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THE WEEK

MIDWEST

1. NOTRE DAME (7-0)
2. OHIO STATE (7-0)
3. NEBRASKA (8-0-1)

Last Saturday morning in Des Moines a football fan was in the wrong town but celebrating nonetheless. He was a Nebraska rooter, dressed in a red jacket and cowboy hat, and he staggered along a deserted city street yelling, "Go Big Red." If he felt lonely and confused it was because his team was 30 miles to the north, in Ames, preparing to play Iowa State.

Seven thousand Cornhusker followers did manage to get to Ames and help swell attendance in Clyde Williams Field to record size (36,500). Nebraska's three powerful backs, Joe Orduna, Jeff Kinney and Dan Schneiss, ran for 277 yards and scored five touchdowns, and Quarterback Jerry Tagge, replacing injured Van Brownson, threw two TD passes as the Cornhuskers defeated the Cyclones 54-29. A good many Husker fans came with oranges in order to make their bowl preference apparent, and threw the fruit onto the field in full view of scouts who represented, alas, the Sugar and Cotton Bowls. Iowa State students countered by tossing apples, bananas and tomatoes into the Nebraska rooting section. After the game Nebraska Coach Bob Devaney was concerned that his team might also be pondering the bowls. "What they better be thinking about is Kansas State next week," he said.

Meanwhile in Manhattan, Kans. Vince Gibson's Kansas State Wildcats won their sixth game of the year—and fourth in a row—beating Oklahoma State 28-15. "We made enough mistakes to lose, but our kids just won't quit fighting," said Gibson. The mistakes were two fumbled punts. Kansas State Quarterback Lynn Dickey, fully recovered from his early-season rib injury, passed for 189 yards against the Cowboys, but while showering after the game he ruptured a blood vessel in his right knee.

Those Orange Bowl scouts who were absent from Ames spent Saturday in South Bend observing Notre Dame's powerful offense at work. They also saw the legend of Joe Theismann reach new proportions as the Irish quarterback piled up 381 yards passing and running in a 46-14 victory over Pittsburgh. Although he did not become a starter until the seventh game of his sophomore season, Theismann now has 4,741 career yards in 21 games—three more than Terry Hanratty amassed in 27 games. Stat-happy Notre Dame also keeps track of something called total performance, a category that includes punt and kickoff returns and pass receptions. Counting Theismann's prediscovery yardage as a sophomore punt-return specialist—punt-return specialist?—and the 13-yard touchdown pass he caught against USC that same year—pass receiver?—Joe has now surpassed George Gipp as the all-time Irish performer.

At Madison, Ohio State was a touch sluggish while defeating Wisconsin 24-7. Rex Kern started but was soon alternating with his sub, Ron Maciejowski, who had also guided the Buckeyes against Wisconsin in 1968 and '69, when Kern was ailing. OSU had a narrow 3-0 lead when Ron trotted out, but he promptly threw a long pass to set up a Buckeye touchdown. In the third quarter he did it again. But Ron also threw four interceptions, which made the Buckeye victory an uneasy one. Was the team looking ahead to Michigan? Coach Woody Hayes said, "No, I don't think they did that at all. A fellow who keeps his fist clinched all year can't hit a lick."

Mike Adamle, the Big Ten rushing leader, scored four touchdowns to rally Northwestern to a 28-14 win over Minnesota. The Wildcats now have a 4-1 conference record and—of all things—a sniff of the Rose Bowl. If Michigan beats Ohio and if Northwestern beats Indiana and Michigan State, then it's probably the Wildcats in Pasadena.

Toledo won its 20th in a row, defeating Northern Illinois 45-7.

SOUTH

1. LSU (6-1)
2. AUBURN (7-1)
3. TENNESSEE (7-1)

While the embattled SEC waged war with itself, Louisville last week fought for at least a share of the Missouri Valley crown (which it won) and a new stadium (which it lost). Underdogs by two touchdowns, the Cardinals gave their coach of two years, Lee Corso, a berth in the Pasadena Bowl with a 40-27 defeat of Memphis State. Election results were less rewarding. Voters failed to pass a bond issue that included a new stadium, apparently feeling that the present one is sufficient, even though half the seats are in the end zone.

Still uncomfortable, too, no doubt, are the MVC coaches, whose preseason poll picked Louisville to finish last in the conference. Apparently they hadn't figured on sophomore Quarterback John Madeya: he ran and passed for three touchdowns. And certainly they couldn't have guessed how valuable Kicker Scott Marcus (SI, Nov. 9) would be. He sent two punts out of bounds inside the 10-yard line in the second half. Barefoot. He did not do as well in the first half, maybe because he was wearing shoes.

Tulane's 31-16 victory over Miami gave the Green Wave its sixth win and its best season in 14 years. North Carolina, with Don McCauley getting two quick touchdowns, romped over VMI 62-13 for the Tar Heels' highest point total since 1928. McCauley has 14 touchdowns this season, surpassing the previous record of 12 held by Jimmy Ward and Charlie (Choo Choo) Justice.

Wake Forest dropped Duke 28-14 and joined the Blue Devils as ACC co-leaders.

EAST

1. DARTMOUTH (7-0)
2. SYRACUSE (5-3)
3. PENN STATE (5-3)

Say this for the Syracuse Orangemen: their winning streak is a gaudy five games. Never mind that they had sort of a squeaker against Army, a team everybody beats. Both sides were in an especially emotional frame of mind when they came out on the field at West Point—Syracuse because every potential win has a dreamlike quality in this troubled season, Army because the Cadets are tired of being pushed around. Against Syracuse, Army did not push back quite hard enough. Just 19 seconds remained when the Cadets pulled to within two points, 31-29, on a 21-yard Dick Atha-to-Joe Albano pass and a two-point conversion. Then fights broke out at midfield. Army Coach Tom Cahill went out to try MP duty—and returned to the sideline with a bloody mouth. "I think I must have been punched," he said perceptively.

Things were quite a bit cooler at Hanover, N.H., where the nationally ranked Ivy terrors of Dartmouth shut out Columbia 55-0. Never before in Ivy history had there been that big a victory margin. The Indians are determined to have an undefeated season, and they keep thinking about how they had one going last year until Princeton tigered them on the last day, 35-7. Coming up next for Dartmouth is Cornell, which features the nation's leading rusher, Ed Marinaro.

Penn, meanwhile, was as flat as its homecoming festivities as Yale won 32-22. "We had a pep rally in the ice-skating rink, and hardly anybody showed up," grumbled Jim Fuddy, the Quaker captain. Maybe the homecoming loss is getting to be a Penn tradition; the school is 2-16-1 since 1952.

Harvard, helped along by three fumble recoveries and five interceptions, upset Princeton 29-7, and Penn State looked like the Nittany Lions of old in a 34-0 rout of Maryland.

WEST

1. STANFORD (8-1)
2. ARIZONA STATE (7-0)
3. AIR FORCE (8-1)

Through the season Oregon Tailback Bobby Moore had provided the Ducks with virtually all their ground power. But when the team reported for practice in Eugene last Monday, Moore was absent. On Tuesday he skipped practice again. That night he was arrested in Portland and charged by police with entering a car with intent to steal. The next day Oregon Coach Jerry Frei suspended Moore for a week, saying this was based on the missed practices, not the police charge. Thus Moore would not be able to play against undefeated Air Force and Oregon's offense would be limited to the forward pass. But it was not Moore's absence that caused the Ducks to attempt 43 passes during the game. "Scouting Air Force," Frei said, "we saw we could throw on them. Even if Bobby had been in there, I think we still would have thrown as much."

Score one for scouting. Oregon Quarterback Dan Fouts, a sophomore, completed 28 passes for 396 yards as the Ducks upset the unbeaten Falcons 46-35. Fouts threw four touchdown passes and a two-point conversion, and Oregon's defense, gradually adjusting to Ernie Jennings, the Falcons' superstar receiver, shut out Air Force in the last quarter. "We tried about five million different defenses against Fouts," Falcon Coach Ben Martin said. "You saw how much luck we had. It wouldn't have mattered if we'd had Herb Adderley out there. We play Stanford next, and when Jim Plunkett hears about this he'll lick his chops."

Plunkett had his chops full this week. It had looked as though he and Washington's Sonny Sixkiller might not face one another. Sixkiller, said to be named after a Cherokee ancestor who killed six bison, came down with the flu and was declared a doubtful starter. Meanwhile, John Hall, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that Plunkett had a sore arm and that Stanford was keeping this a secret because of his Heisman candidacy. "I'll prove I'm healthy," Plunkett told a teammate. "I'm going to throw a few long ones today."

It's a good thing he did, because the Huskies put up a stiff fight. Washington's Jim Krieg returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, after which Plunkett threw three first-quarter touchdown passes. Then it was Sixkiller's turn. The sophomore, flu and all, entered the game at the end of the first quarter and immediately moved the Huskies 77 yards, completing the drive with a nine yard scoring toss to Tight End John Brady. Following a recovered fumble in the third quarter, Sixkiller confused Stanford by running an option play into the end zone. And when he passed for a two point conversion, the Huskies led again, 22-21. But then Plunkett zipped a 15-yard bullet to Randy Vataha for a touchdown and a 29-22 win that clinched the Rose Bowl berth for Stanford. Plunkett's 268 yards passing increased his career total to 7,082, breaking by six yards the NCAA record held by Steve Ramsey of North Texas State.

Although Arizona State fumbled the ball 11 times, a school frustration record, it didn't really matter as the Sun Devils ran 374 yards and blistered San Jose State 46-10. The Sun Devil defense, which had allowed 94 rushing yards per game previously, held San Jose to one lonely yard on the ground.

Southern California, which managed to score only two touchdowns in its last two games, scored 10 against staggering Washington State in a 70-33 slaughter. After a calm, civilized, fatherly word of advice from Coach Dee Andros—"Take that ball and shove it right down their throats"—Oregon State upset California 16-10.

SOUTHWEST

1. TEXAS (8-0)
2. ARKANSAS (8-1)
3. TEXAS TECH (7-2)

A year ago Baylor was embarrassed by the Texas Longhorns 56-14, although Darrell Royal began substituting for his starters before halftime. "I never felt as low in my life," Baylor Coach Bill Beall said last week. "I think all of us made a promise then that nothing like that would happen again if hard work could make it different." This year was different. Beall's defensive unit, convinced that it could contain the Texas Wishbone attack, stayed out an extra hour after Wednesday's practice to polish some new maneuvers.

For a while on Saturday in Waco it appeared that the Bears were in for it again. Texas scored three touchdowns in the second quarter on drives of 15, 77 and 78 yards. At the half the Longhorns held a 21-7 lead, and the Wishbone looked as powerful as ever. But in the second half the most devastating ground attack in college football history was just about stopped. The Longhorns managed only 84 yards and four first downs, and never crossed the Baylor 30-yard line. With more than eight minutes left to play, Linebacker David Jones blocked a Longhorn punt and Ray Penn, another Bear linebacker, gathered up the ball and scrambled 27 yards for a score. Behind only 21-14 now, Baylor had plenty of time in which to catch up, but Texas stiffened and there was no more scoring. Shaken, but with their 27th straight victory in hand, the Longhorns returned thankfully to Austin. Said Steve Worster, who scored twice, "We were lucky to win."

In Arkansas, fans and players seemed to be more concerned with the recuperative powers of a patient in a Dallas hospital than the Razorbacks' game with Rice. Bill Burnett, the team's best ballcarrier, underwent surgery for a separated shoulder on Monday, and the big worry was whether he would be able to play against Texas on Dec. 7. Ah, yes, Rice. The Owls had a 14-3 lead at halftime, but then Arkansas resumed playing 'em one at a time. After the intermission the Razorbacks scored on five straight possessions and ultimately allowed Rice just two first downs. Final score: 38-14. Coach Frank Broyles told his team, "I wasn't ready to play on Friday and you weren't ready to play on Friday. We weren't even ready to play on Saturday. I promise you this won't happen again. But wasn't that a heck of a back nine?"

Doug McCutchen ran straight at the center of the Texas Christian line for 204 yards—two yards short of a school record set in 1942—as Texas Tech defeated TCU 22-14.

The halfback wasn't quite satisfied. "I still need to improve my running," he said. "I haven't been able to break the big play."

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

THE LINEMAN: Linebacker David Jones of Baylor blocked a Texas punt and was in on 17 tackles—10 solo. They lost 21-14, but Jones and the Bears held the Longhorns' vaunted attack to meager yardage in the second half.

THE BACK: Mike Adamle, Northwestern's 5'9", 195-pound fullback, rushed for 192 yards and plunged for four touchdowns as the Wildcats came from 14 points back to beat Minnesota 28-14 for their fourth Big Ten victory.