Inexperience a Major Factor in Titan Loss

Inexperience.

That was the buzz word around Cal State Fullerton the last few weeks as the Titans prepared for their 1985 season opener at Montana.

It didn’t take a college football expert to see that was Fullerton’s most glaring weakness. The Titans lost a number of the key players who had carried them to last year’s 11-1 on-the-field record. And while there were talented athletes ready to step in, ability alone can’t replace experience.

Coach Gene Murphy had said it best: “I know we’ve got the people who can play for us at this level, the question is how they’ll react with thousands of cowboys yelling at them.�

The 6,235 at Montana’s Dornblaser Stadium may not have been as much of a factor as first-game jitters, but the Titans’ play in final 17 seconds spotlighted their inexperience . . . and cost them the game.

With 17 seconds left, Montana trailed, 30-24, had no timeouts and the ball on it’s 42-yard line with a fourth-and-23 situation. The Grizzlies split three receivers on one side and quarterback Brent Pease lobbed a Hail Mary pass.

Two of the Montana receivers were knocked down at the line of scrimmage, but Mike Rice got free and ended up pulling the ball away from safety Mike Romero for a first down at the 11.

Romero, who saw limited action last year, made a crucial error in judgment. He tried to intercept the pass when he should have deflected it. Another ploy would have been to tackle Rice long before the ball got there and take the 15-yard penalty from the line of scrimmage, allowing Montana to try another desperation pass from the Titan 43 with about 10 seconds remaining.

“Our defensive backs know to go ahead and tackle a guy who’s beaten them,� Murphy said, “but this really was a matter of Mike going for the interception instead of the deflection.

“No one person can be blamed for a loss like that, though. We were a much better team physically, we were just outplayed.�

Romero, who has more experience than anyone in the Titan secondary except cornerback Mark Collins, suffered a cramp on the play and the ensuing injury timeout allowed the Grizzlies to regroup for a final play--the 11-yard touchdown pass to Terry White that beat Fullerton.

That was yet another example of Titan inexperience. Montana Coach Larry Donovan had called for a pass out of the end zone to stop the clock, but White, whose head fake had cornerback Vernon Norwood turning the wrong way, was so wide open a surprised Pease just tossed him the ball.

Asked if anyone ever suggested that a player who was not seriously injured and lying right next to the sideline try to scoot off the field in such a situation, Murphy looked bemused. Then he took an envelope and a pen out of his pocket and started writing.

“Practice having injured players roll off field . . . “ he said as he wrote.

“You media guys come up with some great ideas,� he said, smiling.

Murphy is the first to admit, however, that the Titans are lacking in experience and that it may end up costing them more than just one game.

“We’ve got seven new faces out there and the athletic ability is as good as it’s ever been . . . and that’s saying something,� Murphy said. “Whether it takes, God forbid, two or three games like this, we’re going to be much better down the road.�

Titan Notes

Defensive captain Sean Foy on safety Mike Romero’s play: “I just don’t think defensive backs think that way (tackling the receiver early and taking the penalty). The rule (making pass interference a 15-yard penalty and the down over instead of a first down at the point of infraction) is still new. It’s against their nature. Mike just thought he had the pick and went for it.� . . . Coach Gene Murphy said Saturday he would reserve judgment on quarterback Kevin Jan’s 5-for-20 passing performance until after seeing the film. “We broke down the film,� Murphy said Monday, “and we figured what I call the on-target percentage. He came out 10 of 22, because two that were caught were called back on penalties and three were dropped.� Still, Murphy said he hopes to get No. 2 quarterback Whit Brown some playing time Saturday against Nevada Reno to “see what he can do.� One of Jan’s problems was a tendency to overthrow the ball. “He tried to decapitate Ricky Calhoun on one short pass,� Murphy said, “then he overthrew Burness Scott and the ball hit me in the hand and almost tore my fingernail off.� . . . Tight end Bob Kent is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today.