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FOOTBALL'S WEEK

SOUTHWEST

1. TEXAS (5-0)
2. ARKANSAS (5-0)
3. HOUSTON (3-2)

Houston's defensive coach, Melvin Robertson, had but one thought last week: stopping Ole Miss Quarterback Archie Manning. The practice on Tuesday was an example. Robertson, the smallest of the Cougar coaches, put someone else's size-12 shoes on his size-9 feet before walking out onto the Astro Turf. It wasn't until that night that he noticed the mistake. "They've been squeaking all night, and I never realized it. Well, I guess that's the price I pay for thinking about Ole Miss." Robertson's concentration paid off. Manning, under severe pressure all night, completed only 11 of 28 passes and ran for 19 yards as Houston upset Ole Miss 25-11. Manning hasn't enjoyed his two games with Houston. He suffered cracked ribs against the Cougars last season. As for this year he said, "It was as rough a game as I've ever been involved in."

Gary Mullins, Houston's nearsighted quarterback, would have agreed. His nose was broken on the final play of the first half as he tried to throw a block for Split End Elmo Wright. "The last thing I remember," said the bloodstained Mullins, "was a knee coming at my face." But Mullins still managed to complete 13 passes—mostly screens—for 172 yards and a touchdown. He also scored Houston's first touchdown on a 12-yard run off the Veer T, the Cougars' triple option.

Texas and Arkansas, the high and the mighty, marked time awaiting their December face-off. James Street, the Texas quarterback who jabbers to his teammates in the huddles, was given brief opportunity for oratory. After running up a 21-0 lead against Rice in the first half, he was benched. "Street is a tough little rascal," Coach Darrell Royal explained, "but he's just bone and flesh. There's no reason to risk an injury." Sophomore Eddie Phillips, Street's quieter replacement, finished up the 31-0 slaughter of the Owls.

Reserves gained experience for Arkansas, also. Bill Montgomery and Chuck Dicus, who are the Southwest's deadliest passing combination, watched the entire Wichita State game from the sideline. Even so, the Razorbacks scored 52 points. But Wichita wasn't humiliated. Its 14 points were one more than Arkansas gave up to all four of its previous opponents combined.

Jerry Don Sanders is an unlikely hero. The Texas Tech field-goal kicker is from Earth, Texas, and his nickname is "Hoof," a reference to his 6½ shoe size. But Earth had reason to be proud when his 6½s kicked a 36-yarder with 16 seconds left to defeat floundering SMU 27-24.

EAST

1. PENN STATE (6-0)
2. SYRACUSE (3-2)
3. WEST VIRGINIA (5-1)

"We were robbed," Dartmouth Coach Bob Blackmail told the press after the Harvard game—surprising words considering that the Indians had just won their fifth straight of the season, 24-10. "I don't mean on the field. Somebody ransacked our dressing room during the game and stole the players' rings and watches." Even before the players discovered the theft, the dressing room was like a tomb. "The team didn't react as if it had won," Blackman said. "They know they didn't play a good game."

Harvard's defense held Dartmouth to 213 yards—less than half the Indians' average. The first-team Dartmouth defense, which has allowed just one touchdown in five games, was responsible for much of Dartmouth's scoring, as the Indians got all their points in the first 18 minutes as a result of two pass interceptions, a field goal and a 65-yard punt return by Tom Quinn. "You can tell by our eyes how good we are defensively," said junior Defensive Halfback Russ Adams. "You get in that defensive huddle when you're under pressure, you look around and you see it in our eyes."

The talent of Penn State's defense is visible on the scoreboard. Two blocked punts and an interception set up three touchdowns in the Nittany Lions' 42-3 win over Ohio University. George Landis, who blocked two Syracuse field-goal attempts last week, got a hand on one of the punts. Safety Neil Smith intercepted his seventh pass of the season and the 16th of his career, this one for 70 yards and his first touchdown. State's defense has now set up 190 points in the last 16 games. Joe Paterno's team has slipped in the polls, although surprising upsets by Kansas State and Colorado—both beaten by the Lions—should help remedy that. Right now Paterno has no comment on the rankings, but the amiable coach had some strong words for the poll makers last week. If at the end of the season the Lions aren't ranked as high as Paterno feels they deserve he "will raise the devil."

The omens were favorable for Pitt before the kickoff in Morgantown, W. Va. Its debating team had scored a split decision with the Mountaineers on the subject, "Resolved: Breakfast Cereals Are Part of an International Communist Conspiracy." Then Pitt used four co-captains to win its first coin toss this season. But that was the last hurrah, as tough West Virginia won 49-18.

Princeton and Yale remained unbeaten against Ivy League competition. Fullback Ellis Moore scored three times and the defense gave up only four first downs as the Tigers found Penn full of brotherly love, beating the Red and Blue 42-0.

"There are only two Italians I ever lost sleep over," said Bill Narzuzzi, Yale's defensive coach, after the Bulldogs had shut out Cornell 17-0. "The first was my wife and the other was Ed Marinaro." Cornell's sophomore running back began the afternoon as the nation's leading rusher, but Narzuzzi's crew limited him to 30 yards. The victory extended Yale's Ivy League unbeaten streak to 17 games. Columbia was less fortunate, losing to Rutgers in the last 36 seconds 21-14.

The brigade of Midshipmen finally got a chance to tear down the goal posts at Memorial Stadium as Navy won its first game of the season, but the Middies had to stop Virginia twice at the one yard line to preserve the 10-0 victory.

Not to be outdone, Army also won a game, beating Boston College 38-7.

SOUTH

1. TENNESSEE (5-0)
2. LSU (6-0)
3. FLORIDA (6-0)

Auburn and LSU were treated to the same Friday night pregame emotional inspiration, John Wayne's recent legendmaker, The Undefeated, and the next day they staged a wild one of their own. In the fourth quarter LSU Coach Charlie McClendon became so excited he gashed his forehead with his fingernail and had to conduct his postgame press conference with a towel pressed to the injury. Early in the last period Auburn went 95 yards in 11 plays to make it 21-20, LSU. When John Riley entered with his kicking tee, all Baton Rouge figured it would be 21-21 for sure. But LSU Linebacker George Bevan felt otherwise. "We had a strong outside rush when Bill Thomason blocked their field-goal attempt in the second quarter," Bevan said later. "This time the man who was supposed to block me moved to the outside again, so I came inside him and caught the ball on my right forearm." The blocked conversion proved the difference and LSU won its ninth in a row.

McClendon received at least one indication the week before the game that success is spoiling Tiger fans. The coach received a letter from an LSU professor that read, "Dear Mac, You're passing too much and scoring too many points. The games aren't interesting anymore. Please make them closer, but be damn sure you win." When reminded of the letter after the victory, McClendon smiled and said, "I hope that prof is happy. If I had known last week this was going to be decided by one point, I don't think I would have survived."

Now move on to Florida Field in Gainesville. It is the fourth quarter, and Florida's 21-7 lead over Vanderbilt has shrunk to 21-20, with an extra-point try coming up for the Commodores. Ernie Perez kicks the ball soccer-style into the chest of the on-rushing safety, Steve Tannen. Sound familiar? But, unlike the game in Baton Rouge, the scoring had by no means ended. Tannen went on to intercept two passes, and Gator Quarterback John Reaves continued to throw like Supersoph as Florida won 41-20. Reaves tossed five touchdown passes in all, three to Carlos (Chico) Alvarez, and together they set or broke five school and SEC records. Tannen felt that with a little luck he could have established some records of his own. "Believe it or not, I could have blocked all three extra-point attempts if they hadn't kept changing kickers," he said. "I dove under the first kick, then over the second one. I didn't guess right until the third attempt."

Ara Parseghian was concerned last week, even if Notre Dame was entering the spongy segment of its schedule. "I was worried about a letdown after the tie with Southern Cal," he said. "On Tuesday we normally have a scrimmage. Well, I'm telling you it was one of the worst practices we ever had. So Wednesday I did something we don't normally do—we scrimmaged again. This time we seemed to come out of it." Parseghian shouldn't have worried. After a slow beginning Joe Theismann took the Irish 73 yards in eight plays late in the first quarter, and Notre Dame managed an easy 37-0 victory over Tulane.

Southeastern Conference co-leader Tennessee had the week off, so the Vols' Doug Dickey spent Saturday watching Georgia, his team's next foe, thrash Kentucky 30-0.

After a bad beating at the hands of Dickey the week before, a loss that virtually eliminated his chance for another conference title this year, Bear Bryant took his Alabama team to Clemson for an afternoon of ego building. The therapy was a 38-13 win, the Bear's 100th at Alabama.

MIDWEST

1. OHIO STATE (5-0)
2. KANSAS STATE (5-1)
3. MISSOURI (5-1)

Upsets in the Big Ten were not as shocking as in the Big Eight, but there were some as Wisconsin tripped Indiana in its run for the roses and Iowa nipped Michigan State.

John Coatta, the Wisconsin head coach, was asked if it was special to win on homecoming weekend. For a man who has won just two of 26 games, Coatta's answer was reasonable: "Any time we win is special to me." The 56,000 Wisconsin fans, who by now are as conditioned to losing as Charlie Brown, were emotionally drained by the events in Camp Randall Stadium. They had seen sophomore Neil Graff set a school record with four touchdown passes. Roger Jaeger kicked three field goals for the second time this season. Alan (A-Train) Thompson gained 100 yards, and it takes more than a colorful nickname for a sophomore running back at Wisconsin to accomplish that. Just ask Greg (Grape Juice) Johnson.

Admittedly, the crowd didn't enjoy a completely painless afternoon. Indiana's Harry Gonso managed four scoring passes himself, three to Jade Butcher, who tied a Big Ten record. The Badgers gave up the ball five times, four on pass interceptions and once on a fumble. "But Indiana gave it back twice on interceptions and four times on fumbles, so it was pretty even," Coatta said. Gonso's 15-yard touchdown pass to Eric Stolberg brought the Hoosiers back to within two points at 36-34. But the attempted two-point conversion failed when Halfback Bob Pernell was stopped at the one. Then the ball changed hands six times during the last 4½ minutes. The Hoosiers' last chance failed in the final seconds when Bill Yarborough intercepted a Gonso pass.

No less exciting was Iowa's 19-18 victory over Michigan State, which gave the Hawk-eyes their first Big Ten win. Iowa tied the score at 18-18 with less than two minutes left on a six-yard Mike Cilek-to-Kerry Rear-don pass. Alan Schuette, who had contributed field goals in the second and fourth quarters, kicked the winning point.

All was normal at Columbus, however, as Ohio State continued to destroy opponents. This time it was Illinois 41-0, as the Buckeyes prepped for the Super Bowl. Woody Hayes presided over his postgame interviews in his patented style. After dispensing with the game by saying, "It was spotty as the devil and we didn't move the ball well inside," Hayes lectured reporters for 35 minutes on World War I and World War II game plans. An event of less sweeping magnitude took place during the afternoon. Rex Kern passed for 193 yards and ran for 40 more to become Ohio State's alltime total-offense leader. Kern, just a junior, has 33 more yards than the old record—2,555—held by Howard (Hopalong) Cassady.

Alex Agase heard nothing but talk of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl last week. He was pleased that Northwestern was 2-0 in the Big Ten, but a little joke of Ara Parseghian's and the prospect of traveling to West Lafayette to play Purdue worried him far more than the prospect of a trip out West in December. Parseghian had sent his former assistant coach a dozen roses and, when asked to pose with them, Agase roared, "Get them away from me. Wait till I get that guy on the phone." Purdue's Mike Phipps didn't help Agase's mood. He passed for 244 yards and three touchdowns in the Boilermakers' 45-20 win and moved past Bob Griese as Purdue's total-offense record holder.

Unbeaten Toledo's 43-17 romp over Kent State earned at least a share of the MidAmerican Conference title since Bowling Green was stopping unbeaten Miami 3-0. Toledo's point total was surprising after Quarterback Chuck Ealey sprained an ankle in the first quarter. Kent State, which had the nation's No. 2 rusher in Don Nottingham, lost this distinction when Nottingham departed in the opening quarter with a broken finger after gaining only one yard.

WEST

1. USC (5-0-1)
2. UCLA (6-0-1)
3. WYOMING (6-0)

"This game was the best-kept secret in the history of Los Angeles," said Southern Cal's John McKay in reference to USC-Georgia Tech. "On Friday I finally found something about it on page 7. It's our job to get the kids up to play, but it's impossible to do if the campus isn't talking about it, the TV commentators aren't talking about it and the writers aren't writing about it."

McKay's players, performing in a vacuum, nearly lost. They were behind 18-15 with just over five minutes left to play, when Quarterback Jimmy Jones ran left, intent on a sweep. But he saw Sam Dickerson alone, and it was touchdown. When Tech tried a little hipper dipper on the ensuing kickoff, USC wound up with the ball and, moments later, a cushion touchdown. "We played well," said Tech's Bud Carson, "but we gave it away." The 53,000 spectators in the Coliseum weren't much happier. They spent most of the game wondering about the outcome of another contest in Palo Alto. One USC fan, suffering from the same malady as his team, said, "The NCAA should bar non-conference games in midseason. How do you get up for them?"

Meanwhile, none of the 84,000 in Palo Alto's Stanford Stadium could find cause for complaint. UCLA, having trailed the Indians 17-6 in the second quarter, had pulled back to 20-20 with 10 minutes left in the fourth. The Bruins considered a tie as appealing as a win, knowing they must beat USC in any case for the Pacific Eight title and Rose Bowl bid. They ran three plays into the line, using up 40 seconds on the clock, and punted. Stanford took over at its own 35 and zip, zip, zip they were at UCLA's 15 and ready for a field goal. But UCLA's rush was magnificent. Five Bruins poured in at Jim Cross, the holder, and Kicker Steve Horowitz. Game films later determined that Vince Bischof, the left linebacker, was the man who blocked the attempt. "I felt I had kicked it well," Horowitz said. "It just never got away." Comparison of UCLA and USC was a natural topic of conversation in the Stanford locker room, but Coach John Ralston, perhaps looking to next year, refused to tread on anyone's cleats. "They both are the great teams of this or any season. We are in there with them. So I'd have to say all three of us are among the best in the country."

Despite racial difficulties (page 26), Wyoming had an easy afternoon with San Jose State, winning 16-7. Utah, Wyoming's challenger for the Western Athletic Conference, won its fifth straight, upsetting Oregon State 7-3. Quarterback Clint Harden, who replaced Ray Groth in the final quarter, marched the Redskins 81 yards for the game's only touchdown. Larry Stone, a Utah linebacker, had an exhausting night, making 21 unassisted tackles and nine more assists. The victory was Utah's first against the Beavers in 22 years.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

THE BACK: Kansas State Quarterback Lynn Dickey set eight passing marks as the Wildcats upset Oklahoma 59-21. Dickey threw for a conference high of 380 yards, and his 28 completions broke his shared Big Eight record.

THE LINEMAN: Linebacker George Bevan of LSU made 10 tackles, but his best move was against the ball: he blocked an attempted extra point as the Tigers clung to their undefeated season with a 21-20 win over Auburn.