ROSE BOWL
UCLA is one of the last strongholds of the single wing, a system that depends heavily on the tailback. The Bruins have two pretty good ones, Bobby Smith (who is skirting end, above), and sophomore Mike Haffner, both of whom run well but pass poorly. (Washington beat UCLA when it set its defenses strictly to stop runs.) The team's big plays are single-wing standards: the off tackle to either side; the fullback up the middle (as the tailback straightens up and fakes a pass); and the pass-run option on the end sweep—the play great tailbacks use so effectively. On these end sweeps, UCLA puts a wall of blockers in front of the runner. Its kicking game is good, with Keith Jensen as the punter. If Jensen (No. 15) enters the game when UCLA is pinned in its own territory, second down and long yardage to go, watch for a quick kick, a single-wing specialty. UCLA has a heavy but short line that makes it vulnerable to a passing attack. The Bruins held Ohio State's powerful Bob Ferguson in check but lost to a flurry of passes and attack runs. This is a tough team, and it will be anxious to defend the sagging reputation of West Coast football. It just might.
Minnesota, as coached by Murray Warmath, plays "possession and position" football. It will always give the other team the football in preference to field position. Warmath figures a team is on defense if it has the ball inside its own 30-yard line. He frequently instructs Minnesota to kick on third down, and on three occasions this fall had the team punt on first down to take advantage of a favoring wind seconds before a quarter ended. Warmath's basic strategy is to win by eliminating his team's mistakes while capitalizing on those of the opponent. He is proud of Minnesota's record of only five fumbles lost all season. As might be expected, Minnesota is strong on defense, although it has proved vulnerable to the pass. However, against UCLA this shouldn't matter much. Minnesota is death on running games, having held six of its opponents to 72 yards or less. The usual defensive lineup is a 5-3-2-1, with the linebackers doing a lot of stunting. Heart of the offense is Quarterback Sandy Stephens who likes to roll out and run, pass or pitch out to Halfback Bill Munsey. It isn't a big offense, but helped by the defense, Minnesota will win.
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ILLUSTRATION
SAUL LAMBERT