Fullerton Has No Snap in 24-9 Loss to Cajuns

LAFAYETTE, La. —  There are times when the most ordinary tasks become difficult, and it was clearly one of those times for Dan Speltz and the Cal State Fullerton football team Saturday.

You have to walk before you can run. And, it follows, you have to get the snap safely from center before you can score.

For Speltz, a former El Camino star making his debut for Fullerton against Southwestern Louisiana, that task occasionally seemed all but impossible.

He fumbled the snap six times, and lost it five of them, which was plenty to put Southwestern Louisiana on the way to a 24-9 victory in front of 11,457 in a steady rain at Cajun Field.

Speltz, who helped lead El Camino to an undefeated season last year, had a trying debut as a Titan.

Fullerton, which fell behind, 17-0, in the first half, didn’t gain a yard from scrimmage until 10 minutes into the game.

On their first possession, the Titans lost three yards, and would have lost more except for an offside penalty against the Cajuns.

On their second, Speltz fumbled the snap on the first play, and Mike Book recovered for Southwestern Louisiana.

On the first down of their third possession, tailback Michael Moore gained six yards. But four plays later, Speltz fumbled another snap, and Southwestern Louisiana’s Greg Eagles recovered.

Southwestern Louisiana scored on its first possession, with Steve McKinney capping a 55-yard drive with a 1-yard run.

The Ragin’ Cajuns made it 10-0 with a 22-yard field goal by Mike Lemoine after Speltz’s first fumble.

And quarterback Brian Mitchell--who fumbled just one snap and rushed for 69 yards and passed for 57, made it 17-0 with a 1-yard run with 12 minutes left in the first half.

Fullerton didn’t score until just under eight minutes remained in the half, and the offense had little to do with the score.

The Titans’ Kevin Henderson picked off a pass at Southwestern Louisiana’s 48-yard line and returned it to the 27. Fullerton advanced the ball two yards in the next three plays, and Stan Lambert came on to kick a 42-yard field goal.

Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy, called the opener “mediocre”--grading it that high only because the Titans have lost their past four games, and were outscored, 93-3, in their past two.”

Speltz and Murphy both said the ball was not kept dry, but neither called that the most important thing in the game.