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THE WEEK
MIDWEST
1. OHIO STATE (5-0)
2. MICHIGAN (6-0)
3. NEBRASKA (5-1)
Oklahoma was not the only team to gets its comeuppance over the weekend. The faithful in South Bend glumly witnessed an even greater miracle: Missouri 30, Notre Dame 26. Stomped 62-0 by Nebraska the week before, shut out by mediocre Baylor earlier in the season, poor ol' Mizzou was off the board. But the Tigers played almost errorless ball and scored three touchdowns and three field goals on fourth-down plays.
True, Notre Dame performed without freshman Defensive Tackle Steve Niehaus, Split Ends Willie Townsend and Bob Washington and leading runner Eric Penick, but Coach Ara Parseghian said the loss was caused by "our inability to control the line of scrimmage on defense."
"If I were a fullback, there's only one school in the country I'd consider," said Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes, glowing over his team's 44-7 thwacking of Indiana. It was a victory earned the Woody way: pure power into the center of the Hoosier line by four different fullbacks who perceptively chose the right school. They gained 210 yards in 43 carries and scored three touchdowns. As usual, the best of the lot was Harold (Champ) Henson, a 6'4" sophomore who gained 116 yards and scored his 10th and 11th TDs of the season. Added Woody, "You don't beat a team up the middle, but you pin 'em down and then you can do anything you damn please."
Indiana was further debilitated when Quarterback Ted McNulty was hurt in the first quarter. McNulty, who earned all sons of high school honors right in Hayes' backyard, underwent surgery Saturday night to repair a torn knee ligament. He is lost for the season and so, probably, are the Hoosiers.
"The turning point is that we dominated the game all the way," quoth Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler. Fortunately, his team had more control over the ball than Bo had over the language, drubbing Illinois 31-7. The Illini are now 0-6, the same record they had last year when they started a five-game winning streak against Purdue. This week's opponent: Purdue. Illinois' biggest worry will be how to stop Otis Armstrong, who broke three school rushing records in the Boilermakers' 37-0 rout of Northwestern. He gained 233 yards to set the single-game mark and upped his career total to a record 2,613.
"Smile and Beat Nebraska," urged the outsized campaign buttons worn all week by Kansas supporters. By midway in the second quarter at Lawrence it was obvious there was no reason to do the first and no chance to do the second. Cornhusker Quarterback David Humm threw four TD passes, Coach Bob Devaney played 47 of his 50-man traveling squad in the first half and Nebraska went home with a 56-0 win. Since their opening loss to UCLA, the bullies from Lincoln have beaten five opponents by a combined score of 281-14.
Baylor fumbled 15 times, lost seven of those bobbles and threw three interceptions in rainy Stillwater as Oklahoma State slopped to a 20-7 win. One of the few bright spots for the Bears was the play of Defensive End Roger Goree, whose father was an All-America guard at LSU in 1936. Goree recovered three Cowboy fumbles, caused another and was in on 16 tackles.
John King just might be crowned in Minneapolis. In Minnesota's first win of the season, a 43-14 upset of Iowa, he rushed for 173 yards on 29 carries and scored four touchdowns. After four straight losses to national contenders, Michigan State whipped Wisconsin 31-0. Iowa State improved its record to 4-1 with an easy 55-22 victory over visiting Kansas State.
In Athens, Ohio, Virginia Tech's Don Strock, the nation's leading passer, threw for four touchdowns, three to Ricky Scales, as the Gobblers beat Ohio U. 53-21.
SOUTHWEST
1. TEXAS (4-1)
2. SMU (4-1 )
3. ARKANSAS (4-2)
Arkansas came up with a unique 10-man defense on two goal-line stands, but Coach Frank Broyles will not be called upon to describe it at coaching clinics. He will only have to explain it to alumni, as Texas trounced the Razorbacks 35-15 at Austin. On the Longhorns' second touchdown, a six-yard run by Quarterback Alan Lowry, Arkansas lined up 12 men on the field, then two ran off just before the ball was snapped. Arkansas went into the same new defense on Texas' fourth touchdown, a one-yard run by Fullback Roosevelt Leaks, causing the crowd of 80,844, biggest in Southwest Conference history, to count helmets every time the Razorbacks were on defense. Once even the bemused referee called a time-out to tot them up.
In its conference opener, SMU beat Rice 29-14 in the rain and fog at the Cotton Bowl. The Mustang heroes were Quarterback Keith Bobo (no kin to Ohio State's fabled Hubert), who didn't learn he was going to start until the pregame warmup, and freshman Wide Receiver Kenny Harrison. Bobo hit 13 of 18 passes for 229 yards and ran 17 times for 53 more. It was SMU's fifth straight win over Rice, giving it a 4-1 record, matching the best SMU start since 1950, when Kyle Rote was a senior. "We just played a bad football game," said Rice Quarterback Bruce Gadd. "We all played bad, myself included. We played one of the worst first halves I've ever seen."
Texas Tech romped over Arizona 35-10 and Texas A&M lost its fifth straight, 13-10, to Texas Christian in College Station.
EAST
1. PENN STATE (5-1)
2. DARTMOUTH (4-0)
3. WEST VIRGINIA (5-2)
Quarterback John Hufnagel needed only 85 yards to become Penn State's alltime total offense leader. He didn't get them as a well-drilled Syracuse defense held him to 58 yards passing and minus 19 rushing. But Syracuse failed to contain Tailback John Cappelletti, and the junior's one-man show was the difference in Penn State's 17-0 win. A record homecoming crowd of 60,465 saw Cappelletti gain 162 of Penn State's 182 rushing yards and catch three of Hufnagel's five completed passes for eight more. "Cappelletti sure played better than he did in the movies we looked at," moaned Syracuse Coach Ben Schwartzwalder.
West Virginia fell behind Tulane 13-0, then got down to business. Bernie Galiffa's passes started to click and reserve Fullback Ron Lee scored two second-period touchdowns as the Mountaineers posted a 31-19 victory. West Virginia intercepted five passes and sophomore Danny (Lightning) Buggs returned a punt 95 yards for a score in the third quarter. Next week's foe: Penn State, whom the Mountaineers have not beaten since 1955.
Temple, which had upset West Virginia the week before, was upended itself by Boston U. 17-14, Aidan Moore kicking the winning 20-yard field goal with 17 seconds left. Colgate Quarterback Tom (Above) Parr ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more in a 35-26 victory over Princeton. Dartmouth smashed Brown 49-20 in Hanover, N.H., where Brown has not won a football game since Calvin Coolidge was in his second term. Yale whipped Columbia 28-14, thanks mostly to Dick Jauron's 87-yard touchdown gallop in the fourth quarter. Harvard routed Cornell 33-15, Penn edged Lehigh 30-27 and Pitt won its first game, 35-20 over Boston College.
SOUTH
1. LSU (6-0)
2. ALABAMA (6-0)
3. AUBURN (5-1)
Tennessee defensed Alabama's Wishbone so well that the Crimson Tide, which thrives on ball possession, converted on only two of 13 third-down situations, none in the second half. In fact, the Volunteers did just what a team should do to beat Alabama—and yet it lost. Behind 10-3 with 1:48 remaining, Alabama scored on a three-play, 48-yard drive and kicked the extra point to make it 10-10. Coach Bear Bryant wanted to go for a two-point conversion but was talked out of it by Assistant Coach Pat Dye, whose thinking was that Tennessee would try to score and just might make an error, leaving 'Bama in field-goal range. Sure enough, Vol Quarterback Condredge Holloway fumbled and the Tide recovered on Tennessee's 22. Seconds later, Quarterback Terry Davis ran 22 yards for a 17-10 Alabama victory.
Who says time doesn't stand still? Late in the second period in Auburn's Cliff Hare Stadium, the Tigers were driving into Georgia Tech territory when the Tech bench noticed the stadium clock had been at 1:31 for some time. After a heated midfield argument between assistant coaches, the clock was finally restarted, but Auburn scored to cut in half Tech's two-touchdown lead and went on to win 24-14, Quarterback Randy Walls sneaking over from the one for the deciding touchdown with 2:04 left.
LSU put together one impressive drive in an otherwise unimpressive night to beat Kentucky 10-0, Quarterback Bert Jones combining with Gerald Keigley on a 34-yard touchdown play late in the third quarter. It was Jones' 24th TD pass, breaking Y. A. Tittle's school record. LSU Coach Charlie McClendon now has an 11-0 record against his alma mater.
Florida State, noted for Gary Huff's slinging rather than for defense, stopped Colorado State at the 8, 4, 12 and 14 to register its first shutout in 39 games, 37-0. Huff hit 12 of 25 passes for 218 yards and his understudy, Mike Cadwell, got the final TD on a 25-yard pass play. He has thrown just twice in seven games, both for scores.
A solid running attack featuring Nat Moore and Vince Kendrick and a strong defensive line helped Florida beat Mississippi 16—0. Georgia struck for three quick touchdowns in the second quarter to stop Vanderbilt 28-3. Duke started Quarterback Mark Johnson for the first time and he responded by dashing 68 yards for one score and passing for another in the Blue Devils' 20-14 win over Maryland. North Carolina State whipped previously unbeaten East Carolina 38-16, and North Carolina improved its record to 5-1 by smashing Wake Forest 21-0. Miami (Fla.) took advantage of Houston mistakes, turning two fumbles and an interception into touchdowns in a 33-13 romp. Miami (Ohio) had a ball, too, beating South Carolina 21-8. Miami (Mo.) doesn't have a college football team as far as we know.
WEST
1. USC (7-0)
2. UCLA (6-1)
3. ARIZONA STATE (5-1)
Navy Coach Rick Forzano behaved as if he was. going to have to walk the plank if the Midshipmen lost to favored, undefeated Air Force. Thanks to Quarterback Allen Glenny, the coach was spared. Glenny entered the game at the beginning of the second period with Navy behind 10-0 and sparked a comeback that reached its height with a dramatic 80-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. En route Navy twice made good on fourth-down plays, once when it was fourth and two on the Air Force 37 and once when it was fourth and one at the Falcon 16. Dan Howard scored the go-ahead touchdown on a five-yard run with 31 seconds left, and Navy won 21-17.
Stanford's Rose Bowl hopes were pretty much ruined by surprising Oregon, which had a 1-5 record going into the game. The 17-point underducks beat the Cardinals 15-13 in Eugene. Oregon's only touchdown of the game came on an 85-yard run by sophomore Don Reynolds in the first quarter. Hugh Woodward added three field goals from 24, 27 and 45 yards. Quarterback Dan Fonts completed 16 of 34 passes despite suffering a pulled groin muscle in the first quarter.
Washington was missing Quarterback Sonny Sixkiller, and the Huskies lost for the eighth straight year to USC 34-7. Trojan sophomore Anthony Davis averaged 5.7 yards in 16 carries, including a fancy, sideline-hugging 44-yard run for the second USC touchdown. Washington was held to minus seven yards in the first half.
It now looks like the Pacific-Eight Rose Bowl representative will be decided Nov. 18 when USC plays UCLA. The Bruins continued unbeaten in the conference by romping over Cal 49-13, even though losing five of seven fumbles. Elsewhere on the Coast, Washington State slaughtered Oregon State 37-7 and San Diego State beat Bowling Green 35-19 as transfer Isaac Curtis starred.
In the WAC, Utah slogged past Wyoming 27-6 in a Laramie blizzard and enhanced its chances for the league title. Woody Green did not play, but Arizona State still racked up Brigham Young 49-17, Fullback Brent McClanahan carrying 22 times for 171 yards and catching one of Quarterback Danny White's four touchdown passes. Said BYU Coach La Veil Edwards, "All you hear about is Arizona State speed. And that's about all we did in the second half—hear it."
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
THE BACK: Purdue's 5'11", 197-pound senior halfback, Otis Armstrong, who gained 233 yards in 32 carries against Northwestern, including touchdown runs of 54 and 53 yards, and set three school rushing records.
THE LINEMAN: Missouri Offensive Guard Scott Anderson, who helped clear the way for the Tigers' successful line smashes against overwhelmingly favored and unbeaten Notre Dame. He was playing opposite Greg Marx.
