1997 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team

1997 Cal State Northridge Matadors football
Conference	Big Sky Conference
Record	4–8, 2 wins forfeited (4–4 Big Sky)
Head coach	Jim Fenwick (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Rob Phenicie (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	John Rosenberg (1st season)
Home stadium	North Campus Stadium
Seasons ←  1996 1998  →

1997 Big Sky Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 Eastern 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

The 1997 Cal State Northridge Matadors football team represented California State University, Northridge as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by Jim Fenwick in his first and only season as head coach, Cal State Northridge finished the season with an overall record of 6–6 and a mark of 4–4 in conference play, placing in the three-way tie for fourth place in the Big Sky. The team outscored its opponents 370 to 316 for the season. The Matadors played home games at North Campus Stadium in Northridge, California.

After the season, the Matadors were forced to forfeit two of their non-conference wins due to the use of three ineligible players. ^[1] The two forfeits dropped their overall record to 4–8.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	at Boise State *	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	L 63–23 (forfeit)	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, NM	L 18–28	13,913	[4]
September 20	Azusa Pacific *	North Campus Stadium Northridge, CA	L 63–21 (forfeit)	4,927	[5]
October 4	at Portland State	Civic Stadium Portland, OR	L 13–26	6,888	[6]
October 11	Weber State	North Campus Stadium Northridge, CA	W 30–20	3,856	[7]
October 18	at Montana State	Reno H. Sales Stadium Bozeman, MT	L 20–31	9,357	[8]
October 25	Sacramento State	North Campus Stadium Northridge, CA	W 45–38	5,104	[9]
November 1	at No. 15 Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	L 13–21	16,775	[10]
November 8	Idaho State	North Campus Stadium Northridge, CA	W 31–22	2,718	[11]
November 15	at No. 6 Eastern Washington	Woodward Field Cheney, WA	L 32–39	4,179	[12]
November 22	Northern Arizona	North Campus Stadium Northridge, CA	W 21–13	4,329	[13]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

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. "1997-98 CSUN Matadors; Schedule/Results". National Collegiate Athletic Association . Retrieved May 27, 2025.