FOOTBALL'S EIGHTH WEEK
Bowl scouts, on the prowl for lush attractions for their postseason games, were unhappy. One by one, the unbeaten teams fell. Navy, Iowa and Tennessee were the latest to go down, leaving Missouri (8-0), Utah State (8-0), Minnesota (7-0), Yale (7-0) and New Mexico State (7-0) as the nation's only unbeaten and untied major college teams.
THE EAST
Things weren't going quite as expected among the East's major independents. For one thing, Syracuse was hardly the terrifying power it was supposed to be. First Pitt and now Army (see page 22) proved the puzzling Orangemen were mere mortals. After seven weeks of success Navy met its master in Duke. Penn State matched Maryland's multiple offense with a well-devised attack of its own and ran over the improving Terps 28-9. Boston College finally found someone it could beat and outscored Villanova 20-6. Holy Cross turned the game over to its sophomores, and they responded nobly to carry the Crusaders past Dayton 36-6.
Yale moved easily, Princeton with difficulty toward next Saturday's Ivy League showdown. The unbeaten Elis shook loose Halfbacks Ken Wolfe and Lou Muller for long touchdown runs in the first half and romped over Penn 34-9. Princeton almost found its equal in stubborn Harvard, needed two successful placement kicks by Sophomore Dave Gouldin to turn back the Crimson 14-12. Dartmouth defeated Columbia 22-6; Brown surprised Cornell 7-6.
Elsewhere, Rutgers trounced Lafayette 36-8 to move closer to the Middle Atlantic championship; Bucknell held off Colgate 12-8; unbeaten Wagner's Don Cavalli threw three touchdown passes, brought his total for the year to 16 as the Seahawks beat Hamilton 26-8. The top three:
1. NAVY (7-1)
2. PITT (4-2-2)
3. ARMY (6-2)
THE MIDWEST
Minnesota, ranked first in the Big Ten after its convincing 27-10 victory over Iowa (see page 16), was not yet rid of third-place Ohio State. The Buckeyes were very much in the fight after crushing Indiana 36-7 with their bludgeoning attack and miserly defense. Ohio State piled up 223 yards rushing, 117 passing (including three touchdown pitches by Quarterback Tom Matte) and 29 first downs, held Indiana to two yards on the ground and only four first downs.
The brothers Elliott met each other as coaches for the first time at Ann Arbor, and Michigan's Bump had a few surprises ready for Illinois' Pete. When Pete expected Michigan to punt, with seven yards to go on fourth down, Quarterback Dave Glinka passed for a first down, and the Wolverines went on to score the tying touchdown. Then, despite Mother Elliott's pregame wish ("I'm going to wear dark glasses, just sit there very quiet, and hope for a tie"), Bump had Glinka lob a pass to Denny Fitzgerald for two points and a Michigan victory 8-7.
A pair of third-string fullbacks, Purdue's Roy Walker and Michigan State's George Saimes, were the life of the party at Lafayette. Walker, who had never before carried the ball in a Big Ten game, took over for injured Willie Jones in the first quarter, bulled over for both of Purdue's touchdowns. In the fourth quarter Saimes came on to do the heavy duty plunging in a 99-yard drive, set up Quarterback Tom Wilson's one-yard scoring plunge as the Spartans beat the Boilermakers 17-13. Northwestern finally made the best over-all defense in the Big Ten pay off. Quarterback Dick Thornton and Fullback Mike Stock battered the big Wisconsin line, led the Wildcats to a 21-0 victory.
Oklahoma's collapse as the Big Eight's powerful leader was almost complete. As Missouri moved closer to the title with a solid win over Colorado and contender Kansas ran over Nebraska 31-0, the faltering Sooners lost to Iowa State 10-6—the first time that had happened since 1931. The Cyclones gave up a first-half touchdown, then gamely outfought the heavier Sooners in the line, inched up with Larry Schreiber's 38-yard field goal and won the game on Fullback Tom Watkins' one-yard touchdown.
Notre Dame Coach Joe Kuharich, who had wondered aloud, "What will happen to a little 160-pound halfback like Angelo Dabiero if that big [220 pound] Mike Ditka of Pitt comes bearing down on him as a pass receiver?", had only to wait three plays to find out. Ditka caught Quarterback Ed Sharockman's pass on the Irish 37-yard line, stiff-armed and wrestled Dabiero for 25 yards to the Notre Dame eight. Four plays later, Pitt scored and was off to a 20-13 victory and Notre Dame's "commitment to excellence" program was mired in its sixth straight loss.
Ohio U. and Bowling Green, which meet this week for the Mid-American title, were still unbeaten as Ohio U. took Marshall 19-0 and Bowling Green whipped Southern Illinois 27-6. The top three:
1. MINNESOTA (7-0)
2. MISSOURI (8-0)
3. IOWA (6-1)
THE SOUTHWEST
Back in 1941, so the story goes, Texas students took the advice of Madame Hippie, an Austin fortune teller, burned red candles for a week and then beat old enemy Texas A&M 23-0. All last week the red candles glowed brightly on the Texas campus as the Longhorns tried desperately to put a hex on favored Baylor. Saturday afternoon the bewitching powers worked. While Baylor fumbled and bumbled, scatter-legged Texas Halfback Jim Saxton, who chases jack rabbits for kicks, ran like one himself. He caught a 38-yard pass from Quarterback Mike Cotten to set up a two-yard touchdown plunge by Halfback David Russell, later sprinted 59 yards to put the Longhorns into position for another short scoring burst by Fullback John Cook. The score: Madame Hippie's red candles 12, Baylor 7.
Arkansas, unaware of the magical power of red candles, played its usual solid game to upset Rice 3-0, gave Texas, idle TCU and Baylor, too, a mathematical chance for at least a share of the Southwest Conference championship. But Texas A&M and SMU couldn't have cared less as they flogged each other for 60 minutes, finished in a scoreless tie. Texas Tech's Glen Amerson shocked Tulane with a touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage, threw two more to help the Red Raiders upset the Green Wave 35-21.
Border Conference leader New Mexico State rested, but Arizona State's Nolan Jones ran 29 yards for a touchdown, kicked a 33-yard field goal and three extra points as the Sun Devils topped Texas Western 24-0. The top three:
1. ARKANSAS (6-2)
2. RICE (5-2)
3. TEXAS (5-3)
THE SOUTH
It was a thoroughly enjoyable Saturday for Mississippi. While the Rebels smacked Chattanooga 45-0, Georgia Tech cooperated to keep Ole Miss all alone at the top of the Southeastern Conference. The impulsive Jackets, perhaps inspired by the largest home crowd ever (45,072), wrapped up unbeaten-but-tied Tennessee's single wing in a doughty defense, got a surprise pickup from stubby Billy Williamson's 93-yard kickoff return, upset the Vols 14-7. Coach Bobby Dodd, himself an old Tennessee All-America, was jubilant but repentant: "When the boys play like that, I'm sorry I ever say a cross word to them."
But Auburn and Florida were still breathing uncomfortably down Mississippi's neck. The Tigers got a thoroughly professional performance from Fullback Ed Dyas, a 19-year-old premed senior who kicked his way into the record books with two field goals from 22 and 32 yards, and bulled their way past Mississippi State 27-12. Irrepressible Florida pounced on Georgia for two touchdowns in 27 plays before the Bulldogs could run even one, built up a 22-0 lead by the third quarter and won 22-14. Gator Quarterbacks Larry Libertore and Bobby Dodd Jr. performed their sleights of hand behind the line, and Junior Fullback Don Goodman provided the power (and two touchdowns) through the soft Georgia middle.
Duke's victory over Navy was the biggest news in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but North Carolina State was satisfied with its close 14-12 triumph over Wake Forest. In a battle of quarterbacks, State's bulky Roman Gabriel completed 15 of 25 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown, rushed for 69 yards; the Deacons' Norm Snead completed 16 of 27 for 237 yards and two scores, lost 16 yards on the ground. Clemson's Frank Howard, stirred up by a muttering alumni after three straight defeats, got his Tigers mad enough to whip the daylights out of North Carolina 24-0.
In other games, Southern Conference leader VMI outlasted Lehigh 18-14; Davidson surprised third-place Virginia Tech 9-7; The Citadel moved up by beating William & Mary 14-0; Kentucky outclassed Vanderbilt 27-0; Alabama clobbered Furman 51-0; Miami picked itself up in the last quarter, scored twice to beat Florida State 25-7; Sophomore Quarterback Lynn Amedee threw three touchdown passes, gave LSU the offensive punch it has lacked all season as the Bengals ran over South Carolina 35-6. The top three:
1. MISSISSIPPI (7-0-1)
2. DUKE (6-1)
3. AUBURN (6-1)
THE WEST
While Washington hurried past USC on its way to the Rose Bowl, UCLA took out its disappointment on sludgy California, whomped the Bears 28-0. Tailback Bill Kilmer, used strategically when the Bruins were in scoring range, passed over the futile Cal defenders for 116 yards, scurried through their leaky line for 109 more and two touchdowns.
Stanford Coach Jack Curtice, whose quips are faster than his backs, fretted through another miserable afternoon. Oregon's small (5 foot 3‚Öú inch) halfback, Cleveland Jones, took advantage of his size, darted in and out of the Stanford secondary, caught two touchdown passes from Quarterback Dave Grosz, kicked three extra points and led the competent Ducks to a 27-6 win. Oregon State, after giving up 10 points to Washington State in the first quarter, suddenly decided it was enough. With Tailback Terry Baker, the nation's total-offense leader, picking judiciously through State's defenders, the Beavers methodically slashed away at the WSU line for two touchdowns, sprang little Halfback Gene Hilliard loose for a third on a 53-yard run and beat the Cougars 20-10.
Utah State, a proud if somewhat startled monarch atop the Skyline Conference after its fine victory over Wyoming, was still not sure of its rule. Utah trounced Colorado State U. 27-6, will test the unbeaten Aggies November 19. The top three:
1. WASHINGTON (7-1)
2. UCLA (4-1-1)
3. OREGON (6-2)
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TWO PHOTOS
NEW FACES: Georgia Tech Halfback Billy Williamson (left) returned kickoff 93 yards to beat Tennessee 14-7; Michigan State Fullback George Saimes gained 48 yards in winning touchdown drive, then intercepted pass to squelch Purdue.
PHOTO
BACK OF THE WEEK: Auburn Fullback Ed Dyas kicked two field goals, set records for season (nine) and career (13), against Mississippi State.
PHOTO
LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Arkansas Linebacker Wayne Harris was in on 24 of 36 tackles against Rice, made life miserable for the Owl runners.
SATURDAY'S TOUGH ONES
Mississippi over Tennessee. A real test for Ole Miss despite the Vols' loss to Georgia Tech. Tough defense and talented Jake Gibbs will keep the Rebels on top.
Auburn over Georgia. The Tigers are menacing again, and there is always Ed Dyas to kick field goals. Georgia's Francis Tarkenton will have to throw against one of the nation's best pass defenses.
Pitt over Army. Pitt's staunch defenders won't be easy to move. The Cadets may be in for a letdown after last week's superb victory over Syracuse.
Yale over Princeton. Two old rivals with but a single thought—the Ivy League title. Unbeaten Yale gets the edge on its balanced attack and stronger defense.
Minnesota over Purdue. Who can Stop the hungry Gophers? Minnesota will thwart the Boilermakers and move a step closer to the Big Ten championship.
Ohio State over Iowa. The Buckeyes, fighting to stay alive in the Big Ten, will use their devastating power to overcome Iowa's speed.
Missouri over Oklahoma. This is the year for everybody to get even with the Sooners. Missouri is ready to run over and around subpar Oklahoma.
Kansas over Colorado. The Buffs have had two tough games in a row while Kansas was merely tuning up its game against Nebraska last Saturday. A win for the looser Jayhawks.
Ohio U. over Bowling Green. These unbeaten small-college leaders will be battling for the Mid-American crown. Ohio U. will wear down the Falcons.
Baylor over USC. A big one for the Bears, who will bounce back from two straight losses. USC is too uncertain and undoubtedly misses Mike McKeever.
Other games
FLORIDA OVER TULANE
LSU OVER MISSISSIPPI STATE
GEORGIA TECH OVER ALABAMA
MARYLAND OVER NORTH CAROLINA
VMI OVER THE CITADEL
NOTRE DAME OVER MIAMI
AMHERST OVER WILLIAMS
WISCONSIN OVER ILLINOIS
NORTH CAROLINA ST. OVER ARIZONA ST.
TEXAS OVER TCU
LAST WEEK'S PREDICTIONS: 13 RIGHT, 7 WRONG
SEASON'S RECORD: 97-56-7