NEW STRENGTH IN OLD QUARTERS
And why, sir," a reporter asked UCLA Coach Bill Barnes (above) one day last spring, "are you changing this year from the proven single wing to the T formation?"
"There are a number of reasons," Coach Barnes, a transplanted Southerner with a soft sense of humor and a soft-sell approach to football, replied. "First the alumni demand it. Then...."
"Say no more," broke in the reporter. "That covers it."
Actually it did not. A subtle change has taken place in Pacific Coast recruiting during the past several years. It stems partly from higher entrance requirements, principally in the Big Six schools, and partly from a new NCAA rule which requires that a football player who enrolls in a junior college must spend two full years there before transferring to a four-year school. "These days we only consider about the top 10% of high school graduating classes," says Barnes. "We used to get boys in the next 15% by way of junior colleges, but so many of them don't want to spend two years in junior college. I look for out-of-state schools with lower requirements and our rising state college system to get these kids. In a decade or so these new state colleges—Los Angeles, Valley State and the like—are going to be heard from. They could be the UCLAs of the '70s."
It was this gradually diminishing supply of recruits, says Barnes, more than irate alumni, that forced the switch from the single wing. "In the single wing," he says, "it was all specialists. You had to have a center who could snap the ball unerringly while upside down. You needed a quarterback who was a vicious blocker, yet fast enough to stay ahead of your backs. You needed a fullback who could spin and pivot like a ballet dancer but had power to rip a line apart. Of course, the tailback was the core of the team. He had to run, pass, kick and even block and he had to be durable enough to stand up under game-to-game pounding. But probably the hardest man to come by was the wingback. He needed a sprinter's speed, the niftiness of a scatback and the strength to block an end or halfback who might go 200 or 220.
"We just couldn't come up with all these men year after year," Barnes adds ruefully. He concedes that UCLA will be a question mark, but he is hopeful. "If we don't get clobbered too hard too early," he says, "we will be a good football team." UCLA plays Ohio State in its first game. It will get clobbered.
Far north of Los Angeles, James Donald Owens, head coach of the University of Washington, has similar problems but he has learned to live with them—so successfully, in fact, that he is building something of an era. In his sixth year at Washington, and still only 35, Owens has won 31 games, lost 19 and tied 2. Twice in the last three years his Huskies have gone to the Rose Bowl, and very likely that is where they will be again this New Year's. The inexorable rise in academic standards has become a challenge to him. "It's like having to pay income tax," he says. "We coaches have a tendency to moan, but tougher academic standards mean you have got to become more selective—and I don't mean you have to be mediocre. If the Big Six has proved anything, it has proved you can have good football right along with good engineering schools."
Owens teaches a system of football that is unique on the Pacific Coast. Its closest counterpart will be found at Alabama, where Bear Bryant holds forth. For six years, Owens was Bryant's assistant at Kentucky and Texas A&M. But where Bryant talks incessantly of defensive football, Owens talks more of a well-balanced game. Granted, Washington teams are noted for tenacious defense and a superbly effective kicking game, but the Huskies don't short-change their offense. "We have more versatility than the Southeast, even more than the Southwest," Owens says, not only of Washington but of all the Big Six teams. "We play a more wide-open game than the Midwest and, with the possible exception of USC, we seem to run to lighter, faster teams." Washington, he might have added, plays a running game—the best in the West.
It has been a long time since the University of Southern California came up with a winner. Nothing less than the Rose Bowl will still the discontent, and even then Coach Johnny McKay will have to keep on winning before he erases remembrance of things past. His job is not promising. "We'll be strong in the departments that attract fans—running, throwing and catching," McKay says with a nervous chuckle, "but weak where football games are won: tackle to tackle." McKay had better get in all the laughs he can now. His Trojans are keyed around the big fullback, Ben Wilson. When he's healthy, Wilson is awfully good, but Wilson has had knee trouble. With Wilson, USC will be a good team, maybe the second best in the conference. Without him, McKay will need a sense of humor.
Across the border, Oregon and Oregon State, at present unwanted in the AAWU, will go their independent way until such time as the conference relents and invites them back. With or without the blessings of the AAWU, Oregon will field one of the strongest teams in its history. The Webfoots are deep and fast, but their schedule is awesome. If the breaks don't go their way, Oregon will have to scramble to get even. Oregon State, which does not have an overabundance of outstanding players, does have a far easier schedule than Oregon's—and it has Terry Baker, the most capable back in the West. The Beavers could surprise everybody.
Heretofore, the best football in the region was inevitably played on the coastal slope, but with the newly formed Western Athletic Conference competing for players, those days are numbered. From the three Southwest schools, Arizona, Arizona State and New Mexico, come some of the speediest backs in the land and a wide-open passing game. Small, swift linemen complemented by big, hard-running backs will be the rage at Wyoming. Utah will unleash a huge line and varied offenses. Only Brigham Young will be weak.
The schools have recruited as many good players as any of the western colleges. They are situated in fast-growing cities where they do not have to compete for dollars with pro football. Last year Wyoming beat North Carolina State and tied Kansas. Utah beat Colorado and Oregon and barely lost to Wisconsin. But better than these may be Utah State, which, despite a three-year record of 23 wins, seven losses and two Skyline co-championships, was not invited to join the WAC. The reasons were two: money and policy. The member schools of the new conference are unconvinced that the Aggies, nestled in lonely Cache Valley, can draw large enough crowds to justify a big-time football program. And then, though nobody will say it openly, they also feel that Utah State's academic and recruiting standards are not, to put a precise point on it, impeccable.
To this Aggie Coach John Ralston, whose very success invites the suspicion of rival coaches, says flatly: "We want in and we're going to prove we deserve to get in." What Ralston wants, he often gets. Don't bet against him. The West's top five: 1) Washington, 2) Oregon, 3) Utah State, 4) USC, 5) Wyoming.
Air Force
The Falcons, who earned their wings by throwing the ball relentlessly, are now, by necessity, out to prove that a good T team doesn't have to subsist on passing alone. Without a first-class thrower, Coach Ben Martin will shift the emphasis to the running game and hope to wear down a few teams with sheer power. For the new attack, Martin has shifted Halfback Terry Isaacson, a fiery runner and one of the nation's finest punters, to quarterback and moved Fullback Nick Arshinkoff to half, making room for sophomore Larry Tollstam, who has deceptive speed inside or out. Martin is satisfied with his seasoned first line, especially Ends Skinny Simpson and Dick Brown and Tackles Jim Lang and Gil Achter, but his reserve strength is in the unpredictable hands of sophomores. Until they mature, it will be up to Linebackers Dave Sicks and Joe Rodwell, who will wild-card on defense, to catch the backs sifting through guard.
CONCLUSION: Not even a new $3.5 million stadium can hide the Falcons' passing deficiencies, which will cost them dearly.
Brigham Young
Coach Hal Mitchell spent a wretched year watching his Cougars get chewed up in the Skyline Conference. Despite some startling offensive machinations, they don't figure to do much better in the new and tougher Western Athletic Conference. After tinkering with his single wing, Mitchell has something that looks more like the short punt. With three tailbacks in the same backfield, the device could work. Eldon Fortie, last year's No. 1 ground-gainer, remains at tailback, while sophomore Kent Nance, a powerful 193-pound Californian sought after by almost everybody, goes to fullback and Doran Merkley, a nifty pass grabber, to wingback. However, the Cougars lack a passer who can get the ball to Merkley and the swift ends, Lloyd Smith and Dick Wood. The defense, battered for 289 points last year, will have to do battle in 1962 with even lighter forwards. The only safe spot is at center, where Mike Brady will hold his own.
CONCLUSION: For all of Mitchell's innovating, no bite will reinforce the Cougars' snarl. The defense is far too mild.
California
It isn't often that a coach can muster a smile when his varsity gets clobbered. Cal's Marv Levy did, though—and added a little jig in spring practice as last year's unbeaten freshmen humiliated his 1961 starters 38-28. Hopefully, the best of the yearlings—swift Halfbacks Tom Blanchfield, Tyrone Price, Greg Palamountain and Dennis Peacocke, 225-pound Fullback Mike Epstein and agile 220-pound Tackles Ross Welch and Jim Pinson—will move up in a hurry to help old standbys like Quarterback Randy Gold, the lifeline of the scraggly Bears last year, Halfback Alan Nelson and Ends Ron Vaughn and Bill Turner. To stabilize the defense, Levy has remade the middle, shifting Guard Roger Stull to center and Fullback Jim Anderson to guard to team up with John Erby. He will make better use of his new backs by switching his wing T into a balanced line (more mobility that way) and his defense into the Oklahoma 5-4 (better coverage).
CONCLUSION: Everything would be just ducky for the Californians if it weren't for that oppressive schedule.
Colorado State
After 16 straight losses, Colorado State did what comes naturally. It fired Coach Tuffy Mullison and brought in Mike Lude, an impressionable young man who studied at the foot of wing T master Dave Nelson for 11 years at Delaware. Lude hasn't wasted any time. He rounded up 25 junior college transfers to augment 20 returning lettermen, switched players around in spring practice and began teaching them the fundamentals of the Nelson system. Unfortunately, he found more enthusiasm than skill. Except for Curtis Threatt, a smallish (205 pounds) tackle, John Cook, shifted from center to guard, and End John Nelson, the line is tacky. The offense is even less fearsome. With converted Fullback Bill Wrenn, an ineffective passer, at quarter, and Ken Cullars, the only back fast enough to break away, the Rams' best offensive weapon may well be punter Roy Schubert, who averaged 40 yards a kick.
CONCLUSION: Independents now that the Skyline Conference has folded, the Rams can feel consoled: they can't finish last.
Idaho
Opposing teams did more than just scandalize the Vandals last year. They also persuaded Coach Skip Stahley to devote full time to his duties as athletic director. Now Dee Andros, a member of Bud Wilkinson's famed Oklahoma Class of 1950 (others: Darrell Royal, Jim Owens, Jack Mitchell), has assumed the headaches that go with Idaho football. His most pressing problem is the defense, which gave up 351 points in 1961: there seems little hope for immediate relief. Center Bob Ames and Guards Darwin Doss and Don Matthews can handle the middle, but inexperienced ends and tackles leave the outside vulnerable. The offense is better. Andros can call on fast halfbacks like Ron Kulm, Bob Johnson and sophomore sprinters Joe Chapman and Bill Boatright to stir up his multiple T, while the quarter backing should improve with junior Gary Mires, a good option runner, battling little Gary Gagnon, a better passer, for the job.
CONCLUSION: The Vandals haven't had a winning season since 1938. A still-spongy defense will keep their record intact.
Montana
There are enough returning lettermen left to give the de-emphasized Grizzlies a respectable appearance—on paper only. The trouble is, they weren't good enough to win for Coach Ray Jenkins last year and they probably won't be much better this year. Except for the ends, which will be adequately protected by Bill Bouchee and Dick Huse, the line will have more holes than a rusted strainer. The guards and tackles, even the experienced Jack Shevalier and Gene Moe, aren't big enough or mean enough to scare anyone and the incoming sophomores need time to learn. With an untested passer in Quarterback Bill Stack, Jenkins' only hope for survival lies with his running backs. Halfback Terry Dillon, Fullback Ron Werba and Pat Dodson, a lithe 9.7 sprinter who was injured most of last season, could stir up some real excitement—if they can escape the tacklers who are sure to pour through the Grizzly line.
CONCLUSION: A somewhat softer schedule will help, but MSU still must face most of the old Skyline foes—and that's murder.
Oregon
Coach Len Casanova finds himself in an odd predicament. He has one of the nation's fastest and best halfbacks in Mel Renfro, an All-America tackle in Steve Barnett and comfortable depth almost all over. Yet, because of a trying schedule, he is only hopeful. The 252-pound Barnett, 220-pound Ron Snidow, the other tackle, 220-pound Guard Mickey Ording, and 225-pound Center Bill Swain will provide a smothering defense. And the exciting Renfro, with his tremendous speed (9.6 for the 100), will power the fluid spread T. Renfro isn't the only Duck who can fly. Lu Bain is a 9.9 sprinter and transfer H. D. Murphy runs the 440 in 47.6. Even Fullback Jim Josephson is fast enough to be a wide threat. Casanova, however, still needs a quarterback to channel his swifties. Doug Post, who held the position last year, is inclined to make mistakes. The best may be Bob Berry, a daring sophomore who was out of school last year.
CONCLUSION: Despite softness at end and quarter, the Ducks will be stern on defense, exciting on offense—if Renfro stays fit.
Oregon State
For a man who was so confirmed a single wing disciple, Coach Tommy Prothro has swung way to the left. It began last year with the wing T. Now, with a line that may be more scrambled than scrambling, Prothro will spread his attack even wider. A slotback and split end will be on one side, a wingback on the other and talented Quarterback Terry Baker will roll out often on the pass-run option. The heart of the Beaver offense, Baker ran and passed for 1,230 yards last year. But he needs help. It could come from Left Half Leroy Whittle, who suddenly began to run hard in spring practice, and End Vernon Burke, a tall, 200-pound transfer red-shirt with good moves and very sure hands. The rest of the line is worrisome. Except for Guards Ross Cariaga and George Gnoss, it was swept clean by graduation. Center will be a weak spot and the new tackles, Jim Funston (225), Jeff Harris (203) and sophomore Dave Gould (235), have a lot to learn.
CONCLUSION: Without its usual strength up front, State will still hope for the best—which could be surprisingly good.
San Jose State
Last year's Spartans were a porous lot. Their line spread like syrup and their backs spent a good part of the time admiring the talents of enemy pass receivers. These idiosyncrasies cost them 27 touchdowns and would have been disastrous except that State had Chon Gallegos, the nation's No. 1 passer. Now Gallegos and his two favorite receivers are gone. Coach Bob Titchenal has been in this kind of a bind before. Usually he has managed to turn up a thrower. This year it could be Dave Bonillas or Rand Carter, a strong-armed junior college transfer, or Bob Kane who will provide the air support for Fullback Johnny Johnson's quick thrusts up the middle or Halfback Walt Roberts' outside runs. The prospects in the line are less promising. Outside of Tackles Walt Firstbrook (230) and Joe Gibbons (220) and Guard Bob Bass (232), there isn't enough bulk to meet the demands of a stepped-up schedule.
CONCLUSION: Junior college transfers will help tidy the defense, but without passing it will be truly a Spartan existence.
Stanford
Coach Jack Curtice, a fast man with a quip when he is losing, didn't have to be quite so funny last year. His Indians won four games. This year, with linemen as broad as an elephant's beam, they should put up stiffer resistance. From tackle to tackle, where Frank Atkinson (236) and Al Hildebrand (225) are backed up by even larger Chuck Buehler (254) and Dick Leeuwenburg (245), Stanford averages 226 pounds. Center C. B. Simons, moved over from tackle, is 230 and Guards Marv Harris and Frank Dubofsky are 220. They will get defensive help from Ends Steve Pursell and Frank Patitucci. However, Curtice is concerned about his spread wing T, which needs speed to be devastating. Quarterback Clark Weaver, a Colorado transfer who won the job from Steve Thurlow in the spring, throws the ball in the Curtice tradition and he isn't afraid to take off on the roll-out and option, but the other backs are more plodding than prancing.
CONCLUSION: The young Indians may not be too frisky, but that line will hide a lot of deficiencies—and win more games.
UCLA
It was a long time coming, but Coach Billy Barnes finally shucked the old UCLA single wing. However, his new splitback T, a smorgasbord of many brands, is still built on solid single wing blocking. Barnes's most pressing problem is to find a quarterback to run it. Ezell Singleton is the best bet, along with Carl Jones, a slightly built red-shirt. The running game is on better footing. Mike Haffner, who rushed for 703 yards in 1961, and Kermit Alexander, a fast-breaking 9.8 sprinter, are the standouts. And there are still enough experienced players left to man a reasonably strong first line. The middle, with Center Andy Von Sonn flanked by converted blocking Back John Walker and Joe Bauwens, won't give easily, while two big sophomores, Randy Schwartz and Kent Francisco, lend support to Tackles Tony Fiorentino and Phil Oram. Then there is Mel Profit, the 6-foot-5 end, who will get a chance to grab some passes this fall.
CONCLUSION: With few reserves in the line and lacking a notable passer, the restyled Bruins will end up far from the Rose Bowl.
University of Pacific
Bothered by dwindling gate receipts and losing scores, the Tigers tried a year of deemphasized football. The experiment didn't take. Washington State and Oregon State are back on the schedule, and Coach John Rohde thinks he has enough large and able bodies around to compete with them. No wonder. His interior line will be one of the biggest, if not the best, in the West. From tackle to tackle, it averages a bulging 230 pounds, and Tackles Don Shackleford (240), a rousing hand-fighter, and Roy Williams (235), Guards John Gamble (240) and Bob Scardina (205) and Center Ray Raffo (230) won't be easily budged. With this kind of protection, junior Quarterback John Alsup, a clever wing T manipulator, should have no trouble getting off the passes so necessary to set up the belly series strikes of Halfbacks Greg Stikes, Aaron Youngblood and Bob Reed, who runs the 100 in 9.7, and 220-pound Fullback Lionel Sequeira.
CONCLUSION: Pacific's "year of reorientation" is over. The big, fast Tigers are ready to prowl for bigger game.
USC
The men of Troy are plotting a reversal for their Big Six rivals. Their plan is to counterattack with a dazzling offense, then make off with the Rose Bowl plans while the others count broken hopes. It might work. The Trojan attacking weapons are impressive. Quarterbacks Pete Beathard, a slippery runner and accurate passer, and Bill Nelsen, who does both almost as well, will aim their shifting T passes at End Hal Bedsole, a 6-foot-5 230-pounder who can run patterns with anyone, while Halfback Willie Brown runs to the outside. USC will be really impressive if Fullback Ben Wilson, a smashing 225-pounder who underwent a knee operation last spring, is back in shape. However, the defense needs some tightening. Coach Johnny McKay hopes to find help among his sizable junior college transfers. The most likely candidates: Larry Sagouspe, a 227-pound linebacker, Armando Sanchez, a stocky center, and Tackle Gary Kirner.
CONCLUSION: If the uncertain defense develops quickly enough, those Trojan backs will give Washington a race to Pasadena.
Utah
Coach Ray Nagel is far from bashful when it comes to appraising his Utes: he flatly calls them the best ever at Utah. Nagel's reasoning appears sound. He has the linemen for his lay-'em-out game and, in Gary Hertzfeldt, a quarterback who passes with the best. Dave Costa, a 245-pound tackle, is reputedly the most feared lineman in the West; 221-pound Pat Stillman, the other tackle, is only a shade less destructive; End Marv Fleming, who packs 225 pounds and stretches 6 feet 5, has the long, grasping arms to gather in passes; and Roy Jefferson, a lean sophomore with good hands, brings security to the other end. On the attack, Hertzfeldt's precise passing and sturdy Fullback Doug Wasko's inside-tackle bursts will assure ample diversification for Nagel's multiple T. The only apparent weakness is at halfback, but nimble transfers Sam Wicks and Mike Davis are expected to take care of that small problem before too long.
CONCLUSION: Despite Nagel's refreshing frankness, the Utes still must meet Wyoming. Nagel hasn't beaten the Cowboys yet.
Utah State
Last year the Aggies led the nation in scoring and rushing defense, were second in total defense and third in total offense and rushing. There has been no tailing off, either in number or quality, of linemen and backs. Coach John Ralston has so many good ends that it was no trouble at all to release 235-pound Lionel Aldridge for duty at tackle, where he will share the exacting blocking chores with 260-pound red-shirt Bill Williamson. A firm middle, led by 235-pound Jim Smith, will discourage most ballcarriers. The attack is just as forbidding. Fullback, the key to Ralston's variable T, has durable Charlie Claybaugh and Larry Campbell, a 220-pound transfer, for sheer power and Ray Harward for speed. Quarterbacks Bill Munson and Jim Turner can flip short passes or run, while a bevy of light-footed halfbacks—Terry Cagaanan, Larry Bryan, red-shirt Darrell Roberts and transfer Dick Austin—are available for outside runs.
CONCLUSION: That 229-pound line will be a terrifying sight for Aggie foes. Ralston can expect another fine season.
Washington
A fence-mending year over, the Huskies are ready to corral the Rose Bowl. After all, they haven't been there in two years. Coach Jim Owens once again has the kind of linemen he likes so well—tall, rangy and mobile—and the fast, overpowering backs for his almost fanatic ball-control game. Among the best of 23 returning lettermen are such linemen as Ray Mansfield, a burly 235-pound center, and Rod Scheyer, a bushwhacking 212-pound tackle. Owens has made some adjustments designed to jog up his swing T. Fullback Jim Stiger, last year's leading rusher, and Halfback Bob Monroe have switched jobs, and Charlie Mitchell, the zippiest runner of them all, takes over as the man-in-motion wingback. From that position he can bedevil the opposition even more with his swiftness and exasperating sleight of foot. The quarterbacking looks better since sophomore Bill Douglas, a poised passer and runner, moved ahead of Pete Ohler.
CONCLUSION: The road to Pasadena has its obstacles—like USC—but a typically careful defense will see the Huskies through.
Washington State
The news last June that State had been smuggled into the AAWU as the sixth member was greeted in Pullman both with favor and apprehension. The rumor among the increasingly restless natives is that Coach Jim Sutherland must win this year or be sacrificed. Despite vigorous recruiting that brought in 19 junior college transfers, there are serious doubts that Sutherland can win. His Cougars will be exciting, though. They still have Hugh Campbell, the elusive end who has been the nation's leading pass receiver (119 grabs and 15 touchdowns for the past two years), and Dave Mathieson to throw to him. But Mathieson may have to give way to Dale Ford, a tall sophomore who has already shown that he can pass and run. The rest of the attack, with Fullback George Reed and Halfbacks Gary Lewis and Ken Graham to move out of the flanker T, will be as flamboyant as ever. But the line, with only two starters back, will be hurting.
CONCLUSION: Improved as they are, the Cougars aren't likely to win often enough to placate the hungry partisans.
Wyoming
Let those in the recently formed Western Athletic Conference who took heart when Coach Bob Devaney defected to Nebraska now take heed. New Cowboy Coach Lloyd Eaton has an ample supply of small but quick linemen and Brahma bull-type backs. In his words: "We're like a cowboy with a sack of Bull Durham; we've got the makins." The typically spare but tough line is led by Guard Bill Levine, a fierce tackier and blocker, Tackle Don Quinn, the biggest lineman at 210 pounds, and End Lonnie Dunn. Eaton has added a balanced line to Devaney's multiple T, but the emphasis is still on power charges, traps and bootlegs, with perhaps a little more passing by Quarterbacks Mike Wright, who sat out last year with a leg injury, and Jim Hill. They will spread the way for stubby Mike Walker, who looks like a 205-pound fireplug but moves like a sprinter, Fullback Rick Desmarais and sophomore Halfback Rod Morris.
CONCLUSION: The Cowboys are impressive indeed. With a favorable home schedule, they are the team to beat for the new WAC title.
[originallink:10512436:43611]
ILLUSTRATION
SAUL LAMBERT
PHOTO
SOPHOMORE TO WATCH
Quarterback Dale Ford of Washington State
Coach Jim Sutherland's wide-open flanker T demands a quarterback who can run with the ball or throw it, and Dale Ford, a rangy, 6-foot-3 200-pounder who peers at the world through contact lenses, fits the system like a pair of stretch ski pants. A homebred product of Olympia (Wash.) High School, where he was all-state in football and basketball, he has good instincts as a play-caller and an uncanny knack for inspiring leadership. This was apparent last fall when his spectacular passing and running carried an otherwise lackluster WSU freshman team to an unbeaten season. He completed more than half his passes, and against Oregon State threw for three touchdowns. Ford's soft, feathery tosses off the roll-out and his long strides will gain plenty of ground for the Cougars this year, who need all the help they can get.