COLLEGE FOOTBALL ’87 : Fullerton to Face As-Yet-Untested Hawaii : Observers Wary of New Coach’s New Offense

HONOLULU — From the talk in the cabs and coffee shops of this city, you’d think the University of Hawaii already had gone out, sprawled on the football field of Aloha Stadium and surrendered to Cal State Fullerton.

Never mind that Fullerton, which plays the Rainbows tonight at Aloha Stadium in both teams’ season opener, has beaten Hawaii only once in nine tries, the lone victory coming in 1984, the Titans’ best season ever. And never mind that Fullerton was 3-9 last year and will field a defense that starts only three players who started last year.

With a new coach and a new offense barely in place at Hawaii, skeptics abound in this city that has little else but UH football to hold its sporting interest.

So skeptical are some observers of the untested, complex new offense--which combines elements of the wishbone and a run-and-shoot attack--that a Hawaii booster raised his hand at a luncheon this week to ask first-year coach Bob Wagner only half-jokingly if he would consider scrapping the new offense.

Wagner declined, but he also has declined to name a quarterback, saying he will wait until today to announce who will direct the offense--Warren Jones or Ken Niumatalolo.

All this sits fairly well with Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy, who is happier to be playing Hawaii now than later in the season, when that offense is likely to be humming along.

“They won’t know much about it until they see it under pressure,” Murphy said. “But, we know they have great athletes. They always do.”

The new Rainbow offense will be going against Fullerton’s almost new defense. Among the starters, only inside linebacker Bill Bryan, cornerback James Howard and rover Mike Schaffel started last year. Two community-college transfers, Tommy Thompson and A.J. Jenkins, will start on the defensive line.

Offensively, Fullerton will look much more like last year’s team, with the notable exception of Rick Calhoun, the school’s career leading rusher.

Quarterback Ronnie Barber, who threw for 1,613 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, will be the starter, although Carlos Siragusa, who has pressed him, is almost certain to get some playing time, Murphy said.

Four of five starting offensive linemen return, as do wide receivers Todd White and John Gibbs and tight end Jim Thornton.

The Titans will be without tailback Eric Franklin, the leader of a group of contenders for Calhoun’s spot. Franklin, bothered by a nagging ankle injury, did not make the trip. Tracey Pierce, who has been about even with Franklin, will get the start. But Michael Moore, a community-college transfer who has impressed coaches enough to earn kickoff and punt-return duties, will likely have a lot of carries.

That offense will be facing a Hawaii defense that, although it returns only two starters, should be much in the mold of the traditionally strong Rainbow defensive units.

Al Noga, a first-team All-America defensive lineman as a junior, had 17 sacks last year and 31 tackles for losses.

But, Murphy says he can’t worry about how Hawaii will play as much as how his Titans will do.

“I’ve got a good feeling about our team,” Murphy said. “But you never know what Hawaii has.”

The grizzled veterans of the Fullerton team, those who have strode the sands of Waikiki twice before, have taken on the duty of advisers to the more impressionable of their crowd.

“You can’t just let them go all wild,” said offensive guard Ed Gillies, one of the team captains who have been warning younger players not to get caught up in the diversions of Honolulu. “It might seem like a vacation, but we’re here for business.”

As for the older players, Gillies figures that’s under control.

“We’ve been here two years prior,” he said. “There’s not much more to see.”

Noga, the Rainbows’ first-team All-American defensive tackle, has not struck fear into the hearts of the Titans.

“It’s all Noga, Noga, Noga,” Murphy said. “He’s the most dominant defender I’ve seen, but we’re not going to change our whole philosophy for him.”

Murphy said Noga will be double-teamed some, but not exclusively.

Offensive lineman Greg Hammond, who found himself going against Noga last year, said it will be fine if he does again.

“I wasn’t so impressed,” Hammond said. “He’s fast, but he was 230 last year. He’s 260 now, and it’s not the same.”

Titan Notes

A.J. Jenkins, a community-college transfer whose academic eligibility had been uncertain, was cleared to begin practicing last week and will start at defensive end. Jenkins was one of the nation’s leaders in sacks last year at Merced College. . . . The academic eligibility of backup nose guard Carlos Adley remains undetermined, as does backup linebacker Joe Scott’s. . . . Outside linebacker Ted Hinton, a starter who underwent arthroscopic surgery two weeks ago, did not make the trip, as expected. . . . Both punter Jim Sirois and kicker Stan Lambert have sore legs, but are likely to play tonight. Should Sirois, the more hampered of the two, be unable to punt, sophomore Kurt Bloedorn, who has never taken a snap in a game, will handle the duties. . . . The mainland family and friends of Brian Belcher and Tracy Rutkowski--both Orange County players at Hawaii--will get a break from the typically clamorous attempts to tune into a UH game, with the game broadcast on KMNY (1600 AM) and televised live on Prime Ticket. Belcher played for Fountain Valley High; Rutkowski played at Foothill High and Saddleback College. . . . Fullerton’s Rich Sheriff, a deep reserve at quarterback, is the son of Hawaii Athletic Director Stan Sheriff, who had said his son “darn well better” make the traveling squad. The younger Sheriff did, indeed, make the trip home--as a reserve on Fullerton’s special teams.