COLLEGE DIVISION : He’s Not Poetry in Motion, but Foes Quake

Two games into the season, injuries were already starting to pile up for the Whittier College football team. Not only were the Poets reeling from two consecutive one-sided defeats, they had also lost six starters to season-ending injuries.

Partly because of the injuries, first-year Coach Don Uyeshima was having difficultly finding a reliable running back for short-yardage situations . . . until he decided to use defensive tackle Doi Johnson as a part-time fullback four games ago.

All 290 pounds of him.

Since inserting Johnson into the backfield, Whittier has yet to win, but the Poets (0-6) no longer have much difficulty in short-yardage situations.

The 5-foot-10 Johnson has 15 carries this season--all inside the opponents’ 35-yard line--and five have been for touchdowns. In fact, he has scored all of Whittier’s touchdowns in its last four games.

At first, Uyeshima was hesitant to use Johnson at fullback, especially since he has started every game since his freshman season at defensive tackle and received All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors at that position in his first three seasons. But the coach said it became a necessity.

“We had to do it because we are not very productive in short-yardage situations,� Uyeshima said. “We felt as if our blocking was there, but our backs weren’t getting the job done.�

Johnson said: “What they wanted was someone who they knew would at least get a yard, and I’m pretty good off the snap. Once I get through the hole, I don’t lose yardage.�

It did not take Johnson long to make his presence felt in his first game against Pomona-Pitzer on Sept. 29. On his second carry, he rumbled 15 yards for a touchdown, then he added a 17-yard scoring run later in the game.

“After I scored the first time, everyone was excited and high-fiving me, but I was just tired,� he said. “I was just looking for some water.�

Johnson added touchdown runs of five yards against Azusa Pacific Oct. 6 and of one and three yards against La Verne Oct. 13.

While Johnson has provided a lift in a disappointing season for the Poets, Uyeshima said he is not playing him at fullback as a gimmick. “We’re not putting him out as a circus act,� the coach said. “We’re putting him out there for survival because he performs and does his job well.

“He’s a very gifted athlete. He’s our best blocker on offense, too. We watched him on film against La Verne, and he just flattened their linebacker on one play. . . . That’s what our offensive coaches were so amazed about. He’s a legitimate running back. He can run and find the holes and he can also block.�

Uyeshima said Johnson has deceptive quickness and has run the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds, adding: “He’s real wide, but I’ve seen him grab a basketball rim. He’s got great quickness for a guy that size.

“As a sophomore, he had a few carries, but he never scored a touchdown. He did score once, but it was called back. So he had tried it a little before this year, it’s just this year it has become more of a steady thing.�

As a defensive player, Johnson is one of the team leaders again this season with 19 tackles, three tackles for losses and five sacks. He has also been subjected to numerous double-teams by opponents.

“Right now, his stats are down from last year, but I think if you asked any other coaches, they’d say he’s the No. 1 guy they go up against in their blocking schemes,� Uyeshima said.

It’s his success at fullback that has generated the most attention for Johnson. The public address announcer at Whittier games has even taken to calling him “Big Train.�

“It’s funny,� Johnson said. “I’ve played here four years on defense on every down, and no one noticed. But as soon as I score a touchdown, people start to notice.�

It is not as if Johnson, who was an all-league selection in high school at La Puente Nogales, is complaining about the sudden attention. “It’s kind of fun for me,� he said. “Every lineman’s dream is to score a touchdown, and I’ve done it five times.�

But he said he prefers to play on defense. “Playing fullback is kind of like an extracurricular activity,� he said. “The touchdowns are fun, but I still get more enjoyment out of making a tackle. It’s a nice thing to do once in a while, but defense is where my heart is.�

Seven weeks into the football season, Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo share the distinction of having the best record of any team in the Southland.

But that does not figure to last more than another week, because they will play in a Western Football Conference game Nov. 3 at Northridge.

Each team is 6-1. Northridge, ranked No. 9 in NCAA Division II, leads the conference at 3-0, and 11th-ranked Cal Poly SLO is tied for second place with Southern Utah State and Santa Clara at 2-1.

If Cal Poly SLO defeats Southern Utah and Northridge beats Santa Clara this Saturday, the winners’ game will decide the conference title and probably a Division II playoff berth.

College Division Notes

Azusa Pacific improved to 5-1 with a 27-0 victory over Menlo as quarterback Brian Hunt completed 27 of 55 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns.

Three California Collegiate Athletic Assn. teams are ranked among the top 11 in the latest NCAA Division II men’s cross-country poll. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is No. 3, Cal Poly Pomona No. 6 and UC Riverside No. 11. Edinboro of Pennsylvania is No. 1.