A TURN TO TOUGHNESS
When Paul Bryant, whose rigid image (above) is enough to cause cholera among southern coaches, was at Texas A&M, his first out-of-state trip was to Athens, Ga., where he took a team of only 27 men. The Georgia writer who met him was incredulous. Was this mere handful all the players Bear Bryant had? "No," said The Bear casually. "This is all who want to play." In the 17 years of coaching that have taken him from Maryland to Kentucky to Texas A&M and, ultimately, to Alabama, his alma mater, there have been scores of hotshot athletes who defected from Bryant squads. "A boy's got to want to play awful bad to play here," says Bryant, and takes the uniforms from those who don't. "You work your silly head off," one ex-player put it. If it meant scrimmaging at half time to beat Auburn, Bear Bryant would scrimmage at half time.
The rewards for this unrelenting tedium are plain: great success at all points before Alabama, a national championship last year at Alabama (and, for Bryant, recognition as Coach of the Year). His critics excoriate him as an unscrupulous recruiter and ruthless opponent. His players (those who last) revere him—and, what's more, win for him. His rival coaches imitate him, not always liking it. "It's a hell-for-leather, helmet-bursting, gang-tackling game we play now in the Southeastern Conference," says Auburn's Shug Jordan. "Since Bear Bryant came back to Alabama it's the only game that can win." To all this, The Bear exudes a monumental disdain. Those few Alabama alumni who still dare to demand his time, for instance, are given two hours a day—from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. After that, he says, "I'll be busy."
Bryant has been very busy this spring and summer exercising one of his favorite ploys: touting the press off his Alabama team. "Georgia Tech," he said, "will be the No. 1 team in the nation," to which the redoubtable Bobby Dodd, head coach at Georgia Tech, replied: "That remark was typical of Bryant."
The fact is that when Alabama plays Georgia Tech on Nov. 17, the national title may well be at stake, for in the SEC, where spectators have become connoisseurs of defensive football by watching the expert stylings of such as Bryant, they say there is none better than these two. Unless it is Ole Miss. Or LSU. Or Tennessee. There is even talk of a grand sweep to approximate the golden season of 1942, when Georgia went to the Rose Bowl, Georgia Tech to the Cotton Bowl and Alabama to the Orange Bowl. Challenging the sovereignty of the SEC in the South for 1962 will be at least two teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference—Maryland and Duke—and the section's prime independent, Miami.
Because of Bryant, there will be more than the usual preoccupation with defense in the South, but not necessarily to the exclusion of change. There will, for example, be expanded use of the three-team system, with inspirational nomenclature—Tom Nugent of Maryland calls his three units the M Squad (first team), the Gangbusters (defensive specialists) and the Hustlers (offense). Bryant and Mississippi's Johnny Vaught are using their halfbacks interchangeably, as the situation demands, rather than designating some as right half, others as left. Some teams in the ACC are abandoning the Oklahoma 5-4 defense in favor of the pros' four-man front and combining zone with man-to-man coverage in the secondary. Duke has a double lonely end. Wake Forest will use wingbacks in motion. Nugent of Maryland will try anything. Andy Gustafson's stylings at Miami, keyed to more sophisticated Orange Bowl crowds, are strictly pro type.
Though their theories are often similar, the successful coaches of the South are remarkably different. There have been more character types in this section than there are in the Woodworth & Marquis college psychology text. Bryant is aloof and impenetrable. Dodd is a southern aristocrat ("In Dodd We Trust!" cry the citizens—or at least the publicists—of Atlanta). Paul Dietzel, who won his spurs at LSU before taking up with Army, woos and wins with an on-stage personality and sophomoric zeal, though his defensive tactics are as drab as the next. Tom Nugent is an engaging, perpetual-motion pitch man, and a nonconformist (he plays offense). Vaught of Ole Miss and well-dressed Ray Graves of Florida are organization men of a Madison Avenue cut. Frank Howard of Clemson is an unreconstructed hillbilly whose mark is a disheveled appearance and a corn-pone philosophy.
As Bryant suggests, Dodd of Georgia Tech has the best of the best material this year. "We've never had more good backs since I've been at Tech [32 years]," says Dodd himself. These include the admired sophomore with the undeniable name, Jefferson Davis. Davis, says one Tech coach, "has a fascination for the goal line." Much to Bryant's discomfort, Alabama was voted No. 1 by the SEC coaches, but this was before it lost Fullback Mike Fracchia by injury. 'Bama and Ole Miss can't quite equal Tech's manpower, but neither do they have to play Tech's rugged schedule. Alabama doesn't play much of anybody until it gets to Tennessee on Oct. 20. By then Bryant will be rolling. LSU's new coach, Charlie McClendon, was left scads of fine players by Dietzel (as Dietzel often reminds people), including a great halfback, Jerry Stovall. Ole Miss faces a modest rebuilding job with such monoliths as 260-pound tackle Jim Dunaway to cushion a possible fall. Tennessee, Auburn and Florida will be dangerous for anybody.
In the Atlantic Coast, a league of fine quarterbacks, it is Coach Bill Murray's remodeled Duke T with two quarterbacks (Walt Rappold and Gil Garner) over Maryland and its one (Dick Shiner). Resurgent West Virginia easily outstrips the Southern Conference. Independent Miami has the best quarterback in the South, perhaps in the country, in George Mira, but also has an impossible schedule. The top five: 1) Georgia Tech, 2) Alabama, 3) LSU, 4) Duke, 5) Miami and Ole Miss (tie).
Alabama
Bear Bryant, a dour man, drawled recently, "I must be one of the worst recruiters in America, I'm so bad, I've about given up." The other Southeastern coaches should have it so bad. Bryant will start at quarterback with Joe Namath, the country's leading schoolboy passer two years ago. He will also have Ray Ogden, a 6-foot-5, 218-pound halfback, and brilliant Center-Linebacker Gaylon McCollough, sophomores, too. These three, along with a large contingent of other first-year men, red-shirts and junior college transfers, fill out a squad already thick with game-winners. If there is one weakness, it is at fullback, where Mike Fracchia, the SEC's leading rusher last year, was expected to pick up where he left off in 1961. Fracchia injured his knee in practice and probably will miss the season. Defense, never a problem with Bryant-coached teams, could be better than it was last year when the Crimson Tide was the NCAA leader, allowing only 22 points.
CONCLUSION: For Bear Bryant, winning is as inevitable as the tide. Alabama could remain undefeated through one more season.
Auburn
With almost a complete turnover from last year's starting team, Auburn either could be good or quite bad. It probably will be good. Coach Ralph Jordan has left Fullback Larry Rawson, the team's most effective ballcarrier (448 rushing yards in 1961), and Jim Burson, a hard-to-shake defensive back who last season intercepted four passes. He also has a big, physically able squad. Tackles George Gross and Joe Baughan, both over 240 pounds, set a large-sized standard for the solid if still unpolished front. Quarterback Mailon Kent has a nice passing touch and a couple of towering targets in Ends Howard Simpson (6 feet 5) and sophomore Bucky Waid (6 feet 3). Should Kent falter or Jordan switch to a running game, then sophomore Jim Sidle will operate the spread T. The man he'll hand off to most is sophomore Tucker Frederickson, a 213-pound former high school All-America and the freshman wonder of the SEC.
CONCLUSION: The Tigers are just too new to win everything, but they'll be troublesome—even for Georgia Tech and Alabama.
Citadel
For The Citadel and Coach Eddie Teague, both firm believers that tough-minded soldier-students win the tight ball game, 1962 may prove a disappointment. While the team won five of seven games by a total of 18 points last year, few of the current Bulldogs got into the games. There will be 10 new starters in the unbalanced T offense, which will be tailored to long gaining plays rather than grind-it-out football. The reason is Quarterback Sid Mitchell, a senior with an inconsistent past but a talent for touchdown passes (five in 20 completions in 1961), and an abundance of agile receivers. The best are End Charlie Brendle (20 catches for 303 yards and 4 TDs in 1961) and fast, sure-handed Backs Nick DiLoreto, Ed Taylor and LeRoy Brinson. The line, built around the lone returning first-team man, Guard Gene Dice, nevertheless seems weak only at left tackle, where John Evans will start unless a better sophomore comes along.
CONCLUSION: The Kaydets may end as men, but not this season, when patience will prove more valuable than theories.
Clemson
Like a two-headed monster, Clemson's superb quarterback tandem of Joe Anderson and Jim Parker can upset the most determined defenses. Last year, alternating at quarter, the two accounted for 1,816 yards. Designed to produce quick scores, Coach Frank Howard's version of the split T is loaded with flankers, slots, men in motion and topped by split ends. The offense gains some of its effectiveness from the power running of Mack Matthews (when he is scholastically eligible), and the end sweeps of elusive Elmo Lam. Lam led the team with a 5.4-yard rushing average in 1961, caught 17 passes for 237 yards and returned eight punts for 179 yards and a touchdown. The line as always is big, although not as big as last year's. It is faster, however, and this should be a help. The punting of Ed Werntz is excellent 40.2-yard average, ninth best in the country—but the linebacking is untried and this could be a serious problem.
CONCLUSION: The Tigers should better 1961's record but they are not deep enough to overcome the likes of Maryland and Duke.
Davidson
Davidson's fortunes will rise and fall with the readings on two medical charts those of two bright halfbacks, sophomore Tommy Worrall and Alex Gibbs, the team's leading ground-gainer and its best pass catcher last year. Both were laid low in preseason practice, and if either or both continue to be gimpy-legged, the effectiveness of Coach Bill Dole's tight T offense will be seriously cramped. Earl Cole, the sharp-passing quarterback (759 yards and eight touchdowns last season), may compensate for the undermanned running game, although the graduation of the first five ends on the 1961 team complicates matters. While no adequate replacement has been found for the tight end position, Steve Heckard, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, should fill the need at split end. Fortunately, the interior line, led by Tackle Eddie Crutchfield and Guard Russell Walls, is well balanced and should acquit itself neatly, while keeping the scores close.
CONCLUSION: The Wildcats have a continuing problem—getting along in bigger, faster company. They will always suffer some.
Duke
Bill Murray has what amounts to a coach's pat hand. Eight men from the first unit and six from the second are back from the 1961 championship team. So free has he been from the usual lineup anxieties, in fact, that he devoted the off season to inventing a new offense, the Duke T, which develops single wing power for his wide T formation sweeps. It might just be tailor-made for Jay Wilkinson, the punt return specialist who is now a left halfback. For the last two years the team has had the most effective passing in the country. It should again. Alternating at quarterback, Walt Rappold, the better runner, had a 56.3 completion percentage and seven touchdowns in 1961 and Gil Garner a 65.2 percentage and five touchdowns. Halfbacks Wilkinson and Mark Leggett, Duke's strongest runner, and End Pete Widener are the best of a large group of outstanding receivers. The line is light but first rate.
CONCLUSION: Duke will make a strong run for a record third straight Atlantic Coast championship and national ranking.
Florida
It is hard to gain in a conference jammed at the top with the likes of Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia Tech, but Florida shows obvious signs of being ready for a big leap up. Thick with talent, the squad has been bunched into three equally powerful units. Coach Ray Graves favors powerful running and rigid defense. This he has with 12 good lettermen backs returning, a possible All-America guard in transfer Jack Katz and all-SEC End Russ Brown. Still standing between the Gators and a championship is the lack of one brilliant back. Graves hopes he has the man in Dick Skelly, a 207-pound halfback who has exceptional power and speed. If he does, Skelly will take the pressure off Quarterback Larry Libertore, the imaginative and exciting 138-pound sleight-of-hand artist who is a marvel on the option but whose passing under pressure has ranged from sad to worse. Last year he completed only 18 tosses and had seven interceptions.
CONCLUSION: Florida will be good enough to go to some bowl, and that is a move in the right direction.
Florida State
Zane Grey could have written last year's road history of Florida State. Four of the five times the Seminoles strayed from the reservation they were massacred. The fifth time they drew. This year's team is being called the school's finest, but it meets Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Auburn, Miami and Kentucky—all away. State should be ambushed good and plenty. The line lacks major size and strength, particularly at the tackles. At ends, John Wachtel and John McConnaughhay have shown defensive stability but only the barest aptitude for running successful pass patterns. Hardest to dent is the middle, backed by superb Guard Gene McDowell, who in a single game last year made 17 unaided tackles. Coach Bill Peterson has slick sleight-of-hand Quarterback Ed Feely, and burly Back Keith Kinderman can make the tough yards needed for the first down. The backfield, however, has no breakaway speed.
CONCLUSION: With that road schedule, even good sophomores won't help the Seminoles beyond a fifty-fifty season.
Furman
In an era of immodest, flashy offenses, Coach Bob King, a modest, undemonstrative man, says: "We'll run a little and pass a little." Not a coach's characteristic poor-mouthing, this is King's realistic analysis of a team whose strength is in balance rather than brilliance. The squad has ability if little experience in its backfield; only Left Halfback John Cook played as a regular last season. The others. Quarterback Elton Brunty, Right Halfback Sam Pickens and Fullback George Rapinchuk, were only briefly exposed in 1961's games. Even so, they will move the ball well—for short gains at least—if the burly line continues to make those strong, certain blocks. Fundamentalists at heart, the Paladins prefer defense to offense, and on a squad well grounded in the art of tackling and the efficacy of hounding passers and pass catchers, no one is more able than the pair of 240-pound tackles, Olin Hill and Joe Monti.
CONCLUSION: Heavy on defense, light on offense, Furman may still score enough to win all but two games.
G. Washington
With lettermen at every position, the Colonials are reasonably hopeful of improving on their lamentable 3-6 effort of last year. Halfback Dick Drummond, the leading interpreter of Coach Jim Camp's cut-and-run offense, is ably abetted by Halfback Bill Pashe and Fullback Jim Johnson, who are dedicated to making the backfield both durable and fast. The three form the nucleus of what is essentially a running team. The line, with plenty of good reserves behind the very solid middle manned by Center George Stone and Guards Gary Scollick and Art Gubitosa, unfortunately suffers from some obvious weaknesses. Several linemen were shifted to gain more reserve oomph at the tackles, but the moves didn't help the end situation, which remains wobbly. Nor did they clear up the tackle situation, which also is somewhat snaffled. There is hope, though, in sophomores Ray Cushman, a big man at 230 pounds, and Michigan transfer Don Periello.
CONCLUSION: Mentally tough, the Colonials need only a brace of additional backfield starters to be as rugged on the field.
Georgia
Coach John Griffith will be satisfied with as little as modest success. But even this seems beyond the ability of his defanged Bulldogs. With 14 lettermen gone—six of them starters—the team was further beset by a serious injury to a key player, Len Hauss. Without the 220-pound center, the interior line woefully lacks depth and experience. Only at end, where he has Mickey Babb (6 feet 4, 227 pounds) and Ray Clark (212 pounds), can Griffith derive any comfort. Both men loom large in Georgia's T formation, concentrated as it is on the passing of Quarterback Larry Rakestraw (68 completions for 710 yards and 131 yards rushing in 1961). The halfbacks are undistinguished, but the running game may improve if 196-pound sophomore Fred Barber makes the switch from half to fullback successfully. All three of Georgia's victories last year came on field goals by Durward Pennington. He is gone. His loss may be the most critical of all.
CONCLUSION: Georgia's chances rest too heavily on ifs. In the Bulldogs' rough milieu, there is no room for might-have-beens.
Georgia Tech
Coach Bobby Dodd likes a relaxed atmosphere. He also likes to give all of his boys a chance to play. Each year, as a consequence, he has a backlog of experienced players to fill in the first-team ranks. This year he lost 25 lettermen, yet he still has 26 returning. If anything, the replacements are bigger and more skillful than their predecessors. Six-foot-4, 226-pound Billy Martin moves up to team at end with another junior, pro-sized Ted Davis. And the center of the line, with its strength focused at guard, is Dodd's most menacing ever. Here two likely All-Americas, Dave Watson and Rufus Guthrie, block and tackle with unmatched effectiveness. Tech's pro-set formation will not be hobbled by the loss of the team's leading receivers and breakaway backs. Thanks to Dodd's forward look, a herd of fast backs is ready to run the quick openers and catch the sure passes thrown by Quarterbacks Stan Gann and Billy Lothridge.
CONCLUSION: Relaxed football's strongest advocate this side of a de-emphasized campus has come up with a barn-burner.
Kentucky
After five seasons of patient losing, Kentucky wanted a winner. Blanton Collier was out as head coach, and Charlie Bradshaw, a no-nonsense disciple of Paul Bryant, was in. While Bradshaw isn't promising a championship, he has said he will play tough, Bryant-style football, stressing running and a strong defense. But he may not get the chance. On the 35-man squad, only 17 are lettermen. At least two sophomores, Guard Terry Clark and Halfback Phil Pickett, are likely starters. The best of his returnees, all undistinguished runners, play an excellent passing game. Quarterback Jerry Woolum, a fine thrower, has Ends Tom Hutchinson, who caught 32 passes in 1961 for 543 yards and made the all-SEC team, and Dave Gash (16 catches) and brilliant Halfback Darrell Cox to throw to. The line will be uncertain in the middle. At tackle, Junior Hawthorne and Hersch Turner are outstanding. Their replacements, however, are not.
CONCLUSION: Bradshaw has to win, and to win, the Wildcats have to pass. Even so, they won't beat the best of the SEC.
LSU
How well LSU plays this year will depend directly upon how well it adjusts to life without Paul Dietzel, now at Army. In seven years Coach Dietzel's teams won 45 games. He has left his successor, Charlie McClendon, well fixed, maybe even better fixed than he was in 1961, when the Tigers won 10 games and lost one. They may give up a touchdown or two more this season, but they will score more often, too. Behind a big, fast line (235-pound Tackle Don Estes, for example, is one of the swiftest men on the squad) Quarterback Jimmy Field calls the slot T plays and runs in a most impressive manner. He also passes on occasion, but with all-Southeast Left Half Jerry Stovall (405 yards rushing and 6.2 average in 1961) and 215-pound Right Half Bud Soefker to carry the handoffs, there is precious little need for passing. Should there be, though, the rich Louisianans could call on sophomore Pat Screen, an exceptional passer.
CONCLUSION: LSU's hardest schedule in years is the only thing standing between McClendon and a title the first time out.
Louisville
Looking for major-college recognition, the Cardinals have dropped Western Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee and Tennessee Tech and substituted such status symbols as Tulsa and Wichita. Their timing couldn't be better, for this year they have major players, particularly at tackle, where the amazingly mobile 317-pounder, Ken Kortas, operates. Kortas is aided by some sizable and experienced mates. Ends Don Hockensmith (20 receptions for 392 yards and 6 TDs in 1961) and Tom Montgomery are both 200-pounders who can play offense and defense. The team also has big-league passing. Quarterback John Giles threw 78 completions last year for 1,209 yards and nine touchdowns, then added 137 yards rushing to break Louisville's total offense record, held before by Johnny Unitas. Halfback Lee Calland, when he isn't the assigned pass target (16 catches for 223 yards), is a rousing rusher. Last year he gained 600 yards for a 5.6 average.
CONCLUSION: The new teams on the schedule will discover the small-college tag is a misnomer. So will the rest of the U.S.
Maryland
Usually a lively and loquacious man, Coach Tom Nugent has become strangely silent. This is not extraordinary for football coaches whose squads are loaded and Nugent's Maryland team is just that. In fact, it bulges with the stuff of which national champions are made. As a sophomore last season. Quarterback Dick Shiner completed more than half his passes for 921 yards and seven touchdowns, equaling North Carolina State's All-America, Roman Gabriel. There is an over-supply of strong runners, but quick Tom Brown, who led the team in punt returns and ranked second nationally in pass interceptions, is first in line. And to make it that much easier for all, there is a fierce line, a throwback to the team of the early 1950s. The big men are Tackles Roger Shoals (6 feet 4, 240 pounds) and Dave Crossan (6 feet 2, 220 pounds) and Guard Walter Rock (6 feet 5, 225 pounds). Behind all are the products of an undefeated freshman team.
CONCLUSION: If Nugent has a problem, it is deciding which of his many-splendored Terrapins will play and for how long.
Memphis State
Memphis State will be stronger and faster than last year. The news should be about as welcome at Ole Miss, Mississippi State and The Citadel as a bathtubful of tarantulas. Last year State won eight, lost two. ranked third in the nation in scoring and seventh in total offense. On defense, the Tigers gave up an average of 7.5 points a game and shut out four opponents. Quickness is the key to Coach Bill Murphy's stylish wing T and split T offense, which again will be quarterbacked by smooth Russ Vollmer, who gained 433 yards passing in 1961, 160 running, 280 yards on kickoff returns and punted for an average of 36.1 yards. But he is no one-man gang. Halfback Sonny Parsons (11 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns and a 6.5 rushing average) and Fullback Dave Casinelli (the team's leading ground-gainer with 646 yards) have strong credentials. Defensively, the line is good, and there is a surplus of excellent linebackers.
CONCLUSION: Reserves are the key. If they develop quickly, one or more of the big names is going to feel less important.
Miami
The Hurricanes don't play football; they play suicide. This year and every year recently there has not been a soft touch on the schedule. With six starters gone from 1961's 7-4 team, Coach Andy Gustafson probably could use a patsy. He will have to build a new line out of defensive specialists who have had little exposure to the complex multiple T offense he favors. Luckily, he has aggressive Tackle Stan Maluty and Guard Jerry Reynolds (who broke Miami's alltime tackling record last year) as a base. How well the Hurricanes move the ball will depend upon who Gustafson finds to catch the bullet passes of All-America candidate George Mira (81 completions for 1,000 yards and 8 TDs in 1961). Mira's best receivers—Bill Miller and Larry Wilson—are gone. This leaves the job to Halfbacks Nick Spinelli and John Bahen and last year's defensive ends, Jim Simon and Ben Rizzo. They probably can do it.
CONCLUSION: One of the country's better teams, the Hurricanes must play the best week after week. They will hold their own.
Mississippi
For Coach Johnny Vaught, who almost never loses, the new season may prove sorely testing. He could drop a game. Eight starting players, including several All-Americas from a squad that last season led the nation in offense and was third in defense, have moved on to the pros. Preparing for the worst, Vaught has jammed into his first team the best and biggest of a thin reserve supply and altered the character of his offense. He has made Left Half Chuck Morris a tailback (in his new single wing version of the T), where he can split ball-carrying chores with balky-kneed Fullback Buck Randall. Right Half Lou Guy goes to wingback to provide long-throwing Quarterback Glynn Griffing (10 touchdown completions last year) with a more accessible target. With the changes, the worst may never come, for the Ole Miss line is of the usual Vaught quality, with 260-pound Tackle Jim Dunaway a strong choice for All-America.
CONCLUSION: Vaught will be nervous all season. With an easier schedule than usual, he shouldn't be.
Mississippi State
If nothing else, Mississippi State can claim honestly that it lives up to its nickname-Bulldogs. State regularly tackles the toughest and roughest of the SEC, yet after four years it has only two wins in 23 conference games to show for its tenacity. This year will be different; the Bulldogs have a new man, Paul Davis, at the end of the leash. He was the offensive backfield coach in 1961. The school, for once, might even have two first-rate lines. End Johnny Baker, one of six holdover starters and the team's best lineman, set a State record for receptions last year with 22 catches for 323 yards. Sophomore Guard Pat Watson, a 205-pounder with extremely fast reflexes, will lead the defense. In the backfield, State has one of the SEC's best passers in Charlie Furlow, who already has been drafted by the pros. With good depth at fullback, the Bulldogs lack only a breakaway runner and one or two more receivers.
CONCLUSION: This may be the year when the Bulldogs become worrisome snappers at the heels of their SEC masters.
North Carolina
Coach Jim Hickey is desperate or has supreme confidence in youth. Of his wing T offense starters, four—Guard Clint Eudy, Halfback Ron Jackson, Fullback Ken Willard and Quarterback Gary Black-are sophomores. Since the Tar Heels meet Ohio State, Michigan State and Maryland in their second, third and fourth games, this is like sending raw recruits in at Normandy, Okinawa and the Bulge. Hickey has taken up the three-platoon system to help out. but doesn't really have enough players to fill three platoons. In the line the only starters from last year are Center Joe Craver, a legitimate candidate for all-conference honors, and Tackle Vic Esposito, who is earnest. The rest of the troops will have to come from reserves and new men. The bright spot, all in all, is that sophomore backfield. Skillful operators, Black & Co. should give N.C. more scoring than it had last year. Wide End Bob Lacey makes a likely target for Black's passes.
CONCLUSION: By midseason North Carolina will be down at its tar heels. It will be another, happier, story in 1963.
N. Carolina State
The big man, Roman Gabriel, is gone and so is State's offense. Gabriel's departure may not be such a bad thing. He overshadowed the team. Now there are no stars, at least not of the magnitude of Gabriel, but there is a great sense of responsibility and participation. The blocking, which had been fitful, appeared vigorous this spring. It should be even better in the fall when Bert Wilder is sprung from the Army in time to join 240-pound Sophomore Steve Parker at tackle. A pair of small, untried quarterbacks—Bill Kriger and Jim Rossi—and an uncertainty at end will shift the emphasis from a passing to a running game. Coach Earle Edwards has refashioned the wing T and slotback offense to accommodate the option and roll-out style of his quick quarterbacks and to provide more opportunity for his slashing runners, Fullback Roger Moore and Halfback Tony Koszarsky. The defense is sturdy and the kicking game powerful.
CONCLUSION: This should be a more satisfying season. State can improve on last year's 4-6 record but won't win a title.
Richmond
Richmond has given up trying to take Army. With West Point (and Alabama) off the schedule and with 20 returning lettermen, the Spiders expect a prosperous season. "How well we do," says Coach Ed Merrick, "will depend a great deal on whether Quarterback Mel Rideout has four good games or nine." Rideout, a brilliant but erratic passer, has completed 153 of 360 for 1,712 yards and 11 touchdowns in two years. Quick, skittering John Hilton (17th nationally as a sophomore with 26 catches for 334 yards) and Bob Drobney provide Rideout with outstanding targets at end, and Larry Deco should furnish ample power at fullback. Halfback, now that Earl Stoudt has graduated, is undeniably thin, but the situation may be improved by Stoudt's brother, Ken. He led the freshmen with 36 points and is a breakaway threat in his own right. Big and fast, Tackle John Sheranek heads a large interior line that suffers only from slowness.
CONCLUSION: Richmond will not spread its web so wide as it did in 1961, but it may catch more victories, six possibly.
South Carolina
"South Carolina has three teams: the Stonewalls, the Bushwhackers and the Warhorses. These are all supposed to be different varieties of Gamecocks. But any way you slice them, they're still chicken." That's the view of rival Coach Frank Howard of Clemson. Howard's next view may be at gunpoint, when he faces Marvin Bass's flock Nov. 24. If South Carolina's potent-looking sophomores and transfers develop to match its big-caliber weapons, Jim Moss and Billy Gambrell, the Gamecock rebuttal will be convincing. All-conference last year, Moss is 6 feet 3 inches and 215 pounds of illustrious tackle. Also all-conference, Halfback Gambrell (327 yards rushing, 243 receiving in 1961) is fast and flighty. Fullback Dick Day, last year's leading ground-gainer, and End John Caskey (15 catches, 267 yards) are already a big help. Quarterbacks Deacon Dan Reeves and Black Jack McCather are bright prospects.
CONCLUSION: Chicken or not, the Gamecocks should rank higher in the Atlantic Coast pecking order this season.
Southern Miss.
The Southerners look harmless and ineffectual when viewed from afar. Yet for the past 10 years, Southern Miss has made a habit of either beating the big Southeastern and Atlantic Coast schools or narrowly losing to them. Most have finally gotten the message; they have eased off the schedule, and not a season too soon. A vigorous recruiter and a clever tactician, Coach Thad Vann's team should end within a game either way of last year's 8-2 record, this despite the loss of six of his 1961 starters. Vann has filled the chinks in the starting unit. Using rough-running Halfbacks Jim Havard and John Sklopan as his nucleus, he has installed capable Billy Coleman at quarterback and moved 6-foot-4, 215-pound Center Jerrell Wilson, one of the South's best punters, to fullback. Promising pro 220-pound Harold Hays returns at center, where he will have stronger assistance at the ends and tackles than he did a year ago.
CONCLUSION: Still designated a "small college" team, Southern will prove a comfort to the larger schools it won't play this year.
Tennessee
The Volunteers may well be in need of some volunteers themselves after taking on Auburn, Georgia Tech and Alabama in the first three weeks of the season. Coach Bowden Wyatt has a lot of experienced people, but he also has a spindly starting line that averages 192 pounds. Among his good starters are former Fullback Whit Canale (6 feet 2 inches, 205 pounds), who is now an end, and sophomore Guard Steve DeLong, whose red-dogging is expected to stiffen the Vols' poor pass defense. DeLong's immaturity could be dangerous to the offensive timing, however, and it is the offense where the Vols' real strength lies. Tailback Mallon Faircloth, one of the best backs in the country, completed 31 of 52 passes last year, eight of them for touchdowns, and gained 475 yards rushing. Wayne Waff, a sophomore wing-back with speed, should supply the zip required for the single wing reverses. He also will be a target on deep passes.
CONCLUSION: The tough early going will be too much for the sophomores, but the Volunteers will come on in the late season.
Tulane
New Coach Tommy O'Boyle is either a brave man or foolhardy. Tulane plays four of 1961's top five teams, none of which is appreciably weaker this year. What improvement O'Boyle can expect consists mostly of losing to Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech and LSU by less than last year's combined score—147-0. His biggest aid in fending off the vicious Southeast (plus Texas) will be the 6-foot-2, 220-pound tackle-guard twins, Ernie Colquette and Glenn Holcombe. Sophomore Guard Buck Landry and End Buzz Moen are tough competitors, too, but the line collectively could use karate and still not beat the opposition. Fullback George Cortez, only a sophomore, could be the team's best back, which says something about the rest of the material. Halfbacks Gordon Rush and Terry Terrebonne are fair to adequate, and Quarterback Ted Miller could easily be replaced by sophomore Bob Boisvert or Ronnie Melton, both better passers.
CONCLUSION: If second-class power Tulane continues to schedule the atom-bomb set, there will be no future generations.
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt has twin coaches and twin problems. Head Coach Art Guepe has to worry about a lack of both experience and speed in the line. Fortunately, the sophomores on whom he must rely, End Gary Hart, Tackle Nick Spiak and Guard Tommy Gaudet, are all excellent prospects as is junior Guard Tom Kenny. End Gary Hudson Tackle Mike Reese and Center Jule Crocker, the returnees, are rugged but slow. Guepe's twin brother, Al, in charge of the backfield, has fewer worries. Halfbacks Jeff Starling and Steve Shaw and Fullback Billy Crawford are all strong runners. Starling is an exceptional receiver (he caught 25 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns last season) and Shaw is fast. The real wrinkle-remover is Quarterback Hank Lesesne. A colorful and skillful option runner as well as passer, Lesesne has piled up 1,701 yards total offense in two years. As a dividend, he was the nation's second best punter with a 41.5 average.
CONCLUSION: Somebody has to be last in the SEC. Even with a jolly commodore like Lesesne, Vandy is the choice.
Virginia
Losing seasons bred losing seasons with monotonous regularity at Charlottesville, and nobody, not even the secret Seven Society—that mysterious organization which does noble deeds for the university—could offer relief. Then along came Coach Bill Elias and suddenly the Cavaliers are no joke. In his get-acquainted year, Elias almost had a winner. This year should be even better. Gone is Tackle Ron Gassert, but another big fellow—230-pound transfer Dick Myers—should fill the gap capably. And at the other tackle is even bigger Dave Graham, who may be the best lineman Virginia has ever had. The rest of last year's first-unit line returns intact, and while the reserves are mostly sophomores, for a change they are of good quality. Quarterback Gary Cuozzo, a neat passer, and a quantity of experienced halfbacks will function out of Virginia's wing T, but the attack, lacking up-the-middle power, is that much shy of complete balance.
CONCLUSION: No ACC title yet for the Cavaliers, but a not-too-tough schedule indicates a winning season, the first in 10 years.
VMI
End Kenny Reeder, who tied as the Southern Conference's top receiver last year, is the nimble nucleus of Coach John McKenna's light but potentially fast team. Passing to Reeder will be returning Quarterback Butch Nunnally, who spent most of last season as an understudy. Nunnally is backed by Charlie Snead, a sophomore of considerable potential. Except for center, which is ably filled by husky Charlie Cole, with Bill Tornabene as a helpful replacement, the line is too light to do much damage. Tackles Bill Welsh and Conrad Davis are mean but small, and the entire line, admits Coach McKenna, is too underweight to look anything but erratic on offense. On defense, however, he expects his men to give ground grudgingly. Halfbacks Chuck Beale and Andy Tucker, both former sprinters, are speedy and quick to spot openings. All in all, the Keydets, who faced pretty much the same situation last year, will sputter along on passing.
CONCLUSION: Lacking the poundage for sustained drives, VMI can't expect to improve on its 6-4 record of last year.
Virginia Tech
As is usually the case with the Gobblers, they are somewhat undernourished. Coach Jerry Claiborne has only two seniors on the squad, and neither is the kind of player who wins games. While Aster Sizemore, the extra-point specialist, has done well on short field goals, he doesn't kick long ones. Dave Gillespie at center is often injury-struck. Two intensely eager sophomores stand ready to fill in here: Bob Gregory and Burton Mack Rodgers, a converted tackle. Real strength, however, lies with the line. Tackle Gene Breen, who seems to push all the right buttons for quick reactions, is the big reason. He should provide the drive for both offense and defense. More lumbering than fleet, the backfield could cause Claiborne to lose sleep unless Buddy Weihe plays up to snuff, and sophomore Sonny Utz blossoms as he should. It is still too early to tell about the quarterbacks, where ability is evenly parceled out among three competent players.
CONCLUSION: Prospects are good for at least a break-even season, if the sophomores mature nicely before Thanksgiving.
Wake Forest
The line at Wake Forest is as green as early fall apples, grumbles Coach Billy Hilde-brand, who is in a quandary of sorts. His unseasoned Demon Deacons are once again forced to a running game. But there is good strength at center in 200-pound Farrell Egge, a junior, and hefty Guards Bob Irwin and Bill Shendow. With the line still wobbly about the edges, Coach Hildebrand has his fingers crossed that his many sophomores will ripen fast, before they are altogether squashed by Army and Maryland in their first two games. Sophomore Ralph Brandewiede could fill the gap at quarterback, where regular Wally Bridwell is experienced in defense only. End Steve Warren, another sophomore, is counted on to punt, and Halfback Donnie Frederick is dependable in an otherwise questionable backfield. Wake Forest won two games in '61 on field goals, and, happily, Mickey Walker, who kicked both, is back.
CONCLUSION: Faced with a hard schedule, a slow backfield and few replacements, WF will have a mediocre time of it.
West Virginia
In the mountain fastness of Morgantown, where it has been easier, these past five years, to forget the fall and look ahead to winter and basketball, there is strong talk of a return to winning football. Painstakingly, Coach Gene Corum has pieced together the kind of complete squad that could once again fill Mountaineer Field. There have been setbacks, however. One of them could disrupt the careful timetable: the loss of regular Quarterback Fred Colvard, who left school. Hopefully, Jerry Yost and sophomore Ed Pastilong will do as fill-ins. At the least, they shouldn't cripple the wing T offense. A fast fleet of 200-pound backs—Jim Moss, Tom Woodeshick and Glenn Holton—who can move through a mob of tacklers with the purposefulness of shoppers at a bargain basement will give Southern Conference defenses fits. The line is undistinguished but improved by the addition of powerful sophomore End Milt Clegg.
CONCLUSION: There's bad news for conference foes, but not enough balance to menace Penn State, Pitt or Syracuse.
William & Mary
Offensively, the Indians are bigger, faster and, after last season's 1-9 record, sadly wiser. Guard Eric Erdossy was the biggest loss to the team but he is ably replaced by seasoned Bob Soleau. This means an improvement finally on an old problem, lack of depth. But the defense, which has been shaky, is still weak. Although Coach Milt Drewer worked his men hard on loose six and five-four systems this spring, the results won't show up until the season begins. He is counting most on Soleau and Halfback John Slifka, now out of the Army. Elsewhere, exulting in deep strength, the Indians have: at fullback, Stan Penkunas, who is small but threatening, and Doug Weis, a pushy sophomore; at center, John Gravely and Dick Korns, who are equal in all but experience, where Gravely has the edge; at quarterback, Dan Henning, an accurate passer but slow runner, with Dan Driscoll making up the speed and Dan Armour filling in all-round.
CONCLUSION: The tribe has expanded, and the Indians confidently look forward to a 5-5 season, their best in nine years.
[originallink:10512441:43611]
PHOTO
ILLUSTRATION
SAUL LAMBERT
SOPHOMORE TO WATCH
Tackle Ray Rissmiller Jr. of Georgia University
Ray Rissmiller Jr. is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound farm boy who at 11 was too heavy to play in the 13-and-under league in Raubsville, Pa. Lurking in that hulk of a boy, however, was one quite evident thing: his vast love for football, and another thing not so evident: his remarkable speed. Once the baby fat was gone and the real Ray Rissmiller began to take shape, it was just a matter of time before college scouts learned the way to the Rissmiller farm. A powerful tackle with big feet and hands and huge upper arms and shoulders, he made all-state, then turned down 44 scholarship offers before settling on Georgia ("I liked the warm weather"), where he was named team co-captain and made the all-SEC freshman team. Mississippi Coach Johnny Vaught, among many others, predicts a spectacular career for Rissmiller.