SUGAR BOWL

Author:
SI Staff

AT NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA...

GEORGIA TECH

BOBBY DODD, one of the South's all-time great halfbacks at Tennessee, is now one of its all-time great coaches. In 11 years his Georgia Tech teams have made a 90-27-3 record including victories in five major bowl games.

WADE MITCHELL, GEORGE VOLKERT, FRANKLIN BROOKS (see opposite page).

DICK MATTISON (41), fb: Big, likes contact; has speed and power but no finesse, likes to blast over guard. Good blocker, adequate linebacker.

PAUL ROTENBERRY (21), lhb: Has had bad knee but appears ready to go. Good outside runner, likes to go off tackle; very dangerous in open field. Standout on defense. Sub Stan Flowers (33) plays a lot.

JIMMY THOMPSON (28), rhb: Runs behind Volkert but a great scat back; can break up a ball game if he gets loose. Good receiver, defensively sound.

JIMMY MORRIS (51), c: Team captain and leader. Has regained speed after knee injury. Very good linebacker, sometimes crashes.

ALLEN ECKER (64), rg: Unspectacular but steady, consistent, good both ways. Has outstanding speed for lineman.

CARL VEREEN (76), It: Big (224) and strong. Started slow but improved very fast; quick and hard to block, equally good on offense or defense.

KEN THRASH (71), rt: Fast, covers lot of ground, exceptional downfield blocker. Only fair on defense.

TOMMY ROSE (80), le: Outstanding on defense; nobody has turned his end this year. Good blocker, fair receiver.

DON ELLIS (89), re: Not equal to Rose defensively but a good blocker and the favorite pass receiver. Great money player.

PITTSBURGH

JOHN MICHELOSEN came to Pitt by way of the pros and won a bowl bid in his first year as head coach. He developed the winning habit early as quarterback on Pitt teams which lost only two games in three seasons.

PETE NEFT, JOE WALTON, JOHN PALUCK (see opposite page).

TOM JENKINS (41), fb: Good, all-round fullback, runs hard but not a breakaway threat. (Strong defensively, good blocker.

DICK BOWEN (35), lhb: Big (195) and fast, runs hard and with some deception. Outstanding defensive back, only soph in Pitt starting lineup.

LOU CIMAROLLI (30), rhb: Most dangerous runner on team; has speed, poise and good broken-field ability—but can't play defense. Sub Ray DiPasquale (31) only fair runner but good blocker and strong on defense.

BOB GRIER (38), fb: Unpopular with governor of Georgia but a good fullback. Strong runner, fast, elusive, hits hard up middle. Only fair blocker, weak defensively.

JOHN CENCI (67), c: Cocaptain, and best linebacker; tackles hard in open field. Blocks well, leads plays up middle.

HAROLD HUNTER (68), lg: Cocaptain, terrific ballhawk; death on fumbles, passes, sometimes steals ball from runner. Good tackier, middle linebacker in 5-3 defense.

AL BOLKOVAC (60), rg: Less spectacular than Hunter and slightly slower but about his equal. Steady, experienced, aggressive. Bill Schmitt (73), best substitute lineman, great punter.

BOB POLLOCK (74), It: Best tackle on team; big, strong, tough and experienced. Crashes hard, can be trapped. Good blocker.

HERMAN CANIL (72), rt : Steady, not so rough as Pollock but maneuvers better in opposing backfield. Good downfield blocker.

TEAM STRENGTH

GEORGIA TECH
Like all Bobby Dodd teams, the 1955 Yellow Jackets are a quick-striking, fast, T-formation outfit with primary emphasis on the running game but with enough passing to keep the defense opened up. They run most plays from the regular T but will occasionally use a flanker; the big ground gainers have been the quick pitchouts and variations off tackle and around end from the belly series. Mitchell is slick with the ball and a cool, gambling quarterback. When Vann is in, they'll throw more—especially to Volkert, Ellis and Thompson—and the quarterback will keep more on the option. Both Volkert and Rotenberry are most effective off tackle or around end and can really move. Don't expect Tech to make many mistakes—they lost only four fumbles all year. Defensively this is one of Dodd's better teams; only Auburn was able to score on them more than once. Not heavy (but probably a bit larger than the program weights), Tech reacts very fast, hits hard, pursues well. Strongest defensive area in the line is on the left side; the backs are exceptionally good on defense and it's tough to pass against them.

PITTSBURGH
Big and strong,-the 1955 Panthers are a throwback to the days of famed Jock Sutherland. The difference is that Michelosen, an old Sutherland pupil, uses the split-T instead of the single wing. The results are much the same, however: power football with just enough passing to keep the defense honest. They do little faking in the back-field, preferring to use the backs as blockers, and run a lot of off-tackle smashes or halfback slants up the middle. Neft also runs the option well. This is a tremendously good defensive team except for three glaring weaknesses: Salvaterra, Cimarolli and Grier, three of the four best offensive backs. Michelosen has to forfeit his big punch by alternating them with Neft, DiPasquale and Jenkins, all superior on defense. Salvaterra, when he's hot, can be a brilliant back—dangerous passer, very elusive runner. And when Salvaterra is in the game, Walton, Pittsburgh's outstanding receiver, must be watched closely at all times. The Panthers played a rugged schedule and showed steady improvement throughout the season, highlighted by their convincing 26-7 victory over undefeated West Virginia.

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TWO PHOTOS

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MITCHELL

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ROTENBERRY

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THOMPSON

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BROOKS

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VEREEN

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ROSE

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MATTISON

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VOLKERT

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MORRIS

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ECKER

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THRASH

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ELLIS

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NEFT

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BOWEN

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GRIER

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HUNTER

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POLLOCK

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WALTON

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JENKINS

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CIMAROLLI

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CENCI

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BOLKOVAC

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CANIL

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PALUCK

ILLUSTRATION

DIAGRAM

GEORGIA TECH brought the belly series to perfection and it's the big gainer in Dodd's offense. Here Mitchell (11) fakes to Rotenberry (21) on dive, then rides momentarily along with Mattison (41) before letting him take the ball. A fake pitchout to Volkert (24) around end completes the deception.

DIAGRAM

PITTSBURGH, a big heavy team with big hard-running backs, likes to blast for yardage—which is an old Pitt custom. In this fullback slant, Jenkins (41) heads directly for hole outside tackle, takes hand-off from Neft (18), who then fakes pitchout to Left Halfback Bowen (35). Right End Paluck (83) throws key block.

NUMBERS TO WATCH

GEORGIA TECH

WADE MITCHELL, QB
Tremendous defensive man at safety; very fast but not a good runner; average passer. Handles ball well. Toppy Vann (16) better runner, passer; weak defensively.

GEORGE VOLKERT, RHB
Tech's best runner with a 7.2 average. Likes to run pitchout, is strong to outside. Not tricky but just plain fast. Very good receiver and defends well.

FRANKLIN BROOKS, LG
Started slow despite great expectations, now really rolling. In almost every play on defense; likes' contact, diagnoses plays well. Extremely good blocker and tackler.

PITTSBURGH

PETE NEFT, QB
Good ball handler, average passer, good runner with average speed. Steady, strong defense. Corny Salvaterra (11) more dangerous passer but erratic, no defense.

JOE WALTON, LE
Outstanding end, no real weakness. Top passing target with speed, maneuverability, timing and great hands. Blocks, hits hard; good but not a great defensive end.

JOHN PALUCK, RE
They call him Mean John and he is. Big and very rough on defense. Crashes hard and can sometimes be run around. Strong blocker but only fair pass receiver.

December 26, 1955