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AROUND THE COUNTRY

With only two—or, in some cases, three—weeks remaining of the 1956 collegiate football schedule the champions are apparent in most of the six major areas of the country. Tennessee, with its magnificent victory over Georgia Tech, is the undisputed ruler of the South. But wait; a violent pocket of resistance, Mississippi, must be eliminated before the Volunteers may reign in peace. In the Southwest, Texas A&M has hurdled its last serious barrier to a regional title with its convincing victory over Southern Methodist. Yet, the Aggies must be alert for Rice and Texas, either of whom would be happy to conclude the season with just one big surprise. Oregon State, the phoenix of far-western football, completed its amazing resurgence with a hairline victory over Stanford, leaving only the slender forces of Idaho and Oregon in the path of a journey to the Rose Bowl. Wyoming again proved—this time to Montana—that it has no serious rival in the Rocky Mountain area, where football grows more formidable each year. Only in the Midwest and the East are the important titles still up for grabs. Ohio State remains unbeaten in the Big Ten, but must brush aside Iowa and Michigan before any formal coronation ceremonies are in order. Yale and Princeton have a date in New Haven this Saturday to dispute over which one shall rule the Ivy League. Oh, yes, and there is Oklahoma with three opponents left, but none of them of the type to question the team's claim to being the best anywhere.

THE EAST

The buildup to the greatest show on earth (at least in the cloistered world that is the Ivy League) was completed last Saturday as Yale and Princeton moved headlong over their neighbors in a rush to their decisive meeting in New Haven this Saturday. Princeton toyed with Harvard 35-20, in the first of the Big Three round robin. The Tigers struck swiftly and without mercy, leading the Crimson four touchdowns to none before Tiger Coach Charlie Caldwell inserted his second string. Yale too was brutal. The Bulldogs crunched over Pennsylvania 40-7, to run up their biggest score over an Ivy League foe in 10 years. The wins kept both Yale and Princeton undefeated (5-0) in Ivy play.

Brown tumbled Cornell 13-6, and the Big Red, winless in seven games, are well on the way to the worst season in their football history. Dartmouth took advantage of the absence of Columbia's ace passer, Claude Benham, to trip the Lions 14-0. Penn state and Syracuse continued their domination of the eastern independents with shattering wins over Boston U. (40-7) and Holy Cross (41-20), respectively. Springfield continued undefeated (though once tied) with a 40-14 win over the Yankee Conference's tough New Hampshire. The scores by which Springfield has been winning this year give strong evidence that Coach Ossie Solem's squad is ready for big-time opposition. Other scores:

Army 34, Wm. & Mary 6
Brandeis 40, Mass. 14
Colgate 26, Bucknell 12
Conn. 26, N'east. 0
Delaware 22, Rutgers 0
Gettysburg 13, Temple 7
Hobart 21, Hamilton 20
Juniata 20. Swarthmore 0
Maine 33, Bowdoin 7
Middlebury 7, Vermont 6
Muhlenberg 13, F&M 0
N.H.S.T. 20, Amer. intl. 0
Villanova 46, The Citadel 0
Wesleyan D, Williams 0
Trinity 31, Amherst 21
Tuffs 51, Rochester 14
Union 20, Kings Point 0

THE SOUTH

Low-scoring defensive struggles proved the rule in the South last weekend. In the regional headliner at Atlanta (where tickets were so scarce that a scalper with 15 in a block demanded and got $3,000 for the lot) third-ranked Tennessee pulled a mild upset on second-ranked Georgia Tech 6-0 in a near-perfect display of impregnable defenses and beautiful, deep kicks that kept both teams pressed close to their own goal line (see page 24). The win left Tennessee spotless at the top of the Southeastern Conference, with Tech, Florida and Mississippi all close behind. To make things unpleasant for these leaders, two of the SEC's early-season patsies—Alabama and Kentucky—scored impressive wins over the weekend and now lie in wait for bigger game. Alabama, which meets Tech Saturday, was clearly the winner over favored Tulane 13-7. Kentucky, which goes against Tennessee next Saturday, showed new muscles in its already powerful defense as it won its fourth straight 7-6 from Vanderbilt. Florida started slowly but erupted in the second half for a 28-0 win over Georgia. But Mississippi, meanwhile, looked flat as it rolled up a listless 26-0 victory Over toothless Memphis State. Among the lesser lights of the SEC, Auburn blew a two-touchdown lead but drove 80 yards in the final quarter to edge Mississippi State 27-20.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, still unbeaten Clemson lost some luster en route to the Orange Bowl when it could do no better than 6-6 against Maryland for its second tie game of the season. But the Tigers still held the inside track to Miami trip as South Carolina took an unexpected 14-7 licking from keyed-up North Carolina state. Duke needed a pass interference call on Navy's one-yard line to accomplish a 7-7 deadlock, while Wake Forest fought to its third tie of the season, 13-13, with heavily favored Virginia Tech. Fullback Ed Sutton scored three times in less than 10 minutes as North Carolina came from behind in the third quarter to dump Virginia 21-7. These developments in the ACC left Orange Bowl executives with glum faces. Clemson, the almost certain choice, must play unbeaten Miami in the Orange Bowl this Friday night, and if the Tigers look bad, bandsmen may outnumber spectators on New Year's Day. Other scores:

Florida St. 42, Furman 7
West Virginia 13, VMI 0
Washington & Lee 22, Sewanee 7
Presbyterian 34, Appalachian 7
Wofford 27, Davidson 14
Newberry 13, Stetson 12
Lenoir Rhyne 27, Elon 13
Catawba 50, Guilford 0
Centre 26, Bluffton 12
Tenn. Tech 26, Ark. St. 6
Tuskegee 19, Dillard 13
Geo. Wash. 32, Richmond 6

THE MIDWEST

By pushing across a first-period touchdown and then grimly clinging to its lead for the rest of the game, underdog Iowa upset Minnesota 7-0, and late Saturday afternoon suddenly found itself running ahead in the frantic, tangled Big Ten race for the Rose Bowl (see page 25). If Iowa can somehow get by rugged Ohio State this Saturday, the road will be straight and clear. Purdue, playing without its ace passer, Lennie Dawson, completely Outplayed Michigan State, but lost 12-9 in a ragged battle. Northwestern dumped feeble Wisconsin 17-7 in a fight to climb out of the Big Ten cellar.

In the Big Seven, Oklahoma badgered Iowa state 44-0, for its 37th straight and 57th in the conference. Ho-hum.

Colorado and Missouri battled to a 14-14 tie to leave Colorado with a 4-1-1 Big Seven record and a golden chance for the Orange Bowl, since Oklahoma is ineligible to appear there in consecutive years. Nebraska edged Kansas 26-20, and Kansas State swamped Marquette 41-14.

Houston clinched the Missouri Valley Conference title with a 14-0 win over offense-minded Tulsa. Houston has a 3-0 conference record while Tulsa and Oklahoma A&M are both 1-1-1, with only one game each to play. Oklahoma A&M went outside the conference to lose to LSU 13-0, with LSU's Jimmy Taylor piling up 104 yards on the ground. In other nonconference battles, Wichita fell before Cincinnati 21-0, and Detroit was pounded by Drake 26-13, to give the Missouri Valley an 0-3 mark in outside competition. Other scores:

Ohio State 35, Ind. 14
Michigan 17, Illinois 7
Central Mich. 38, East. Ill. 7
Bradley 33, Wash. (St. L.) 27
Miami (0.) 21, Dayton 14 S.
Cornell (Iowa) 55, Ripon 39
S. Dak St. 31, Iowa Tchrs. 27
Bowling Green 41, Ohio U. 27
West. Mich. 42, West. Res. 19
Dak. 13, N. Dak. St. 6

THE SOUTHWEST

Texas A&M broke the tie for the Southwest Conference lead by smashing Southern Methodist 33-7, and thus erased any possible doubts about the team's superiority in the land of oil wells and cactus. SMU and Texas Christian, with 2-1 conference records, now share second place behind the Aggies, who have won all four of their SWC games (see page 26).

In other games Baylor scraped past Texas 10-7, Arkansas topped Rice 27-12, and Texas Christian, apparently weaker than anyone thought, toppled before lackluster Texas Tech 21-7. TCU Coach Abe Martin was hanged in effigy on the TCU campus.

Texas Western all but wrapped up the Border Conference championship, pushing Arizona state from the unbeaten list 28-0. The Westerns have a 5-0 conference record. West Texas state's Bob Ratliff carried the ball for a total of 155 yards as the Buffs blasted Hardin-Simmons 20-6. Other scores:

S. Austin 27, E. Tex. St. 14
S. Houston 28, S'west Texas 0
Abilene Chr. 13, Midwest'n 7
Texas A&I 28, Lamar Tech 12
Howard Payne 19, Sul Ross 0
N. Texas St. 23, McMurry 7

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Wyoming wrapped up the Skyline Conference championship, and with it a possible bowl bid, by clubbing Montana 34-13 in a traditional stem-winder at neutral Billings, Mont. The losers contained Wyoming's slippery Jim Crawford, the nation's leading ground-gainer, but by overdefending against the talented tailback they left other Cowboy backs unattended. Even so, Crawford was the game's leading ground-gainer with 112 yards in 25 carries, giving him a season total of 1,024 yards. Utah, stung by criticism after three straight defeats, put on a flashy offensive show in the second half to outscore Colorado A&M 49-27. Denver turned in the greatest scoring show in the school's history for 30 minutes Saturday, running up a 45-0 half-time lead over Brigham Young. Then Coach John Roning eased up on BYU by inserting his third-and fourth-line troops, so the final score of 58-34 was not too lopsided. Utah state journeyed out of the Skyline to meet Idaho and wound up on the short end of a 42-20 score. Other scores:

West. St. 60, Col. Mines 36
Idaho St. 20, Col. St. 7
Col. Coll. 38, Adams St. 8
N. Mex. West. 34, Westminster 7
S. W. Okla. 7, East. N. Mex. 0

THE FAR WEST

Oregon state virtually sewed up the Pacific Coast Conference title by edging past Stanford 20-19 in the closing minutes of their vital meeting at Palo Alto (see page 26). The Beavers still have Oregon and Idaho ahead, but if these games go as expected they should be able, come New Year's Day, to wind up on the turf of the Rose Bowl. Before a homecoming crowd of 41,628 sweltering fans, Southern California took on a below-average California team. Behind 7-0 at the half, Jess Hill's Trojans showed spark in the second half, winning 20-7, while the Bears wilted in the 100° heat. Though California could blame the heat, West Coast sportswriters were predicting that the defeat will mark the end of the coaching career of the Bears' Pappy Waldorf, alias the Wise Walrus of Strawberry Canyon.

Although Washington fans stood under a leaky gray sky in Seattle and bravely sang "All Hail, O Washington, thy sons and daughters gladly sing acclaim," it was UCLA and not Washington which got the acclaim when the Bruins beat the Huskies 13-9. Much-beaten Oregon and Washington state wrestled to a meaningless 7-7 tie before an unamused homecoming group of 13,000 in Eugene.

The Whittier Poets, with Gary Campbell serving as throwing laureate, took to the air and almost ruined the Air Force Academy's unbeaten record with two tremendous touchdown passes. The Falcons, badly stung, stayed on the ground, finally escaped with a 14-14 tie. Other scores:

San Fran. St. 26, Sacramento 0
Col. of Pac. 34, San Jose St. 7
Humboldt St. 26, Nevada 18
Central Wash. 13, W. Wash. 7
East. Wash. 18, Whitworth 0
Lewis & Clark 46, Portland 19
Puget Sound 20, Pac. Luth. 0
Whitman 7, Willamette 7

PIGSKIN PANORAMA

Best bowl bets. Rose Bowl: Iowa vs. Oregon State; Orange Bowl: Colorado vs. Ciemson; Gator Bowl: Syracuse vs. Florida.

Unbeaten and untied repeaters from last year have dwindled down to three. Hillsdale (25 in a row) and Alfred (15) have completed their second all-victorious season. Oklahoma (37) has three more opponents.

Point collectors. Jim Podoley, Central Michigan, scored six touchdowns against Eastern Illinois. Dick Jamieson, Bradley, passed to five touchdowns against Washington (St. Louis). Jimmy Stehlin, Brandeis, passed to two and scored two; Normie Wright, Tufts, and Charlie Feid, Springfield, scored four times each.

Washington and Lee, playing its 13th game since returning to football on an unsubsidized basis, finally brought home its first victory—22-7 over Sewanee.

Mike McGinley, Cincinnati tackle who has been unable to practice all season because of a mysterious crick that remains in his neck for a week after each game, has nonetheless starred each Saturday. "Maybe I should tell the whole squad to quit practicing," says Coach George Blackburn.

HICKMAN'S HUNCHES

For games of Saturday, Nov. 17

•Iowa vs. Ohio state. Win by Iowans will assure at least a share of conference title. But Buckeyes, after third straight Big Ten title, will take whole hog or nothing. OHIO STATE.

•Tennessee vs. Mississippi. Undefeated, untied Tennessee literally kicked Tech into defeat last Saturday. Ole Miss could upset Vol apple cart. Bruising battle forecast but TENNESSEE.

•Yale vs. Princeton. Untamed Tigers meet Bulldogs head-on in Ivy League game of the year and eastern television game of the day. In the belief that the Sons of Elihu will live up to their potential, I say...YALE.

•Minnesota vs. Michigan State. Midwest TV Game of the Week. Gophers could still go to Rose Bowl if they beat MSU. Spartans will at least share conference championship if they down Minnesota. MICHIGAN STATE.

•Miami (Fla.) vs. Clemson. Twicetied Tigers in probable Orange Bowl preview in Miami Friday night. Once-tied Hurricanes' hard-driving ground attack could spoil party. MIAMI.

•Pittsburgh vs. Army. The Cadets are beginning to move. Pitt's Panthers are big, strong and mobile. Could go either way. PITTSBURGH.

•Texas A&M vs. Rice. Aggies have improved with every game but seldom does a team go undefeated in SWC round robin. Owls out for the upset. TEXAS A&M.

•Syracuse vs. Colgate. A traditional classic between two excellent eastern Independents. Comparative scores favor Orangemen. SYRACUSE.

ALSO:

Boston College over Boston U.
Penn over Columbia
Dartmouth over Cornell
Georgia Tech over Alabama
Oregon state over Idaho
Illinois over Wisconsin
Michigan over Indiana
Navy over Virginia
Baylor over Nebraska
Purdue over Northwestern
Notre Dame over North Carolina
Oklahoma over Missouri
USE over Oregon
Penn State over N.C. State
Stanford over Washington (TV—West)TCU over Texas
Vanderbiit over Tulane

Last week's hunches:
18 right, 3 wrong, 4 ties
Record to date: 148-42-10