN defensive lineman

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

PHOTO (1) Cal State Northridge's Dejuan Gilmore sheds a tackle en route to a first-half touchdown against Sacramento State at North Campus Stadium.

(2) Sacramento state reciever Gary Austin can't hold on to this pass while feeling the pressure of CSUN's Chazz Moore.

BOX: CSUN vs. Sac. State: A closer look