LOSS ISN'T NECESSARILY A HARBINGER.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer For the few, the proud, the confirmed optimists among Cal State Northridge football fans, there are sensible reasons to think the 26-13 loss to Boise State Saturday night was not a sign of things to come. There's the opening-night factor. There's the musical-linemen factor. And there's the Boise factor. To explain that last factor first: Boise State games never seem to be signs of things to come. In 1987, the Bob Burt-coached Matadors, with Albert Fann carrying the ball, lost their opener here 30-0 and won their next four games. In 1994, Burt and the Matadors lost their opener here 40-19 and won three of their next four. In 1997, with Jim Fenwick coaching and Aaron Flowers passing for school records, the Matadors won their opener here 63-23 and lost three of their next four. So maybe this CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge team should go ahead and play the rest of this season, too. It might not be as bad as it looked at Bronco Stadium Bronco Stadium also serves as a track & field stadium; it has hosted the NCAA track & field championships twice, in 1994 and 1999. The stadium is located at the east end of the university's campus, bordered by Broadway Avenue on the east and the Boise River to the north. , where a burst of big plays by Boise State broke open a scoreless game in the second quarter to make it a losing debut for Northridge coach Ron Ponciano, quarterback 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. and running back Melvin Blue. The sheer newness of the team leaders is one reason to think the forecast will get better. In fact, fortunes were already getting better in the second half. Especially for Brady, the redshirt freshman who was rushed so hard in the first quarter that he was credited with more carries (11) than Blue (10). The hard rush was the fault of overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. Northridge blockers, which leads us to the musical-linemen factor. With 320-pound senior Taffe Aina at home because of concerns about his eligibility and Arizona State transfer Mike Barnes Mike Barnes can refer to:
By the end of the game, when center Beau Cherry was on crutches with a sprained left knee, the only projected starter in position was freshman right tackle Keith Kincaid. Schatz had to keep switching jerseys - from a tight end's No. 89 to a lineman's No. 76. The line was, not surprisingly, the biggest hole in the Matadors' game. The good news is that it's also the most likely to improve. Aina's eligibility will be settled one way or the other on Tuesday, as should a prognosis on Cherry's knee, a Northridge spokesman said Sunday. After a bye week, Barnes should be in the lineup for the Big Sky Conference opener, against 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. in Flagstaff Flagstaff, city (1990 pop. 45,857), seat of Coconino co., N Ariz., near the San Francisco Peaks; inc. 1894. Lumbering, ranching, and a lively tourist trade thrive in the region, where many ruined pueblos, numerous state parks, several lakes, and large pine forests on Sept. 19. If nothing else, this should lower Schatz's laundry bill. Transfer cornerbacks Mel Miller The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. and Chazz Moore showed less than expected, each beaten for a long touchdown. Blue showed less than expected, averaging 2.4 yards. Brady, the quarterback whom Ponciano said would ``turn some bad things into good things'' with his quick feet, showed less than expected. But Ponciano offered a characteristically impassioned defense of his decision to keep Brady in the game, even though he had three quarterbacks on the sideline sideline See on the sidelines. , and even though he'd touted the Matadors' depth at the position. ``You can put anybody in his (Brady's) situation, and if the quarterback's got one, two, three guys in his face, he's going to have big problems,'' Ponciano said. Give him the benefit of the doubt after one game. From 63-23 last year to 13-26 on Saturday can't be considered progress. But it isn't conclusive either. CSUN STATUS REPORT GAME: 1 RESULT: Boise State 26, Cal State Northridge 13 RECORD: 0-1 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 : 2.12 CUMULATIVE GPA: 2.12 QUARTERBACK: C After a rough start, redshirt freshman Marcus Brady completed 20 of 34 passes for 257 yards and a touchdown in the second half, but by then the psychic and defensive pressure was off. RUNNING BACKS: C- Utah State transfer Melvin Blue was the only running back to carry (28 times for 67 yards) and never showed why Northridge is so excited about him. RECEIVERS: B The four-receiver formation with Mike Ogas (8 catches), Eric Carpenter (7), Drew Hill (4) and Aaron Arnold (6) - three seniors and a junior - was as steady as advertised. OFFENSIVE LINE: D For now, blame the medical and eligibility questions that caused four of the five projected starters to be held out of the game or moved to new positions. DEFENSIVE LINE: C The first line of defense was credited with only three tackles, without the help of linebackers or defensive backs, on Boise State running plays. LINEBACKERS: C+ Cos Abercrombie was solid in his first game replacing All-American Marc Goodson in the middle. Jack Heaslet recovered an early fumble as the fill-in for Shayne Blakey (hamstring hamstring /ham·string/ (ham´string) one of the tendons bounding the popliteal space laterally and medially. inner hamstring the tendons of gracilis, sartorius, and two other muscles of the leg. ). DEFENSIVE BACKS: B- Touted, new cornerbacks Chazz Moore and Mel Miller gave up long touchdowns. On the plus side: Moore and safety Jeremy Golden were all over the field. SPECIAL TEAMS: C- Bad: A bad snap to the punter Punter 1. An trader who hopes to make quick profits. Basically, another term for speculator. 2. In the U.K., it is generally used to describe someone who gambles. It is also used to mean a client or customer of any business. set up a Boise State touchdown. Good: Punter Ethan Beck pinned the Broncos back at their 8, 18, 12, 18 and 1. COACHING: B- Ron Ponciano's decision to play Brady the whole game will be better judged as the season goes on. Did the five sacks toughen the 18-year-old or tenderize ten·der·ize tr.v. ten·der·ized, ten·der·iz·ing, ten·der·iz·es To make (meat) tender, as by marinating, pounding, or applying a tenderizer. ten him? --- Kevin Modesti CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO Boise State's Casey Fischer celebrates after sacking sack·ing n. A coarse, stout woven cloth, such as burlap or gunny, used for making sacks; sackcloth. sacking Noun coarse cloth woven from flax, hemp, or jute, and used to make sacks Noun CSUN quarterback Marcus Brady. Christopher Butler/Idaho Statesman BOX: CSUN STATUS REPORT (see text) |
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