ORANGE BOWL

Author:
SI Staff

AT MIAMI, FLORIDA...

MARYLAND

JIM TATUM has taken Maryland to a bowl game every other year since becoming head coach in 1947; his only loss was by 7-0 to Oklahoma in the 1954 Orange Bowl. In nine years his Terps have compiled a 73-14-4 record.

FRANK TAMBURELLO, ED VEREB, BOB PELLEGRINI (see opposite page).

FRED HAMILTON (40), fb: Only fair runner, weak blocker on option but protects passer well. Not a strong defensive back.

JACK HEALY (23), rhb: Sophomore, one of two very good right halfs. Good runner and best pass receiver in backfield. When used as flanker, they like to throw to him.

HOWARD DARE (21), rhb: Shares job with Healy. Very fast, dangerous breakaway runner and can throw—watch him on running pass to the left. Good defender.

FRED TULLAI (52), lg: Started season as third-string center, won starting guard job on offensive ability. Splits time with Gene Dyson (66) and George Kolarac (67).

JACK DAVIS (60), rg: This boy's good. Fastest lineman on team, mean and tough. Has very fast reactions; hard to block out.

AL WHARTON (77), It: Big and tough, blocks hard. Shares job with Ed Heuring (76), who is quicker, more aggressive on defense. May be team's weakest spot.

MIKE SANDUSKY (71), rt: A great tackle; big (245), tremendously strong, fine lateral reactions. Must be hit low and very hard or he'll tear up your offense.

BILL WALKER (80), le: A good end both ways. Very quick on defense, rushes passer hard. Good receiver, does punting.

RUSSELL DENNIS (83), re: Fine blocker, very fast, good receiver. Comes across fast to meet blockers on defense.

OKLAHOMA

BUD WILKINSON, in his ninth year as Oklahoma head coach, currently has the most impressive record in big-time football: 83 victories, 8 losses, 3 ties, 8 consecutive Big Seven championships and 2 national titles.

JIM HARRIS, TOMMY McDONALD, BO BOLINGER (see opposite page).

BILLY PRICER (43), fb: A junior, he moved last year's first-string fullback to center. Fast, very tough, outstanding linebacker, handles the punting.

BOB BURRIS (40), rhb: Terrific speed, runs hard but lacks evasiveness. Tough, great defensive player, likes to mix it up.

CLENDON THOMAS (35), lhb: Would be a starter on almost any other team. Soph with good speed, hustles hard, tough, very good defensive back.

JERRY TUBBS (53), c: Ranks with Pellegrini of Maryland and Pitts of TCU as country's best centers. Great linebacker, reacts fast, hits with terrific power.

CECIL MORRIS (74), rg: Cocaptain of team. Good offensive blocker and very tough defensively; pursues well.

CALVIN WOODWORTH (60), It: A good football player. Rough on defense, hard to move, likes to mix it up.

ED GRAY (73), rt: Starter as a sophomore, now better as a junior. Moves very well, has tremendous charge, very tough on defense.

JOE MOBRA (16), le: Big and strong, rugged defensive end. Not fast, not a good pass receiver but very good blocker. Kicks off over goal line.

JOHN BELL (83), re: Has speed, good receiver. Missed part of season with injury but is ready to go. Will share position with Bob Timberlake (81) and Hugh Ballard (82).

TEAM STRENGTH

MARYLAND
Maryland, the nation's No. 3 football team, is a natural in more ways than one to oppose top-ranked Oklahoma in what should be this year's No. 1 bowl game: if there's a defense in the land capable of stopping the Sooners, Maryland has it. The Terp line was the nation's best at stopping its opponents' running attack and there aren't three better linemen on any one team in the country than Pellegrini, Sandusky and Davis. All three play on the strong side on defense so Oklahoma, looking for a soft spot, may have to go the other way—and there is nothing really soft over there, either. Maryland, like its Jan. 2 opponents, is a split-T ball club with heavy emphasis on the running game. Tamburello runs well, is a smart, thinking quarterback and an exceptional ball handler on the option plays; Vereb set a conference scoring record and is an all-the-way threat from any spot on the field. But the Terrapins can pass, too, with Beightol throwing to both ends and any one of the three halfbacks who see heavy action. The Maryland schedule wasn't the nation's toughest but the Terps beat a great ball club in UCLA.

OKLAHOMA
The 1955 Sooners are a typical Bud Wilkinson split-T ball club: well-conditioned, with great power and speed in the backfield and a very tough, mobile line which is lean and fast rather than beefy. The statistics tell the story and they're all impressive: No. 1 team in the nation, scoring leader (365 points), top rushing offense (3,289 yards), high among the defensive leaders. This is primarily a running team but Harris can pass and so can McDonald. The Sooners don't throw much because they just don't have to. Bread-and-butter play is the standard split-T formation option made famous by Oklahoma, with Harris keeping or handling off to one of his very fast backs. They like to use power but Harris is slick and mixes in a lot of deception. All the Sooner backs are good runners but McDonald is particularly outstanding, always a threat to go all the way. Wilkinson calls him the best he's ever coached. The defense hits hard, reacts quickly and pursues well. The Oklahoma second team has played almost as much as the starters this season against a schedule which hasn't been the toughest in the nation.

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TWO PHOTOS

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TAMBURELLO

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VEREB

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DARE

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TULLAI

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WHARTON

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WALKER

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HAMILTON

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HEALY

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PELLEGRINI

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DAVIS

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SANDUSKY

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DENNIS

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HARRIS

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McDONALD

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THOMAS

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BOLINGER

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WOODWORTH

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MOBRA

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PRICER

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BURRIS

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TUBBS

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MORRIS

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GRAY

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BELL

ILLUSTRATION

DIAGRAM

MARYLAND cross buck starts with Quarterback Tamburello (10) faking hand-off to Fullback Hamilton (40) through left guard, then faking to Right Half Healy (23) outside left tackle. Left Half Vereb (30) delays briefly, then takes ball to hit outside right tackle against defense going in opposite direction.

DIAGRAM

OKLAHOMA, a great running team, crosses up the opposition with this pass. It begins like OU's famed option series but Harris (15), instead of keeping or handing off to Burris (40) or Pricer (43), pitches out to McDonald (25), a very effective passer, who throws against a defense charging in to stop a wide sweep.

NUMBERS TO WATCH

MARYLAND

FRANK TAMBURELLO, QB
A slick, heady split-T quarterback who can run; handles the ball exceptionally well on the option play. Fair passer but can't throw as well as Sub Lynn Beightol (12).

ED VEREB, LHB
Key man on offense; must stop him to beat Maryland. Good speed, hard runner, likes smash into right side or sweep around end. Good passer and strong pass defense.

BOB PELLEGRINI, C
Big (225), powerful and quick, he's rated best center in country. Great linebacker with ability to diagnose plays. Slight weakness on plays directly at his position.

OKLAHOMA

JIM HARRIS, QB
Doesn't yet rank with great Oklahoma quarterbacks at running option play but reacts very quickly, has good speed. Handles ball well, strong on defense.

TOMMY MCDONALD, LHB
One of greatest halfbacks in nation; has tremendous balance, speed and drive, very elusive. Especially dangerous on punt and kickoff returns. Watch him.

BO BOLINGER, LG
All-America guard—and he really is. Just big enough (208) to be tough and still retain speed. Very quick, blocks hard, strong on defense and always hustles.

December 26, 1955