FOOTBALL'S WEEK
THE MIDWEST
THE TOP THREE:
1. ILLINOIS (5-0-1)
2. OKLAHOMA (5-1)
3. OHIO STATE (4-1-1)
The Big Ten leaders—ILLINOIS, OHIO STATE and MICHIGAN STATE—were nervously bracing for the stretch run to the Rose Bowl. The best bet to win: Ohio State, which, thoughtfully, arranged the easiest schedule.
As usual, the masterminding in the Big Ten was intense. Illinois' Pete Elliott planned to go wide against Purdue, but the wise Boilermakers spoiled his plans when they sent their monster linebacker with the man in motion. It was the nicest thing that could have happened to the Illini. Fullback Jim Grabowski went careening up the middle for 99 yards and three touchdowns, and Purdue's strategy collapsed like a soggy bag. Illinois won 41-21.
Ohio State's Woody Hayes was just as full of little surprises. When his Buckeyes got into trouble against Iowa, Woody switched Tom Barrington, his new 208-pound sophomore quarterback, to left half. Barrington churned through the Hawkeyes for 44 yards in a 73-yard drive that ended with Fullback Matt Snell going over from the three. Ohio State won 7-3. Where will Barrington play next week? "Buy a program and see," chortled Hayes, that old legerdemainist.
Michigan State's Duffy Daugherty was less guileful. After his Spartans spotted Wisconsin a 7-6 lead and then lost their quarterback, Steve Juday, with an injury, Duffy sent in Dick Proebstle and hoped for the best. He got it. The big MSU line pushed the Badgers around dreadfully and Proebstle took the Spartans in for three touchdowns as Michigan State won 30-13.
Michigan's Bump Elliott borrowed a pass-rush defense from Michigan State and beat Northwestern with it 27-6. Minnesota, magnanimous to a fault, gave up the ball six times on fumbles and interceptions and grateful INDIANA took the game 24-6.
Army and NAVY mounted a small-scale invasion of the Midwest and came away pleased. In Chicago, Army went at Air Force with Coach Paul Dietzel's good old ball-control football. Even when the Falcons went ahead 10-7 with six minutes to go, the Cadets played their game. They powered 48 yards to the Air Force 17, and on fourth and two Halfback Ken Waldrop, who had scored earlier, barreled in to win for Army 14-10. At South Bend, Navy's Roger Staubach prodded stodgy Notre Dame off balance with his pretty passes (for two touchdowns), Fullback Pat Donnelly bombed away at the middle, and the Irish succumbed 35-14.
Nebraska's Bob Devaney was wary of Missouri. "On offense," he said, "they say 'here we come.' On defense, they dare you." Quarterback Dennis Claridge and his Huskers made a few errors, but Missouri made more. The Tigers missed an extra-point placement, failed on a two-point attempt and Nebraska eked it out 13-12 to take the Big Eight lead.
But OKLAHOMA was close behind. The Sooners pounded away at Colorado until the poor Buffs gave in 35-0. KANSAS clobbered Kansas State 34-0. Oklahoma State's Mike Miller embarrassed IOWA STATE with his passing (15 completions for 201 yards), but the Cyclones held on to win 33-28.
Bowling Green was no longer unbeaten as it fell to MIAMI 21-12, and MARSHALL, a 20-7 winner over Western Michigan, took the lead in the Mid-American.
THE SOUTH
THE TOP THREE:
1. AUBURN (6-0)
2. MISSISSIPPI (5-0-1)
3. MEMPHIS STATE (6-0-1)
Alabama, which lost to its only other serious opponent this season (Florida), found another lead sinker on its French-pastry schedule. Twice 'Bama had to come from behind to keep Mississippi State down 20-19. State piled up a 12-3 lead before the Tide came back with Joe Namath's 40-yard pass to Jimmy Dill and Tim Davis' field goal. Wasting no time, State's Dan Bland took the second-half kickoff 49 yards, and Larry Swearengen soon went in from the four. Only fine Namath running and passing saved Alabama with a final touchdown.
Auburn's Jimmy Sidle again outgained the opposition all by himself as the Plainsmen turned back Florida 19-0. Running 154 yards and passing 70 to the Gators' 176, Sidle scored once on a 25-yard picture run and set up two field goals by Woody Wood-all. Auburn's supposedly weak defense allowed Florida just one first down in the first half and 52 yards rushing all afternoon.
"We played the perfect game," said Johnny Vaught after MISSISSIPPI'S 37-3 drubbing of LSU. Setting the pattern on the third play, Ole Miss blocked a quick kick. Three plays later Fullback Fred Roberts turned it into a touchdown, his first of three. Quarterback Jim Weatherly scored one touchdown, passed for another, one of seven completions in seven attempts. The wonder was that exhausted and crippled LSU had not collapsed before now.
The state of Georgia and the SEC took on the state of North Carolina and the ACC Saturday. The result was a draw. GEORGIA TECH and Billy Lothridge, who kicked three field goals for an NCAA record of 19 and passed to two scores, humbled Duke 30-6, but NORTH CAROLINA punished Georgia 28-7. Equaling its season total with 13 points in the first quarter, TULANE beat South Carolina 20-7 and snapped the nation's longest major-college losing streak at 17. MIAMI defeated Kentucky 20-14 as Halfback Pete Banaszak's runs complemented George Mira's passes. Winning its sixth without a loss, MEMPHIS STATE crushed Louisville 25-0. In a game marked by 10 fumbles, PENN STATE edged Maryland 17-15 on a 66-yard down-the-middle pass play from Pete Liske to Gary Klingensmith.
THE EAST
THE TOP THREE:
1. NAVY (6-1)
2. PITT (5-1)
3. SYRACUSE (5-2)
A sign on a PITT Homecoming float ominously warned Syracuse, "We will bury you." The threat seemed to be ill advised when the Orangemen, despite the absence of three ailing backs (Walley Mahle, Jim Nance and Bill Schoonover), rolled to a 21-8 half-time lead. Then, in the third quarter, Pitt's Fred Mazurek got busy. Running a new keeper play that Coach John Michelosen had put in for the occasion, Mazurek faked deftly to his fullback inside and his halfbacks outside, then followed them through the big but suddenly meek Syracuse line. When he caught the stunting Orangemen with their linebackers in, he flipped little hook passes to his ends. Mazurek ran 41 yards for a score and passed for two points, Paul Martha slammed over from the one, Mazurek threw to End Al Grigaliunas for 13 yards, and Pitt went ahead 28-21. Back came Syracuse on a 52-yard pass play from Rich King to Mike Koski, and the score was 28-27. The Orange went for two points, but Pitt stopped King and just before the end Rick Leeson burst over from the three to insure a 35-27 win.
Mazurek was not the only eastern quarterback who enjoyed himself Saturday, BOSTON COLLEGE'S Jack Concannon threw for one touchdown, ran for another and sent Jim McGowan on his way to a 30-yard sprint with a slick hand-off as Vanderbilt fell 19-6. DELAWARE'S Chuck Zolak passed for 20 points as the unbeaten Hens bombed Buffalo 34-6.
Life among the Ivies was getting poisonous. Harvard, so impeccably precise against Dartmouth a week earlier, came up fumbling and bumbling against last-place PENN and got upset 7-2. YALE, beginning to shape up under new Coach Johnny Pont, beat Dartmouth 10-6 on Chuck Mercein's extra point and 20-yard field goal. But undefeated PRINCETON'S puissant forces rolled on. Cosmo Iacavazzi's bullish charges (for three scores) swacked Brown 34-13. At Ithaca, Gary Wood's touchdown in the closing seconds, and Bob Baker's two-point run overtook Columbia 18-17 for CORNELL.
THE WEST
THE TOP THREE:
1. WASHINGTON (4-3)
2. USC (4-3)
3. OREGON STATE (5-2)
Before the season began, USC Coach John McKay stated that WASHINGTON should be favored to win the Big Six title. Sure enough, Washington upset his ninth-ranked Trojans 22-7. Said McKay, "That makes me a helluva prophet or a poor coach." Or maybe the Huskies are a good team just finding themselves. Washington Fullback Junior Coffey's power up the middle, Quarterback Bill Douglas' bullets and Halfback Dave Kopay's runs were neither luck nor bad coaching.
Missing injured Backs Mel Renfro, Bob Berry and Larry Hill, Oregon was bushwhacked by SAN JOSE 13-7. San Jose gained not a single first down and only 10 yards in the first half, yet led 13-0. Jerry Colletto had returned an Oregon punt 91 yards and Dennis Parker had raced 75 yards on an interception. CALIFORNIA used no such black arts in routing UCLA 25-0. Running well for the first time, Cal just overpowered the Bruins. OREGON STATE was even less occult. The Beavers simply whipped Stanford's best line in years with a better line to win 10-7. Wyoming was upset 15-7 by ARIZONA. Tied 7-7, the Cowpokes stopped Arizona on the one-foot line. Then Arizona's Jim Pazerski and John Fouse smeared Fullback Wayne Linton for a safety, and Floyd Hudlow took the ensuing Wyoming kickoff 69 yards for the winning touchdown. ARIZONA STATE belted Utah 30-22, and UTAH STATE pounded Brigham Young 26-0.
THE SOUTHWEST
THE TOP THREE:
1. TEXAS (7-0)
2. BAYLOR (5-1)
3. ARKANSAS (4-3)
Texas plays defense and BAYLOR plays offense, and Saturday the twain meet. The lines are as clearly drawn for the showdown between Texas' conservative Darrell Royal and Baylor's daring John Bridgers as they would be for a Kennedy-Goldwater election race.
For the sixth straight week Texas scored the first time it got possession against SMU as Tailback Tommy Ford ignited the drive with a 50-yard run. But for the third straight week, the burden of its No. 1 rating became almost too heavy for the Longhorns. The ultimate margin in the 17-12 victory was the stocking-foot placement kicking of Tony Crosby, who booted two extra points and his seventh field goal.
If Royal was attempting to save anything for Baylor, he may need those surprises. The Bears' Don Trull bombarded TCU with 20 passes for 273 yards (he leads the nation) and Flanker Larry Elkins, insulting TCU's double coverage, caught 10 (he also leads the nation), as Baylor won 32-13.
Since ARKANSAS Coach Frank Broyles never loses in November, the Razorbacks finally were playing up to predicted form after dropping three games by a total of nine points. Billy Gray ran for one touchdown, passed for two more and Broyles had his 19th November win. This time Texas A&M was the victim, by 21-7. RICE kept its title hopes alive, defeating Texas Tech 17-3.
THE BEST
BACKS OF THE WEEK: Pitt Quarterback Fred Mazurek scored two touchdowns, threw passes for a third and for two conversions, completed 13 of 21 attempts for 136 yards and gained 119 yards on the ground. Equally as effective was Baylor's Don Trull, who completed 20 of 40 passes, got one touchdown passing and three more running. His chief target, Flanker Back-Lineman of the Week Larry Elkins, caught 10 of those passes for 116 yards, has 591 yards on 44 receptions.
SATURDAY'S TOUGH ONES
Princeton over Harvard. The Tigers' talented backs should pierce Harvard's good defense.
Pitt over Notre Dame. With more finesse, Pitt appears stronger in the line, too.
Ohio State over Penn State. All that Buckeye manpower will wear down the Lions.
Michigan State over Purdue. State's Swift Sherm Lewis is hard to catch, much less hold.
Wisconsin over Northwestern. Northwestern's forces grow thinner every week.
Nebraska over Kansas. Getting through that big Husker line is a problem.
Auburn over Mississippi State. Sidle will find a way to crack State's tough defense.
LSU over TCU. LSU's seemingly endless supply of sophomores makes the difference.
Texas over Baylor. But the Longhorns will have to stop Baylor's excellent passing game.
Arkansas over Rice. The quick little Hogs should smother Rice's passes.
OTHER GAMES
AIR FORCE OVER UCLA
ARMY OVER UTAH
FLORIDA OVER GEORGIA
GEORGIA TECH OVER FLORIDA STATE
MINNESOTA OVER IOWA
NORTH CAROLINA STATE OVER VA. TECH
OREGON OVER WASHINGTON STATE
SMU OVER TEXAS A&M
SYRACUSE OVER WEST VIRGINIA
USC OVER STANFORD
LAST WEEK'S PREDICTIONS
14 RIGHT, 6 WRONG
SEASONS RECORD: 84-49-7