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GAME OF THE WEEK: NOTRE DAME 21 TEXAS 0

Notre Dame believes in beginning with a tough opponent. A team gets up faster if the first game is going to be hard: with everyone else pointing for it all season long, Notre Dame has to get up right away. Texas, this year's opener, looked even tougher than normal. Ranked fourth in the nation in last week's football poll, Texas is the pick for the Southwest Conference championship. And Notre Dame's new coach, 26-year-old Terry Brennan, who had handled only high school and freshman elevens, faced his first varsity game. To make it worse, Texas had ruined Elmer Layden's debut as coach and handed Notre Dame its last opening-game defeat, 7-6 in 1934.

Terry got his team up so fast that Texas lost 21-0, failing to score for the first time in 77 games. In the best Rockne-Leahy tradition, Notre Dame took command in the pinches, showed complete mastery of the fundamentals, grabbed three Texas fumbles, intercepted four passes, and stopped the Longhorns every time they threatened. A highly partisan crowd of 57,594, gleeful on a golden afternoon, could say: "The king is dead, long live the king." No one in the throng was happier than the late king himself, Frank Leahy, who watched from the stands.

Last year Leahy publicly doubted if Notre Dame would get a first down all season. Last spring Brennan, who has little pessimism and a poise almost indecent for his age, said calmly: "I think we'll do all right." In spring and fall practice alike, Brennan never raised his voice. But standing in the backfield throughout every scrimmage, he also never failed to tell in detail just how each play could have been better.

In the first two minutes of the game, Texas went 62 yards in four plays to the seven. Then Frank Varrichione recovered Charley Brewer's fumble on the eleven. Texas did not again come close until the last play of the half, when Ralph Guglielmi intercepted Brewer's long pass on the goal line. Texas nearly scored late in the third period, but Jack Lee recovered Don Maroney's fumble on the six. So, for the first time since their 1946 game with Texas Christian, the Longhorns were left scoreless.

Quarterback Guglielmi, just six years younger than Brennan and a frequent selection for All-America last year, had an All-America day. He passed to Dan Shannon for the first touchdown, having opened the gates for it by intercepting a pass and sprinting 41 yards down the side line. He scored the other two touchdowns himself, after Notre Dame marches of 79 and 56 yards, both on the quarterback option play. Each time Guglielmi ran laterally to the left, just behind the line, until he saw an opening, inside left tackle, then slanted across the goal. The Texas line, sparked by Tackle Buck Lansford and End Howard Moon, almost matched the Notre Dame forwards, led by Guard Ray Lemek and Tackles Varrichione and Sam Palumbo and Center Dick Szymanski. The Texas backs were outclassed, though Left Half Delano Womack managed to gain 49 yards in seven tries. Texas made 14 first downs to 16, but the Irish controlled the ball.

Nothing in Notre Dame's whole performance was more quietly impressive than the way it ended. Instead of hoisting Guglielmi or Brennan to their shoulders, the players just ran off the field. Brennan walked impassively behind, looking as if he were as used to winning as Notre Dame.

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DAN SHANNON, Irish co-captain and left end, cradles 19-yard pass from Guglielmi before stepping across for first Notre Dame touchdown. Score came only three plays after Guglielmi made side-line dash with Texas pass (opposite page).

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[See caption above.]

RALPH GUGLIELMI, Notre Dame quarterback, hits stride after intercepting Texas pass in second period. Guglielmi went 41 yards to Texas 39-yard line on this play, grabbed two other Longhorn passes and scored twice in memorable day.

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JOE HEAP, low-slung Notre Dame halfback, typifies menacing power of winners as he takes hand-off from Guglielmi and heads for off-tackle hole. This was Texas' weak spot which Irish backs hammered repeatedly to pick up vital yards.

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TEXAS STANDOUTS

DELANO WOMACK, leading ground gainer for Longhorns, picked up only a yard before running into rugged defense, while substitute Chester Simcik slipped through for 12 yards to Irish nine-yard line, only to see teammates fumble ball away on next play.

DIAGRAM

3

9

65

90

17

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FRANK LEAHY, retired Notre Dame coach, saw Brennan strategy from stands.

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COACH TERRY BRENNAN, confronting players with 21-0 lead and only seven minutes left in the game, looked more like worried loser than young man about to wind up winning debut in hottest coaching spot in country. Brennan, crack Notre Dame halfback only five years ago, had never coached college game before opener with Texas.

BEST PLAY

Reliable ground gainer for Notre Dame was fullback slant over Texas left tackle. Quarterback Guglielmi (3) takes ball from center, pivots to right and hands off to Fullback Schaefer (9). Key blocks are thrown by Right Guard Lee (65) who pulls out to hit Texas end, Notre Dame End Paul Matz (90) who blocks in Texas tackle, and Right Halfback Jim Morse (17), who leads play, blocks backer-up.

HICKMAN'S HUNCHES for Games of Saturday, Oct. 2nd

•U.C.L.A. vs. Maryland. (Friday). Mighty Maryland had an open date last week. U.C.L.A. conquered Kansas 32-7. If Maryland wins they will go undefeated, but—U.C.L.A.

•Notre Dame vs. Purdue. Terrible Terry's team took touted Texas 21 to 0. Purdue trounced highly rated Missouri 31-0. Still—NOTRE DAME.

•Duke vs. Tennessee. The Blue Devils showed their power wrecking Penn 52-0. The Vols were ragged but strong, beating Mississippi State 19-7. Closer than you'd think but...DUKE.

•Michigan State vs. Wisconsin. The Badgers massacred Marquette 52-14. Michigan State was beaten by Iowa 10-14. Is it the end of an era for the Spartans? WISCONSIN.

•Rice vs. Cornell. The Ithacans, up set by Colgate, will come storming back Saturday night in Houston, but the Owls are alert. RICE.

•Ohio State vs. California. California bounced back from Oklahoma to crush San Jose State 45-0. The Buckeyes were hot in their 28-0 win over Indiana. In the belief that they are at least still warm...OHIO STATE.

•Southern Methodist vs. Georgia Tech. Tech will be smarting after the Florida upset. The Yellow Jackets can still sting. GEORGIA TECH.

•Michigan vs. Army. The Wolverines staved off Washington's sensational passing attack to win 14-0 in their opener. The Cadets were soundly trounced by an underrated South Carolina 34-20. Blaik doesn't often lose two in a row, but—MICHIGAN.

•Syracuse vs. Penn State. Penn State stunned Illinois 14-12; Syracuse vanquished Villanova 28-6. The Nittany Lions must be tough. PENN STATE.

•Yale vs. Brown. Al Kelley's Brown team may be the Ivy darkhorse but the Eli sophomores are wows. YALE.

ALSO:


Princeton over Columbia
Navy over Dartmouth
Auburn over Florida
Colgate over Holy Cross
Iowa over Montana
L.S.U. over Kentucky
Southern Cal. over Northwestern
Minnesota over Pitt
South Carolina over West Va.
Illinois over Stanford
Boston College over Temple
Texas Tech over Oklahoma A. & M.
Texas over Washington State
Mississippi over Villanova

Last week's box score: 18 right, 7 wrong
Record to date: 27—8

Next week—DUKE vs. TENNESSEE at Durham, N.C.