FOOTBALL'S FOURTH WEEK
THE SOUTHWEST
Creeping deflation ate further into Coach Bud Wilkinson's remarkable record at Oklahoma as Texas, mingling the brilliant running of Jim Saxton and Roy Poage with the slick ball-handling of Mike Cotten, won 24-0 in a typical Longhorn-Sooner brawl. It was Texas' third straight win over the onetime national champions, who have now lost two of their first three games.
But there may be trouble ahead for the Longhorns. Hungry Baylor, with a mighty craving for the SWC title, blasted huge gaps in the usually reliable Arkansas line, shot swift Ronnie Bull, Ronnie Goodwin and Tim Minter through for big gains to down the Razorbacks 28-14. The top three:
1. TEXAS (3-1)
2. BAYLOR (3-0)
3. ARKANSAS (3-1)
THE EAST
"We have been hitting hard, but we lack speed and our passing has been bad." That was how Penn State Coach Rip Engle sized up his team last Friday. Next day, the Penn State linemen did exactly what Rip expected them to do. After a faltering start, they shook up Army with crushing blocks and deadly tackles and put intolerable pressure on Quarterback Tom Blanda. But Quarterbacks Galen Hall and Dick Hoak surprised Engle and flipped the ball with almost unerring accuracy (11 for 15); Halfback Jim Kerr sped through the dazed Cadets for three touchdowns, one on a perfect 25-yard lead pass from Hall; and the Nittany Lions upset Army 27-16.
Complacent Syracuse, which meets Penn State this week, meanwhile stumbled and bumbled through three quarters, barely managed to pull itself together to overtake whooped-up Holy Cross 15-6. Shocked by a second-quarter touchdown, the straining Orangemen edged ahead 7-6 near the end of the third period on Halfback John Mackey's six-inch lunge and Ken Ericson's placement kick, added another score in the final seconds.
Navy, looking better with each game, as usual entrusted its offense to the able and squatty Halfback Joe Bellino, and the Middies slipped past SMU on a rainy field, 26-7. Chewed out for their deficiencies by Captain Mike Ditka in a secret locker room meeting, aroused Pitt sent Bob Clemens and Jim Cunningham over for two touchdowns, added a 30-yard field goal by Fred Cox to whip Miami 17-6.
In the Ivy League, Cornell found Harvard mortally wounded by the absence of ailing Charlie Ravenel and turned back the Crimson 12-0; Penn, minus two injured tailbacks, was no match for tailback-rich Princeton, lost 21-0; Yale romped over Columbia 30-8; Dartmouth defeated Brown 20-0. The top three:
1. SYRACUSE (3-0)
2. NAVY (4-0)
3. PENN STATE (2-1)
THE MIDWEST
While Iowa and Ohio State gave every appearance of being the best in the Big Ten, bulky Minnesota successfully guarded against the passes of Northwestern's Dick Thornton, scrounged a third-period touchdown and slipped by the Wildcats 7-0. Wisconsin, too, was still in the race. Using three platoons to wear down Purdue, the Badgers flooded the secondary with deft Ron Miller's passes and surprised the Boilermakers 24-13.
Michigan, cued by the passing of Dave Glinka and the running of Dave Raimey, brusquely shouldered Duke out of the unbeaten tanks, 31-6. But embattled Indiana flopped in its new stadium, Jost to Oregon State 20-6.
It was nearing showdown time in the Big Eight. Kansas struck for 14 points in the first 10 minutes, then fought off Iowa State and its crashing fullback, Tom Watkins, to win 28-14 as Quarterback John Hadl scored twice, passed for a third touchdown. Predicted Coach Jack Mitchell: "Next week we are going to be the first Kansas team in 14 years to beat Oklahoma." The top three:
1. IOWA (3-0)
2. OHIO STATE (3-0)
3. KANSAS (3-1)
THE SOUTH
Downgraded and lightly regarded, North Carolina had its only fun in years against Notre Dame, shrewdly made scouts' tip pay off for a 12-7 victory. The Tar Heels discovered that Notre Dame played its corner back tight. They picked their spot, sent speedback Skip Clement sprinting past him to take Quarterback Ray Farris' pass for a. 47-yard touchdown play. Later, End Mike Greenday intercepted an Irish pass, ran it back 42 yards for the winning points.
Sturdy Clemson, in no mood to succumb to winless Virginia, won its fourth straight, 21-7. But unbeaten North Carolina State, in the ACC cellar last year, may yet turn out to be the team to beat for the title. The Wolfpack harnessed Maryland's multiple offense and Quarterback Roman Gabriel's pitching arm (nine of 16 and 114 yards) hauled them ahead of the Terps 13-10.
It was like the quiet before the storm in the Southeastern Conference. Front-running Mississippi easily beat Vanderbilt 26-0; Tennessee thrashed Tampa 62-7, Auburn wriggled past fighting Chattanooga 10-0 on sophomore Halfback Jimmy Burson's 105-yard kickoff return; Kentucky tried out a tricky new offense while trouncing Marshall 55-0; Mississippi State beat Arkansas State 29-9; and Alabama took a week off.
However, Georgia Tech's high-geared offense slipped and stalled in the rain at Atlanta, and Coach Bobby Dodd called upon sure-footed Tommy Wells to kick field goals from 22 and 37 yards, his sixth and seventh of the season (tying an NCAA record) to overcome punchless LSI) 6-2. Florida was less fortunate. Ball-controlling Rice picked the Gator defenses bare with draw plays, scored on Billy Cox's 21-yard pass to Johnny Burrell and Max Webb's 25-yard field goal for a 10-0 triumph. The top three:
1. MISSISSIPPI (4-0)
2. ALABAMA (2-0-1)
3. CLEMSON (3-0)
THE WEST
Missouri rushed to a 27-0 half-time lead over Air Force with well-planned end sweeps, Donnie Smith's 90-yard punt return and frugal but judicious use of the pass, won 34-8 despite Rich Mayo's desperate passes (25 for 53).
Washington's Bob Schloredt led the Huskies past Stanford 29-10; Washington State's Keith Lincoln ran for two points in the closing minutes to tie California 21-21; USC emerged from its lethargy to outscore Georgia 10-3. The top three:
1. WASHINGTON (3-l)
2. UCLA (1-0-1)
3. OREGON STATE (3-1)
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TWO PHOTOS
NEW FACES: Sophomore Charlie Mitchell (left), fleet Washington halfback, scored on 59-yard punt return in win over Stanford; John Schroeder, tenacious North Carolina end, contained Notre Dame's wide sweeps, bedeviled Irish passers.
PHOTO
BACK OF THE WEEK: Shifty Penn State Halfback Jim Kerr had best day against Army, caught five passes, scored three touchdowns, gained 63 yards rushing.
PHOTO
LINEMAN OF WEEK: Big Minnesota Guard Tom Brown used his 240 pounds to bowl over Northwestern backs, helped stymie Wildcat scoring bids in 7-0 win.
SATURDAY'S TOUGH ONES
Georgia Tech over Auburn. Stan Gann's passing will take the Jackets over and around the tough defense of the Tigers, who have no offense of their own.
North Carolina State over Duke. State is riding a four-straight winning wave. Roman Gabriel's passes will make the difference.
Mississippi over Tulane. Toughened Tulane may test Ole Miss, but Jake Gibbs and a fine line will see the Rebs through to another victory.
Navy over Air Force. Joe Bellino running is more of an offense than Rich Mayo passing, but this is a service game and form could take a beating.
Syracuse over Penn State. A spot for an upset—if the puzzling Orangemen continue to falter. State is eager but can't match Syracuse in depth or talent.
Texas over Arkansas. Mauled and battered by Baylor, Arkansas will be ornery, but the Longhorn backfield speed and hard-hitting line will be too much for the Razorbacks.
Kansas over Oklahoma. Kansas has been waiting patiently for this opportunity and will use its talented backfield and bruising line to make the most of it.
Minnesota over Illinois. The Gophers aren't nifty, but their defense is big and tough. The Illinois swifties will have trouble denting the Minnesota line.
Ohio State over Purdue. Buckeye power and depth will wear down the thinner Boilermakers, whose passing may bother State, but not for too long.
Washington over UCLA. Pacific Coast prestige is at stake and Washington will be up for the well-rested Bruins. The proud Huskies will win with Bob Schloredt.
Other games
KENTUCKY OVER LSU
CLEMSON OVER MARYLAND
ALABAMA OVER TENNESSEE
IOWA OVER WISCONSIN
IOWA STATE OVER COLORADO
ARMY OVER NEBRASKA
MICHIGAN OVER NORTHWESTERN
YALE OVER CORNELL
DARTMOUTH OVER HOLY CROSS
USC OVER CALIFORNIA
LAST WEEK'S PREDICTIONS:
11 RIGHT, 8 WRONG, 1 TIE
SEASON'S RECORD: 47-30-3