1997 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team

The 1997 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team represented Cal State Northridge during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season.

1997 Cal State Northridge Matadors football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
1997 record	4–8, 2 wins forfeited (4–4 Big Sky)
Head coach	Jim Fenwick (1st season)
Home stadium	North Campus Stadium

1997 Big Sky Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 E Washington $^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 11 Montana ^		6	–	2					8	–	4
Montana State		5	–	3					6	–	5
Northern Arizona		4	–	4					6	–	5
Weber State		4	–	4					6	–	5
Cal State Northridge		4	–	4					4	–	8
Portland State		3	–	5					4	–	7
Idaho State		2	–	6					3	–	8
Sacramento State		1	–	7					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Cal State Northridge record includes two losses by forfeit Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Cal State Northridge competed in the Big Sky Conference. The 1997 Matadors were led by first-year head coach Jim Fenwick. They played home games at North Campus Stadium in Northridge, California. On the field, Cal State Northridge finished the season with a record of six wins and six losses (6–6, 4–4 Big Sky). After the season, the Matadors were forced to forfeit two of their non-conference wins due to the use of three ineligible players.[1] That brought their record to (4–8, 4–4 Big Sky). The Matadors outscored their opponents 370–316 for the season.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
August 30	at Boise State*	Bronco Stadium Boise, Idaho	L 63–23 forfeit loss	26,824[2]
September 6	at Hawaii*	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI	L 21–34	33,138[3]
September 13	at New Mexico State*	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, New Mexico	L 18–28	13,913[4]
September 20	Azusa Pacific*	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	L 63–21 forfeit loss	4,927[5]
October 4	at Portland State	Civic Stadium Portland, Oregon	L 13–26	6,888[6]
October 11	Weber State	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 30–20	3,856[7]
October 18	at Montana State	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, Montana	L 20–31	9,357[8]
October 25	Sacramento State[note 1]	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 45–38	5,104[9]
November 1	at No. 15 Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, Montana	L 13–21	16,775[10]
November 8	Idaho State	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 31–22	2,718[11]
November 15	at No. 6 Eastern Washington	Woodward Field Cheney, Washington	L 32–39	4,179[12]
November 22	Northern Arizona	North Campus Stadium Northridge, California	W 21–13	4,329[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Division I-AA poll poll released prior to the game

[14]

Team players in the NFL

No Cal State Northridge players were selected in the 1998 NFL Draft.[15][16][17]

Notes

1. The official name of Sacramento State has been California State University, Sacramento since 1972. However, it is still commonly known as Sacramento State.

References

1. "Northridge to Forfeit Two Football Victories". The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) (Valley ed.). May 22, 1998. p. C17. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "2015 Boise State Football Media Guide". Boise State University Athletics. 2015. p. 160. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
3. "Hawaii Rainbow Warrior Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). p. 131. Retrieved June 16, 2007.
4. Fernando Dominguez (September 14, 1997). "Northridge Is Run Out of Town". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C12. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Fernando Dominguez (September 21, 1997). "Not Such a Laugher for Matadors". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C16. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Fernando Dominguez (October 5, 1997). "Northridge Ends Up All Wet". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C16. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Fernando Dominguez (October 12, 1997). "Matadors Blow Past Weber State". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C16. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Fernando Dominguez (October 19, 1997). "Northridge Has Rundown Feeling". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C16. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Hornet Sports.com: Football (CS Northridge)" (PDF). Retrieved April 24, 2017.
10. Fernando Dominguez (November 2, 1997). "Off Target". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C15. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Fernando Dominguez (November 9, 1997). "Not So Easy Does It". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C23. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Fernando Dominguez (November 16, 1997). "Matadors Can't Crash Party". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C15. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Fernando Dominguez (November 23, 1997). "Matadors Go Out With a Stop". The Los Angeles Times (Valley ed.). Los Angeles, California. p. C15. Retrieved June 16, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1997 - Cal St.-Northridge". Retrieved January 21, 2017.
15. "1998 NFL Draft". Retrieved January 19, 2017.
16. "Cal State-Northridge Players/Alumni". Retrieved February 21, 2017.
17. "Draft History: Cal State-Northridge". Retrieved March 18, 2017.