FOOTBALL'S 1ST WEEK
THE EAST
With Pitt and Penn State going far a field, the first week's action in the East was little more than sporadic. Boston College, a resurging power in eastern football, flexed its muscles against Scranton, manipulating its many platoons like so many chessmen to win 48-0.
Connecticut got off on the right foot, bearing down on Springfield 41-14 to win its first opener in eight years while Villanova won 28-14 to snap West Chester State Teachers' 14-game streak.
THE SOUTH
The Atlantic Coast Conference started off in a mass of confusion as North Carolina, Maryland and Duke were rudely handled by lesser rivals, leaving Clemson, a shaky winner in its own right, in the uncertain driver's seat.
North Carolina State, expected to be an easy mark for highly regarded North Carolina, limped into Chapel Hill a 13-point underdog and pranced out with a 21-14 victory. Alert ball-hawking by Sophomore Center Bill Hill (see below) and adept play-calling by sub Quarterback Frank Cackovick (a last-minute fill-in for ineligible Ernie Driscoll), who twice pitched out to Halfback Ken Trowbridge for touchdowns, did in the Tar Heels for the third year in a row.
Wake Forest, uncovering a new secret weapon in rangy Sophomore Norman Snead (see below), who tossed three scoring passes to Jim Dalrymple and Pete Manning to tie a conference record, finally emerged from a 12-game losing streak to whip Maryland 34-0.
Cautious South Carolina made the most of Duke's fumbling to push across a touchdown and two-point conversion in the first period, then kept the Blue Devils at bay to win 8-0.
Clemson, figured to have a breeze against the thin forces of Virginia, found itself trailing twice, each time called upon Lowndes Shingler, a sophomore quarterback, to provide the spark, finally came out on top 20-15.
Kentucky's flat-footed Bobby Cravens slurked through the mud at Lexington, Ky. for 153 yards on 20 exhausting carries to put on a highly appreciated home town show against favored Georgia Tech as he led his Wildcat teammates to a 13-0 triumph.
Florida put its usual option plays on the shelf and relied on straight T football behind a big, quick line, to hammer its way past slow-footed Tulane 34-14. Tulane, falling behind early, flanked, spread, split and slotted their receivers in a frantic attempt to catch up, succeeded in completing 20 out of 41 passes. Nonetheless, Florida Coach Bob Woodruff was still able to say: "I was completely satisfied with our pass defense."
In other games, West Virginia turned loose a flood of classy backs to roll over Richmond 66-22 for its 25th straight in Southern Conference; Mississippi fumed and fussed before beating Memphis State 17-0; Bobby Renn's two touchdown dashes led Florida State to a 42-6 victory over Furman.
THE SOUTHWEST
Texas and Georgia, after bumbling around for almost 40 minutes, called upon a pair of third-stringers to perk things up at Austin. Quarterback Francis Tarkenton responded by moving Georgia 95 yards for a touchdown and passing to End Aaron Box for an 8-7 lead, but Bobby Gurwitz, a scatty 160-pound sophomore, lit the fuse for Texas, wriggling almost half the length of the field before scoring from the one-yard line to win for the Longhorns 13-8.
A rough and ready LSU line put the shackles on Rice, and also opened up gaping holes for veteran Billy Cannon and his speedy backfield mates, who ran for four touchdowns and a 26-6 victory.
Texas A&M, rolling along with a 14-0 lead, suddenly was pulled up short by underdog Texas Tech and found itself a 15-14 loser after End Gerald Seemann intercepted an Aggie pass, grabbed another from Teammate Floyd Dellinger, who also kicked the winning extra point.
In other games, Fullbacks Larry Hickman and Gaylen Crain whacked away earnestly at the Arkansas line to give Baylor a 12-0 Southwest Conference win; Arizona State made Hawaii their 13th victim in a 47-6 romp; Arizona held off Utah State 7-6.
THE MIDWEST
Texas Christian, making the most of pinpoint passing by Quarterbacks Hunter Enis and Larry Dawson (see below) and flashy running by Merlin Priddy, rumbled for 528 yards and 31 first downs to defeat Kansas 42-0.
Vanderbilt shook loose Halfback David Ray on an 81-yard punt return in the first quarter and then managed to hold its own with sputtering Missouri to win 12-8 in the week's top TV game.
Unable to move against deliberate Penn State, Nebraska got its first big push from Sophomore Pat Fischer, who returned a kickoff 92 yards to put the Corn-huskers even at 7-7, then pulled out with a 14-7 victory on Carroll Zaruba's plunge from the one-yard line.
Marquette may not make a bowl this year but the Warriors brought the first smile in three years to Coach Johnny Druze's face when Quarterback Pete Hall jammed over for three touchdowns in the second half to beat South Dakota State 18-7, and end a 20-game losing streak.
THE WEST
Oregon State looked as if it had been caught half-dressed when the guests arrived after a hungry band of USC youngsters manhandled the Beavers 21-0 in Los Angeles Coliseum on Friday night. Led by Quarterback Willie Wood, who threw one touchdown pass, and the muscular McKeever twins, Marlin and Mike, who flung Oregon State ball carriers through the air like popcorn, USC kept the pressure on all the way, dulled the scent of roses in the noses of the Beavers.
Next day, UCLA groped through the Coliseum heat and smog in a futile effort to locate the Pittsburgh ball carriers and lost 27-6. Pitt uncovered a handy quarterback in Ivan Toncic and a solid middle of the line bulwarked by Guard John Guzik (see above).
All-America Candidate Bob Newman split the Stanford defenses with 13 completions in 19 passes (for two touchdowns and 134 yards) and sent his backs pounding through the line on slants, sweeps and draw plays to give Washington State a 40-6 triumph and turn Cactus Jack Curtice's PCC debut into a drama of misery.
College of the Pacific, with talented Dick Bass (see above) doing everything but lug the water bucket, scored for the last time with 2½ minutes to play to upset favored California 24-20.
Utah made only frugal use of Lee Grosscup, its star passer, but beat Montana 20-6 to set the stage for next Saturday's Skyline Conference showdown with Brigham Young, 29-7 victor over Fresno State.
In other games, shaky Washington pulled itself together to beat San Jose State 14-6; Oregon scored three times in the last quarter to overcome Idaho 27-0; Oklahoma State, badgered by Denver for a few jittery moments in the third quarter, came on to win 31-14.
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NEW FACES OF THE WEEK
NORTH CAROLINA STATE'S BILL HILL, an alert sophomore center, recovered two fumbles in 21-14 win over North Carolina.
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[See caption above.]
TCU's LARRY DAWSON, a sub quarterback, completed five of six passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns in 42-0 rout of Kansas.
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[See caption above.]
WAKE FOREST'S NORMAN SNEAD, another poised newcomer, dazzled Maryland with his accurate passing, set record in 34-0 win.
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BACK OF THE WEEK: COP's talented Dick Bass, hobbled by injuries for past two years, got a chance to run against California, gained 215 yards as team won 24-20.
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LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Pitt's John Guzik, a big, bold and bullish guard, made life miserable for UCLA backs, was partly responsible for a 27-6 upset victory.
RED GRANGE PREDICTS
the results of this weekend's games
Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
Despite Bud Wilkinson's lament that his Oklahoma team has been hit hard by graduation, the Sooners will be almost as strong as last year. West Virginia enjoyed a romp in its opener and has one of its greatest teams, but I can't make myself pick against OKLAHOMA.
Notre Dame vs. Indiana
Notre Dame is deep in veterans, including Nick Pietrosante, one of the finest fullbacks I have seen in many years, and shouldn't have too much trouble with a green Indiana team, which needs time to learn a new single-wing offense. NOTRE DAME is the choice.
Michigan State vs. California
Michigan State, generally regarded as one of the top clubs in the country, will send a good solid first team, backed up by a strong bench, against California, which showed it can score in a 24-20 loss to College of the Pacific. The Golden Bears don't rate with MICHIGAN STATE.
Ohio State vs. Southern Methodist
Southern Methodist has one of the finest passers in college football in Don Meredith, but the Mustangs lack the defense to stop an Ohio State team which is strong in every position and aiming to become the nation's No. 1 team. OHIO STATE is my pick.
Iowa vs. Texas Christian
Texas Christian certainly looked like a powerhouse while running up 31 first downs against Kansas and must be favored to outscore Iowa, faced with a major rebuilding job in its line. TEXAS CHRISTIAN.
Miami vs. Wisconsin
Here are two rivals with similar offenses, first teams of equal strength and outstanding quarterbacks in Dale Hackbart (Wisconsin) and Fran Curci (Miami). A tossup, with the Badgers' greater depth making the difference. WISCONSIN.
Auburn vs. Tennessee
Auburn, loaded in every position and with one of the biggest lines in college football, is every bit as good as last year's great team. Tennessee has only one regular returning and needs a triple-threat tailback to make its offense go. I won't pick the winner because I will be working this game on NBC-TV.
Clemson vs. North Carolina
Both teams had a lot of trouble in their openers, but Clemson managed to eke out a close win while North Carolina's speed bogged down against North Carolina State. Off last week's results, I'll certainly take CLEMSON.
Mississippi vs. Kentucky
Mississippi, with a strong quarterback in Bobby Franklin and a hard-running fullback in Charley Flowers, is rated just a shade over Kentucky's Wildcats, who looked mighty good beating Georgia Tech. But MISSISSIPPI should win.
Pitt vs. Holy Cross
Pitt got off to a great start against UCLA and found the quarterback it needed in Ivan Toncic. Holy Cross, with a fine quarterback of its own in Tom Greene, rates high in the East but I'll go along with PITT.
Army vs. South Carolina
Halfbacks Bob Anderson and Pete Dawkins give Army a scoring punch which South Carolina, even after a confidence-building upset victory over Duke, cannot ignore. The Gamecocks lack a serious offense and will find Army too tough to handle. ARMY to win.
LAST WEEK'S PREDICTIONS: FIVE RIGHT; FOUR WRONG