SOUTHWEST
1. HOUSTON (2-0)
2. SMU (2-0)
3. TEXAS (0-1)
It seemed harmless enough when New Mexico was offside on its opening kickoff to Texas Tech, for the Lobos simply walked five yards back and kicked again. Only this time Lawrence Williams gathered in the ball on his five-yard line and went all the way for a touchdown. That was just the start of a day crammed with miseries for the Lobos, who immediately fumbled the kickoff they received. Three plays later Williams took a 24-yard toss from Joe Barnes and had his second touchdown in the opening 93 seconds. Tech also recovered another NMU fumble as it built a 21-0 first-period advantage. In all, New Mexico dropped the ball nine times, lost it on five of those miscues and went down to a 41-7 defeat.
Last March an automobile accident nearly killed TCU Coach Billy Tohill. Tohill entered Amon Carter Stadium on crutches for his team's opener and he was given a standing ovation from the fans. Making his comeback complete was a 49-13 triumph by his Horned Frogs over Texas-Arlington.
MIDWEST
1. MICHIGAN (2-0)
2. OHIO STATE (1-0)
3. NOTRE DAME (1-0)
Arkansas had a kick coming against Oklahoma State. As a matter of fact, several. The trouble was, the Razorbacks had difficulty getting off several of them. It seems that Tim Downey, who centers the ball to the Arkansas punter, lifts the ball before snapping it back. Cowboy Tackle Barry Price took advantage of this and got a hand on one Downey snap and psyched him into hurrying another. Once the punter was tackled at his own 16 and the Cowboys converted that into a field goal. The other time the snap sailed into the end zone for a safety. When Arkansas tried a different center, he, too, sent the ball into the end zone and the Cowboys got another safety. When it was over, Oklahoma State had a solid—even humiliating—38-6 win.
Three other Big Eight teams held off outsiders, though not without considerable exertion. Nebraska trailed North Carolina State 14-10 in the fourth period before breaking loose for three touchdowns and a 31-14 verdict. John Cherry passed for 199 yards and one touchdown (a 52-yard bomb to Jim Sharp), as Missouri beat Virginia 31-7. With Tailback Charlie Davis sidelined by a shoulder injury, Billy Waddy took his place and put on a dazzling performance that enabled Colorado to overcome Wisconsin 28-25.
Preparing for their encounter with Northwestern, Notre Dame scouts spotted some wide line splits and slow reaction in the Wildcat kicking game. Thus educated, the Irish at times put on an eight-man rush against Punter Dave Skarin. He never had a chance. One of his punts was blocked, another was deflected, and the Irish added injury to insult when Skarin suffered a broken leg. Notre Dame gained 473 yards and a 44-0 win, the 150th victory for Ara Parseghian in 23 years of coaching.
Ohio State had the week off, but Michigan enhanced its reputation by drubbing Stanford 47-10. Mike Lantry, a 25-year-old Army veteran, set a Wolverine mark when he kicked a 50-yard field goal and then eclipsed that 12 minutes and 30 seconds later by booting one from 51 yards. Minnesota's John King carried the ball for 110 yards and two TDs in a 41-14 trouncing of North Dakota. But Big Ten prestige slipped a notch when Purdue lost to Miami of Ohio 24-19. Redskin Quarterback Steve Sanna, who missed the past two seasons because of bad knees, hit on nine of 18 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Chuck Varner, a linebacker a year ago, scored three touchdowns, two in the final quarter, as Miami fought back from a 19-10 deficit.
Kent State earned a 35-7 Mid-American Conference win over Ohio U. and Louisville whipped Drake 27-17 in a Missouri Valley confrontation.
Arkansas State led Wichita State 12-0 with 47 seconds left, but then the Shockers lived up to their name. First, Tom Owen passed 12 yards to Steve Baker for a score. Next, WS recovered its onside kick and Owen completed two more throws, the final one a 32-yarder to Baker for a TD with six seconds left and a ho-hum 14-12 victory.
SOUTH
1. ALABAMA (2-0)
2. TENNESSEE (2-0)
3 AUBURN (2-0)
With the help of a loudmouth quarterback, a passel of grabby defenders and some strong running, Miami left Texas with little to talk about after victimizing the Longhorns 20-15. One person who was voluble afterward was Coy Hall, a part-time signal caller for the Hurricanes, who combined with Kary Baker to complete 12 of 18 passes. Said Hall: "I expected it. Everybody said I had a big mouth. But I really believe in this team and the coaches."
It was a stunning beginning for new Miami Coach Pete Elliott, whose team was a 14½-point underdog. The Hurricanes seemed headed in the expected direction when the Longhorns took the opening kickoff, stampeded 86 yards and scored on a five-yard thrust by Roosevelt Leaks. The team looked as devastating as ever and brought to mind a comment made the day before by Coach Darrell Royal, who had said, "There's nothing new about us."
Following that first drive, though, there was plenty new about the Longhorns; they fumbled eight times and lost five of them. The most nightmarish moment of all came when Joe Aboussie swept around end on his way toward a certain 54-yard touchdown gallop only to have the ball fall from his arms on the Miami 30 even though not a hand had been laid on him. Texas gained 287 yards rushing, and Leaks pounded out 153 of them in 30 carries. But he fumbled three times. It was Miami that played ball possession, controlling the action for 37 minutes. Woody Thompson scored on three short touchdown runs, and the Hurricanes hooked the Longhorns. While Hall and his teammates had much to talk about afterward, Royal could only say, "I cut off scrimmages two weeks ago because we were getting a lot of injuries. Maybe the absence of contact for so long accounted for the fumbles."
For the first time since abruptly leaving there 20 years ago, Alabama's Bear Bryant brought a team to Kentucky. "The day before I left Kentucky I could have been elected governor," he said. "The day after, I was hanged in effigy. They'll be playing the old man, not our team."
Kentucky, a 27-point underdog, was sure playing somebody, for it held a 14-0 lead at intermission. And when Willie Shelby of the Crimson Tide fumbled the kickoff to start the second half it looked as if the Wildcats might take the whole thing. But only for a second. Shelby picked up the ball on his goal line and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. From there on, Alabama's superior depth wore down Kentucky and the Tide ground out a 28-14 win.
Auburn disposed of Tennessee-Chattanooga 31-0, but Florida and LSU had to scramble to come out on top. Fumbles hampered the Gators, who salvaged a 14-13 victory over Southern Mississippi. LSU, which did not have a turnover against Colorado the week before, had four in the first 11 minutes against Texas A&M. But the Tigers made good on 11 of 19 third-down plays, stopped the Aggies on 11 of 14 such attempts and won 28-23. Still, the Aggies might have pulled it out had it not been for Tiger Cornerback Mike Williams, who deflected a pass with 45 seconds to go.
There were Washingtons at work all over the South. A shoestring tackle that Tulane Cornerback Wyatt Washington made on Boston College's Mike Esposito late in the fourth quarter helped preserve a 21-16 win. Steve Foley had put the Green Wave in front 21-7 with a scoring pass plus touchdown runs of 35 and 51 yards. Duke defeated visiting Washington University 23-21, thanks to an 11-yard TD pass from Mark Johnson to Randy Cobb with 1:37 left. And freshman Gene Washington ran back a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown as Georgia won a non-conference battle from Clemson 31-14. Sophomores Ralph Page (he scored once and completed six of seven passes) and Glynn Harrison (he ran for 84 yards and also had a touchdown) also helped the Bulldogs. All three of the youngsters had spent most of their time on the bench a week earlier when Georgia was tied by Pitt.
"We haven't been handled like this in years," said North Carolina Coach Bill Dooley after his string of 15 ACC wins was snapped by Maryland 23-3. The Terps' Al Neville passed for two TDs and set up a third score on a 34-yard completion to Frank Russell.
Felix Glasco, a defensive back for Wake Forest, set up one touchdown with a blocked punt and scored another after scooping up a William & Mary fumble. His feats gave the Demon Deacons a 14-0 lead, but the Indians rallied for a 15-14 victory that was climaxed by Terry Regan's 17-yard field goal. David Jaynes of Kansas was on target with 15 of 28 passes, while the defense stole five passes and three fumbles. The result was a 28-0 win over Florida State, the first time the Seminoles had been blanked in 81 games. Errors also plagued VMI, which lost seven fumbles, had two punts blocked and had a pass intercepted in a 35-0 Southern Conference setback by Richmond.
There were some new rebels in the South. One disgruntled fan placed a full-page newspaper advertisement demanding a change in the coaching staff at Mississippi because of "miserable performances" in the team's first outing this year. Further fuel surely was added to the campaign when Ole Miss was dumped by Memphis State 17-13. It was only the second time in the 27-game series dating back to 1921 that the Tigers had won, and they did it by rallying from a 13-0 deficit.
EAST
1. PENN STATE (2-0)
2. WEST VIRGINIA (2-0)
3. DELAWARE (3-0)
"It's as good, or going to be as good, as any Penn State team they've had," said Navy Coach George Welsh after his Midshipmen had lost 39-0. Welsh, an assistant coach at State for a decade, watched glumly as his team managed only five first downs and was outgained 477 yards to 154. Keeping the Nittany Lions on the move were John Cappelletti, who ran for 104 yards, and Tom Shuman, who hit his receivers nine of 12 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Bahr, an All-America soccer player, chipped in with a 22-yard field goal and four extra points, then flew back to Penn State to compete that night against a British squad from Birmingham University and had two assists in a 2-2 tie.
Condredge (Thisaway-Thataway) Holloway of Tennessee gave Army the shirts off his back but other than that left would-be tacklers empty-handed as he guided the Volunteers to a 37-18 victory. Holloway, who had two tearaway jerseys torn away, ran for 74 yards and passed for 169 more. Once, when he appeared to be trapped for a 14-yard loss on his own 10, he got off a pass to the 33. Another time he seemed to evaporate between the fingers of West Point tacklers and ran for 48 yards.
Pittsburgh found itself in the heady position of being the favorite against Baylor, but the Bears took the opening kickoff, used almost nine minutes to clomp 90 yards for a touchdown and deflated the Panthers 20-14. Tailback Gary Lacy, who carried the ball 17 times during that first drive, amassed 167 yards in 39 carries.
Game-breakers Dwayne Woods and Danny Buggs were at it again as West Virginia knocked off Virginia Tech 24-10. The Mountaineers scored three touchdowns in the second period, one on a 38-yard sprint by Woods, and another on a 59-yard pass from Ade Dillon to Buggs. Morgan State quickly learned there would be no rambling with Grambling during the third annual Whitney M. Young contest at Yankee Stadium. Shutting off the Bear offense were Safety William Bryant, who stole three passes, and the Tiger front four, which averaged 257 pounds. It added up to a 31-14 win for Grambling.
Syracuse, upset last week, almost returned the favor this Saturday, only to succumb to Michigan State 14-8. Two first-half field goal attempts by the Orange were blocked. They yielded the deciding TD to Tailback Tyrone Wilson with a mere 35 seconds left in the game. Colgate brushed off Lafayette 55-21 as Quarterback Tom Parr took part in seven touchdowns. He hit on 14 of 17 passes for 192 yards, a school-record four scores and added touchdown runs of 19, 52 and 33 yards.
Delaware won its 17th game in succession by stomping Gettysburg 60-18, but the biggest small-college news was the end of the nation's longest winning streak at 22 games when Bridgeport (Conn.) lost to American International 38-25. Supplying most of the punch for the winners were Jerry Stellmach (137 yards and one TD) and Greg Davis (122 yards and three touchdowns).
WEST
1. USC (2-0)
2. ARIZONA STATE (2-0)
3. UCLA (1-1)
"An angry football team is better than a confident one. And we're an angry football team." So said UCLA Coach Pepper Rodgers before taking on Iowa. His Bruins, still seething over their 40-13 televised kicking around by Nebraska two weeks earlier, took out their frustrations on the Hawkeyes 55-18. UCLA rushed for 405 yards, 101 of them picked up by James McAlister, 87 by Kermit Johnson and 59 more—plus two touchdowns—by John Sciarra, who replaced Quarterback Mark Harmon after Harmon completed neither of his two passes.
Aside from victories by UCLA and USC, it was a winless week for Pacific Eight clubs. Oregon, trailing Air Force 17-3 in the fourth quarter, scored twice in 13 seconds to square matters. The Ducks did it with a 67-yard Norval Turner-to-Russ Francis pass and, following the recovery of a line-drive kick that caromed off an Air Force player, with a 46-yard run by Don Reynolds. But the Falcons regrouped for a 24-17 win when Rich Haynie found Bob Fair with a six-yard scoring pass. With Andy Duvall and Clarence Dennard returning interceptions for touchdowns, SMU had little trouble bumping off Oregon State 35-6. California was downed 27-7 by Illinois, which got two touchdowns and 149 yards rushing from George Uremovich. And Washington State fell 20-9 to Arizona State, which had to play without All-America Halfback Woody Green who was injured. Replacing Green, Alonzo Emery ripped off 114 yards and carried a screen pass 87 yards for a TD. Least repressible of the Sun Devil defenders was Linebacker Bob Breunig, who had a hand in 16 tackles and went 21 yards for a score after recovering a Cougar fumble.
Charlie Gorham booted four field goals and T (for Theopolis) Bell caught seven passes from Bruce Hill as Arizona won its third in a row, downing Indiana 26-10. Lonnie Crittenden of Texas-El Paso got off punts of 84 and 59 yards, but for the rest of the game it was UTEP that was booted about as Utah whirled to an 82-6 win. In three losses UTEP has been outscored 178-29.
Hawaii, off an upset of Washington last week, beat Fresno State 13-10 on Reinhold Stuprich's game-ending 29-yard field goal. Casey Ortez set up the kick with a 35-yard pass to Henry Noa with 25 seconds left and earlier threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Aran Ahu.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
THE BACK: Substitute Tailback Billy Waddy, a freshman, led Colorado to a 28-25 win over Wisconsin as he gained 202 yards in 24 carries, scored on runs of 17 and 76 yards and completed a surprise 14-yard pass for a touchdown.
THE LINEMAN: John Bell, a 6-foot, 210-pound middle guard for Nebraska, made 18 tackles, three times downing the North Carolina State quarterback in the fourth quarter as the Huskers came from behind for a 31-14 victory.
