Northridge Plans a Flowery Finish

By FERNANDO DOMINGUEZ

Nov. 22, 1997 12 AM PT

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

NORTHRIDGE — Any chance for a championship vanished weeks ago.

Hopes for an invitation to the Division I-AA playoffs disappeared soon after.

But don’t tell Coach Jim Fenwick Cal State Northridge’s season-ending Big Sky Conference football game against Northern Arizona tonight at 6:05 at North Campus Stadium is meaningless.

Not unless you’re begging for an earful.

“We want to win,” Fenwick said. “We want the seniors to go out well.”

To Fenwick, nothing else would be a fitting send-off for the Matadors (5-6, 3-4 in Big Sky play), some of whom need little prodding to share their feelings about Northern Arizona (6-4, 4-3).

“I don’t like NAU personally,” said Marc Goodson, Northridge’s outspoken senior inside linebacker. “I’d like to see us beat them bad.”

With that in mind, and in an all-out scramble to break even for the season, Northridge heads into its not-so grand finale.

“We want to play with a lot of emotion,” said Fenwick, who is concluding his first season with the Matadors. “Hopefully, that gives us some momentum going into the recruiting season.”

Other programs might choose a similar scenario to evaluate younger players, to see where they fit for the following season. But at Northridge, many of those have been part of the mix all along.

The 24 Matador starters (including the punter and kicker) and their immediate backups include 18 juniors, eight freshmen and three sophomores. Their ability is no secret to the Northridge coaches.

Included in the group are several players whose stock rose steadily during the season and who are expected to contribute significantly in 1998.

On offense, receivers Drew Hill and Aaron Arnold, running back Marcus Harvey and guard Tafi Aina have performed consistently well.

Hill, a junior, leads the Matadors with 65 receptions and Arnold, a sophomore, has 52.

Harvey, a junior, has a team-high 422 yards rushing and averages 5.8 yards, and Aina, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound junior, is a wall.

Sophomore quarterback Josh Fiske, who filled in admirably when record-setting senior Aaron Flowers missed three games because of a broken leg, showed he belongs.

Fiske, however, could be pushed by Marcus Brady, a speedy redshirt freshman with an ever-improving understanding of Northridge’s run-and-shoot attack.

On defense, coaches are high on junior Brennen Swanson and freshman Cos Abercrombie, who will take over for Goodson. Abercrombie broke a shoulder against Idaho State two weeks ago but should be recovered by next season.

Safeties Vito Clemente, a junior, and Jeremy Golden, a freshman, are solid.

But to Fenwick, and the departing seniors, the pressing issue is beating Northern Arizona and not who will play next year.

“We are not going to let them come in here and dictate to us,” said Jerome Henry, a senior receiver who trails Hill by two catches. “This game is going to last in my memory for a long time, so I want it to be a good one.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Record Run

With one game to play, tonight against Northern Arizona at North Campus Stadium, these are some of the school records established by Cal State Northridge this football season:

INDIVIDUAL

Game

Passes: 69, Aaron Flowers, vs. Cal State Sacramento, Oct. 25

Touchdown Passes: 6, Aaron Flowers, at Boise State, Aug. 30

Season

Unassisted Tackles: 81, Marc Goodson

Career

Yards Passing: 6,468, Aaron Flowers, 1996-97

Completions: 474, Aaron Flowers, 1996-97

Touchdowns Passing: 51, Aaron Flowers, 1996-97

Total Offense: 6,489, Aaron Flowers, 1996-97

Tackles: 275, Marc Goodson, 1996-97