Matadors Would Make a Run for Iacenda

Notre Dame has “Touchdown Jesus” and Cal State Northridge would love to have “Touchdown Teddy.”

The Matadors are hoping to hear from Ted Iacenda, the former Hart High running back who this week said he is leaving USC.

“He hasn’t contacted us or anything,” Coach Ron Ponciano said. “Obviously, we’d be interested if he were interested. Getting a guy of that caliber would be a real kudos for us.”

Iacenda, a sophomore fullback used primarily for blocking, reportedly believes the stigma of a sexual assault charge against him two years ago still haunts him at USC. The charge was dismissed in January.

“The first day he showed up at USC, the [school] paper ran a story [about the charges] with a big picture of him,” said Dean Herrington, Hart’s offensive coordinator.

By NCAA rules, Iacenda would have to sit out one season if he transferred to a Division I-A school, unless he was granted a waiver. But he could play immediately at a lower level, such as I-AA Northridge.

Iacenda, 6 feet and 230 pounds, this season had eight carries for 38 yards. He started four games as a redshirt freshman in 1997 before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.

In three seasons at Hart, Iacenda had a Southern Section career-record 99 touchdowns and scored 604 points, second-most in California history.

*

Now it can be told.

Quarterback Marcus Brady, a redshirt freshman at Northridge and the Big Sky Conference’s newcomer of the year, is joking that he wore No. 8 because he is twice as good as Aaron Flowers.

Flowers, a Northridge graduate assistant and holder of most passing records at the school, wore No. 4 in his two seasons with the Matadors in 1996-97.

*

Something Sam Jankovich, Northridge’s interim athletic director, should explore is the school’s marketing strategy.

Or lack of one.

A Times staffer browsing through the shelves of a Valley shop full of college team hats came across one from the Montana Grizzlies, one of Northridge’s Big Sky Conference rivals.

But there was no Matador anything to be found.

Whoever fell asleep at Northridge’s revenue-challenged athletic office should wake up and smell the potential $$$$.

Sure, Matador apparel won’t outsell the college big shots, but if a store is nuts enough to carry Montana stuff, why not Northridge’s?

Besides, did Northridge spend all that cash last year on a new team logo just to put it on uniforms and a department letterhead?