FOOTBALL'S WEEK
THE EAST
THE TOP THREE:
1. NAVY (2-0)
2. ARMY (2-0)
3. SYRACUSE (1-1)
Last spring when a visitor asked him about his sophomore halfback, Floyd Little, SYRACUSE Coach Ben Schwartzwalder peered over the top of his glasses, nodded happily and said, "He is going to be a real good one." How good, not even Schwartzwalder suspected—until last Saturday. Then Little, a bandy-legged 190-pounder with the fluid moves of a belly dancer, thoroughly demoralized Kansas. Little outmaneuvered the dismayed Jayhawkers and ran for five touchdowns as Syracuse won 38-6. Meanwhile, a tough Syracuse defense treated the Kansans shamefully. Ends George Fair and Herb Stecker rarely let All-America Halfback Gale Sayers out of their reach, forcing Quarterback Steve Renko to run on the option play more often than he liked. When Sayers did get the ball, the Orange simply ran him to the sidelines. Kansas' Jack Mitchell, who only the night before had declared that Sayers was "just about the best runner in the country,"" looked pained when somebody mentioned Little. "That little old boy can really run." said Mitchell.
While ARMY was holding off Boston College to win 19-13, NAVY had to get ailing (sore ankle) Roger Staubach off the bench when William & Mary threatened to catch the Middies in the fourth quarter. Staubach got Halfback Kip Paskewich started on a 71-yard touchdown run with a hand-off and completed three straight passes for another score. The Middies coasted home 35-6.
Harvard Quarterback John McCluskey, who earlier had run 82 yards for a touchdown, was so pleased when he found himself in the clear on a two-yard sweep that he threw the ball high in the air, just like the pros. Only trouble was, he was on the Massachusetts one-yard line. The Redmen recovered the "fumble," but Harvard won anyway, 20-14. All the other Ivy Leaguers won, too, except CORNELL, which tied BUFFALO 9-9. VILLANOVA Quarterback Dave Connell was just too much for Holy Cross as the Wildcats won 32-0. BOSTON U. finally found someone it could beat. The Terriers put down George Washington 15-7.
THE SOUTH
THE TOP THREE:
1. AUBURN (2-0)
2. ALABAMA (2-0)
3. LSU (2-0)
The Ole Miss student section could hardly believe its eyes. There was KENTUCKY pushing Mississippi's pure defense around as few teams have ever done before. With 2:38 to go, Kentucky Quarterback Rick Norton, who had already scored once and passed for a touchdown, pitched from the Mississippi 22 to End Rick Kestner, who clutched the ball on the seven and scampered over for his third touchdown to upset Ole Miss 27-21.
That night Mississippi State got a dose of the same bitter medicine. FLORIDA Tackle Bob Lyle kicked two field goals in the last three minutes, the second a 41-yarder with one second to play, and the Gators won 16-13. "Just like you draw it on the blackboard," joshed Florida Coach Ray Graves.
When Jimmy Sidle's injured shoulder prevented him from raising his arm, AUBURN had to slug it out with stubborn Tennessee on the ground. It was rugged going, but Auburn sneaked by the Tigers 3-0 on Don Lewis' 42-yard field goal. ALABAMA'S Joe Namath ran for two touchdowns, passed for a third as 'Bama swamped Tulane 33-6.
North Carolina expected Michigan State to key on Halfback Ken Willard. So the Tar Heels put him in motion and, sure enough, the Spartans chased him all over Kenan Stadium. Meanwhile, Quarterback Danny Talbott rolled out freely, ran and passed for three touchdowns, and North Carolina held off rallying State, 21-15.
In Atlantic Coast games, NORTH CAROLINA STATE surprised Clemson 9-0, DUKE ran all over Virginia 30-0 and MARYLAND took South Carolina 24-6. WAKE FOREST whacked Virginia Tech 38-21.
THE MIDWEST
THE TOP THREE:
1. ILLINOIS (1-0)
2. OHIO STATE (1-0)
3. MICHIGAN (1-0)
USC's Johnny McKay is a whimsical man. Last summer he picked Oklahoma to win the national championship. Last Saturday his Trojans whomped the Sooners, 40-14. Quarterback Craig Fertig went right after Oklahoma with passes (he completed 16 for 212 yards) and, almost before the poor Sooners knew it, they were behind 14-0. After that, things got worse. Explained Oklahoma End Allen Bumgardner, "They had some patterns we didn't work against very much in practice, such as the split end, slot-back and man in motion." What else is there?
It was like old times for NOTRE DAME. Quarterback Johnny Huarte pitched like Johnny Lujack (15 of 24 for 270 yards), End Jack Snow caught like Monty Stickles (nine for 217 yards and two touchdowns) and the Irish trounced Wisconsin 31-7.
Michigan Quarterback Bob Timberlake, Fullback Mel Anthony and sophomore Halfbacks Carl Ward and Jim Detwiler roamed through the Air Force line for 311 yards on fancy pitchouts, option sweeps and plain old-fashioned power plays as the Wolverines took their opener, 24-7. OHIO STATE was less flamboyant, but just as effective. The Bucks were content to let Fullback Will Sander and Halfback Tom Barrington bash away at SMU while its defense handled the Mustangs' passing game. OSU won 27-8.
Indiana's Phil Dickens got a present last Friday, an open end contract good for 12 years. Then NORTH WESTERN'S Tom Myers and Dean Dickie spoiled his week. Myers threw a touchdown pass, Dickie kicked two extra points and Northwestern edged the Hoosiers 14-13. PURDUE disposed of overly ambitious Ohio U. 17-0 while IOWA rallied to beat Idaho 34-24. NEBRASKA Quarterback Fred Duda got a hot hand in the last 7½ minutes, passed for two scores as the Huskers overtook Minnesota 26-21.
One could hardly blame MISSOURI'S Dan Devine for worrying before his team played Utah. "For one thing," said Devine, "Ray Nagel, their coach, is a Phi Beta Kappa. That makes him smarter than me." Maybe so, but Devine was smart enough to have his line flatten Utah's passing game with a lusty rush. Quarterback Gary Lane's running and throwing got Mizzou a 23-6 victory. At Stillwater, OKLAHOMA STATE'S Phil Cutchin turned up on the sidelines wearing a 10-gallon hat and cowboy boots. The Cowboys then went out and whipped Iowa State 29-14. Cutchin had only one complaint: "My feet sure are sore."
THE SOUTHWEST
THE TOP THREE:
1. TEXAS (2-0)
2. ARKANSAS (2-0)
3. RICE (0-1)
Neither a record 47,100 partisans at Lubbock nor a driving rain could prevent defending National Champion TEXAS from dismissing Texas Tech 23-0. Marv Kristynik's passes and Ernie Koy's slashing runs got the points, and Texas' always-tough defense held Tech to two first downs.
Defense was also the key in Houston where LSU trimmed Rice 3-0 on Doug Moreau's 28-yard field goal in the final three minutes. There was defense in Fort Worth, too, where Florida State's "Seven Magnificents," led by Linebacker Bill McDowell, blitzed TCU lifeless and won a 10-0 game on Steven Tensi's passes. With an equally stern defense HOUSTON kept Texas A&M on its own side of midfield for 51 minutes and won by an identical score, 10-0.
Only in Fayetteville did the Southwest erupt with offense when ARKANSAS overcame an 0-14 lead by Tulsa to win 31-22. Billy Gray's passing and Jim Lindsey's running, helped along by an intercepted touchdown pass by Linebacker Ronnie Caveness, was just enough to overcome Tulsan Jerry Rhome's 20 of 26 completions.
THE WEST
THE TOP THREE:
1. USC (2-0)
2. WASHINGTON (1-1)
3. UCLA (2-0)
The West Coast was rough on visitors last week. Early in the last quarter, ILLINOIS appeared to have California safely in hand, 20-6. The big Illini line, led by Dick Butkus, had been booming in on Cal Quarterback Craig Morton all afternoon, nailing him for losses. Fullback Jim Grabowski had banged away at the California middle mercilessly (for 110 yards) and, when the Golden Bears stacked their defense to stop him, Quarterback Fred Custardo rolled out wide and cleverly exploited their weakened center alley with accurate passes. Then Morton began to connect. He threw nine yards to little Flanker Back Jerry Bradley for one touchdown and, with less than a minute to play, found Bradley deep in the end zone with a 32-yarder—apparently to tie Illinois, 20-20. But Bradley's foot scraped the last chalk mark as he came down with the ball, and the officials ruled it an out-of-bounds catch. That saved the Illini. They won 20-14.
Washington, thoroughly chastened by its loss to Air Force, was in no mood to fool around with Baylor. Coach Jim Owens turned loose his "wild mouse," 159-pound Halfback Steve Bramwell, against the Bears and he led them a merry chase. Bramwell returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown, carried back five others for 70 yards, caught four passes and the Huskies romped 35-14.
Eastern visitors also had nothing but trouble out West. Penn State went at UCLA'S talented Larry Zeno with an intensive blitz, but he escaped often enough to get the surprising Bruins a 21-14 victory. OREGON'S Bob Berry and Pitt's Fred Mazurek both did just about what was expected of them. Barry passed for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Mazurek ran for 119 yards and threw for 109. But Pitt lost a touchdown when Halfback Dale Stewart fumbled on the way into the end zone and another when Eric Crabtree's 80-yard run on a pass interception was nullified by an offside penalty. The Panthers lost the game, too, 22-13.
Stanford, still trying to get the kinks out of its offense, squeaked by San Jose State 10-8 while OREGON STATE beat Colorado 14-7. Washington State, however, was overwhelmed by WYOMING 28-7. UTAH STATE, anxious to prove itself as the West's No. 1 independent, buried New Mexico State, 76-0. ARIZONA beat Brigham Young 36-6.
THE BEST
BACK OF THE WEEK: Syracuse Halfback Floyd Little hardly behaved like a scared sophomore against Kansas. He ran 55, 19, 15, three and one yards for touchdowns, gained 159 yards and caught two passes.
LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Every time Ole Miss looked up there was Kentucky End Rick Kestner. The slim 205-pounder caught nine passes for 185 yards and three scores, the last one upsetting Mississippi 27-21.
SATURDAY'S TOUGH ONES
Auburn over Kentucky. Sidle is hurting. Auburn will have to win with defense.
Mississippi State over Tennessee. The Vols need seasoning. State is ready.
LSU over Florida. LSU has added trickery to its usual resourcefulness.
USC over Michigan state. The Trojans are quicker and slicker than State.
Michigan over Navy. But Only if the Wolverines can hold Navy's Staubach.
Illinois over Northwestern. The Illini are bigger, stronger and more versatile.
Texas over Army. Army is overmatched. Texas will wear out the thin gray line.
Texas Tech over Texas A&M. Tech, with Donny Anderson, is too much for A&M.
Arkansas over TCU.* The young Frogs make mistakes. Arkansas is more exciting.
UCLA over Stanford. Both yield easily, but UCLA's Zeno makes the difference.
OTHER GAMES
CALIFORNIA OVER MINNESOTA
GEORGIA TECH OVER CLEMSON
MISSOURI OVER OKLAHOMA STATE
NEBRASKA OVER IOWA STATE
N. CAROLINA STATE OVER MARYLAND
NOTRE DAME OVER PURDUE
PENN STATE OVER OREGON
PRINCETON OVER COLUMBIA
VIRGINIA TECH OVER VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON OVER IOWA*
*Regional TV
LAST WEEK'S PREDICTIONS
12 RIGHT, 8 WRONG
SEASON'S RECORD: 20-19-1