Titans Celebrate Grand Opening : College football: Crowd of 8,279 gives Fullerton a lift during 28-7 victory over Northridge.

FULLERTON —  It wasn’t just the new stadium that inspired Cal State Fullerton Saturday night, it was the 8,279 fans in it, a crowd that gave the Titans something they haven’t experienced in years--a home-field advantage.

Fullerton, which used to playing in front of sedate crowds of 2,000 or fewer in Santa Ana Stadium, rode the new-found emotion to a 28-7 season-opening victory over Cal State Northridge in the Titan Sports Complex.

It was Fullerton’s largest “home” crowd since 12,121 fans saw the nationally ranked Titans defeat Fresno State in a key Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. game Nov. 3, 1984, in Santa Ana Stadium.

There will probably be more no-shows at Fullerton’s Rose Bowl game against UCLA next week than there were fans for Saturday night’s game, but for the Titans this was special.

“When I walked into the stadium and saw all the people I got jittery, I had goose bumps,” said Titan linebacker Mike Gullo, who helped limit the Matadors to eight yards net rushing. “I’ve been here five years, and my second year here our bus got lost going to Santa Ana, so this was real nice. We were excited about playing in the new stadium, but when we saw all the fans, it got us even more fired up.”

It showed, especially defensively. Northridge boasted a professional prospect in the backfield, Hawaii transfer Jamal Farmer, but the Titans limited him to seven yards in 12 carries. Linebackers Dan Godfrey and John Haynes and defensive backs B.B. Hudson and Darrius Watson led the way with seven tackles each.

Farmer, featured in several area newspapers this week, said his goal was to rush for 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, and Titan defenders certainly took notice.

“We were all fired up for him, but he went down after the first hit,” Watson said. “From the first play, we knew he wasn’t all he was hyped up to be.”

It didn’t take long for Farmer to realize he’s running behind a Division II line--Keary Johns stuffed him for a one-yard loss on his first carry.

“I don’t care if you’re Eric Dickerson or O.J. Simpson, you can’t run without people blocking,” Northridge Coach Bob Burt said.

The Titans’ line play was sufficient enough for Fullerton to rack up 293 yards rushing, including 78 by quarterback Trendell Williams, who scored two touchdowns, and 68 by fullback Tim Ryan.

Northridge led, 7-0, after one quarter, but the Titans bounced back with two second-quarter touchdowns, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth. They attempted only eight passes, completing four for 93 yards.

Fullerton appeared a little shaky at times offensively, losing four of five fumbles, but that wasn’t shocking. The Titans switched to the option this season, and Coach Gene Murphy’s biggest concern was ball security.

That was evident in Fullerton’s early play selection, as Williams didn’t throw his first pitch until the Titans’ third possession, midway through the first quarter.

The ball landed safely in running back Arthur Davis’ hands and led to a two-yard gain, giving Titan coaches reason to breathe a little easier. Then on the next play, a simple handoff to Ryan up the middle, Ryan fumbled the exchange, and Northridge’s Timothy Leonard recovered at the Titan 36.

Matador quarterback Marty Fisher’s 21-yard screen pass to Jim Warren set up his four-yard touchdown pass to Marlon McBride, and Joe Jezulin kicked the extra point for a 7-0 Northridge lead.

Fullerton then capitalized on a Matador mistake to tie the score and reserve quarterback Quincy Guy’s Houdini-like move to go ahead in the second quarter.

Northridge’s David Romines fumbled a Noel Prefontaine punt and Jason Stanley recovered for the Titans at the Matador 14. Williams, who fumbled at the Northridge 14-yard line in the first quarter, kept around the left side for a nine-yard touchdown run, and Julio Ocana’s extra point made it 7-7 with 14:51 left in the second quarter.

Guy replaced Williams at 7:39 before halftime and rolled left from Fullerton’s 33-yard line. Northridge defensive tackle Victor Myles wrapped Guy and appeared to have him pinned for a five-yard loss, but Guy ducked, slipped out of Myles’ grasp, and cut toward the right sideline.

Guy got around the end, found some running room and continued into the end zone to give the Titans a 14-7 lead with 5:52 left in the first half.

Fullerton added another touchdown on Williams’ one-yard run in the third quarter, and Dan Seymour’s interception set up an 81-yard, fourth-quarter Titan scoring drive, which ended with Steve Danzy’s five-yard scoring run. It also featured a nice, 34-yard play-action pass from Williams to Reggie Carter.

“I thought the defense played pretty well through camp--they were really hitting each other--and they were looking forward to hitting someone else,” said Murphy, who gave the game ball to long-time Titan trainer Jerry Lloyd, who is on medical sick leave this year. “They’ll hit you, they’ll fly around. They could be tested next week, though.”

Indeed, the euphoria of Saturday night’s victory will probably be long-gone when the Titans walk into the Rose Bowl to play the nationally ranked Bruins next Saturday. But, for at least one night, Fullerton players basked in the limelight of an exciting home victory.

“It brought back a little tradition for the first time,” Davis said. “I haven’t heard a home crowd like that since I was at Taft College. It gave us a sense of belonging. You see all these big schools on TV in their huge stadiums and it gives them an advantage. That’s what this place gives us.”