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THE WEEK
SOUTH
1. ALABAMA (3-0)
2. TENNESSEE (3-0)
3. AUBURN (2-1)
Explaining his coaching philosophy on his weekly TV show, Kansas State's Vince Gibson said: "Hard work is worth paying the price for." That may not have come out the way Gibson intended, but the score did when his Wildcats beat Tampa 17-0. Another visitor to the South—Houston—veered past Memphis State for 487 yards and a 35-21 win. And Miami of Ohio held off South Carolina 13-11, getting 113 yards rushing from Chuck Varner and three interceptions by Dan Rebsch, who the week before had two in the upset of Purdue. "These have to be the best back-to-back victories in Miami's football history," said Coach Bill Mallory.
The other Miami, the Florida-based one, also had to hold tight to salvage a 14-10 triumph over Florida State. And the other Florida—plain Florida—was stunned by Mississippi State 33-12. Urged on by cowbell-clanging fans, the Bulldogs gained 403 yards.
A couple of freshmen—Allan Leavitt and Gene Washington—helped Georgia squelch North Carolina State 31-12. Leavitt kicked a 51-yard field goal and Washington, a 9.3 sprinter, scored twice, once on an 86-yard kickoff return. Freshman Robert Dow of LSU also had some dandy runbacks, darting 58 and 38 yards with kickoffs and 59 with a punt in a 24-9 conquest of Rice. With Steve Mike-Mayer kicking three field goals, one of 54 yards, Maryland beat Vilianova 31-3. Disgruntled Mississippi rooters got their wish: former Rebel Coach Johnny Vaught came out of retirement to replace Billy Kinard and Ole Miss stomped Southern Mississippi 41-0.
In Southeastern Conference meetings it was Alabama 44-0 over Vanderbilt and Tennessee 21-0 over Auburn. It rained so hard during the latter game that the Volunteers, anxious to avoid fumbles after going in front by three touchdowns, took to punting on first downs.
EAST
1. PENN STATE (3-0)
2. WEST VIRGINIA (3-0)
3. DELAWARE (4-0)
Ivy League teams, looking more hollowed than hallowed, finally opened their seasons and came away with two wins, two ties and four losses. Dartmouth built a 9-0 lead over New Hampshire and appeared to be on its way to victory when, oops, Dan Losano took a kickoff eight yards in his end zone, eluded tacklers at the 20-, 30-and 50-yard lines and went all the way. The Wildcats went on to earn their first win in 17 tries over the Big Green 10-9 when Dave Teggert booted a 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. Penn was also beaten by a field goal as Gene Thaw made Lafayette a 16-14 winner with a 20-yard kick in the last 49 seconds. It was Thaw's third field goal and it gave the Leopards their second win against the Quakers in 50 years. Tacklers from Yale and Princeton all too often came up empty-armed as their teams lost big. Connecticut defeated the Bulldogs 27-13 when its offense churned out 488 yards. Doing most of the damage were Fullback Eric Torkelson (171 yards rushing and two touchdowns), Halfback Ray Jackson (148 yards) and freshman Quarterback Bernie Palmer (five of nine completions for 127 yards and two TD passes). Ripping runs by Jim Jennings netted 193 yards and five touchdowns as Rutgers blasted the Tigers 39-14.
But the Ivies were not totally devoid of standouts of their own. Don Fanelli galloped for 180 yards and three touchdowns as Cornell held off Colgate 35-21 despite 20 pass completions by Tom Parr. Three TD tosses by Jim Stoeckel airlifted Harvard over Massachusetts 24-7. Although Columbia held its opponent without a touchdown for the eighth time in 19 outings, the Lion offense failed to take advantage of the occasion, gaining only 114 yards and settling for a scoreless tie with Bucknell. The most dramatic action in the Ivies was the display by Pete Beatrice of Brown, who was not above accepting some helping hands, even if they belonged to Rhode Island. With 10 seconds to go and the Bruins trailing 20-12, Beatrice connected on an 80-yard scoring pass to Jeff Smith, as two Rams deflected the ball. And then Beatrice ran for a two-point conversion to square the final score at 20-all.
Despite heavy rains, Penn State scored three times in eight minutes during the first period and paddled past Iowa 27-8. Speaking of Nittany Lion Defensive Tackle Randy Crowder, who fought off double-and triple-teaming efforts to harass the Hawkeyes, Iowa Coach Frank Lauterbur said, "He played a whale of a game." An apt description in view of the playing conditions. Lauterbur added, "Our coaches feel Penn State is on a par with or maybe even better than Michigan or UCLA," the two teams Iowa lost to earlier.
The sun shone on Michie Stadium, but hardly on Army, which was burned 51-6 by California. Quarterback Vince Ferragamo of the Bears threw three touchdown passes.
Lehigh's Kim McQuilken made good on 17 of 29 passes and had a 6-0 lead over Delaware before the Blue Hens went to work. When done, they had a 21-9 triumph and an 18-game win streak, the nation's longest.
SOUTHWEST
1. HOUSTON (3-0)
2. SMU (3-0)
3. TEXAS (1-1)
No telling what Darrell Royal might try next. He started the season saying, shucks, there was nothing new about his Texas team. Same as ever—run people over with the Wishbone, crinkle 'em with the defense. But then Royal lost his opener, so maybe that was why he decided last week to have a go at some newfangled gimmicks. Whatever, the Longhorns shook up Texas Tech by starting off with a Winged T, and not just an ordinary Winged T, but a jazzy variation. The wingback lined up at a 45° angle to the line and looked like he was going to run straight into his own center. He didn't, though. Instead, he led the way on power sweeps and Texas was up 14-0 at halftime.
Tech fought back to make it 14-12 in the fourth period, so when the Longhorns got the ball on their 30-yard line after the next kickoff, Royal started dabbling again. On the first play he had Marty Akins throw a pass. It was good for 20 yards, but was nullified by a 15-yard penalty. So Akins threw another and the play was good for 22 yards and the start of a drive that brought the Longhorns another touchdown and a 21-12 lead with 8:15 left.
A Tech player drew an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the extra-point play, enabling Texas to move to the Red Raider 45 for the kickoff. Mike Dean tried to coffin-corner the ball and the Tech players could not figure out what to do with his squiggly-kick, which hit one of them and went into the end zone, where Texas End Jay Arnold fell on it for a touchdown. That was it, 28-12 and Royal was pleased to note that his team, which had lost five of eight fumbles the week before, had this time recovered four of five bobbles against Tech.
Having lost to USC and Oklahoma State, Arkansas Coach Frank Broyles also resorted to some new tactics against Iowa State. He used three freshmen and 11 sophomores among his starting 22 players and switched to the slot I to make use of Dickey Morton's running talents. Morton ran for 137 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown jaunt, and the Razorbacks won 21-19. Still, they might not have come out ahead had they not used the best tactic of them all—12 men on the field when they scored their final TD.
The controversial play began when Arkansas had a third down and goal to go on the Cyclone five. Razorback Kelvin O'Brien came in to tell Quarterback Mike Kirkland what play to use. Seeing that he could not get off the field before the 25-second limit ran out, Halfback Rolland Fuchs stayed put. O'Brien lined up in the slot and just stood there as Kirkland passed to Jack Ettinger in the end zone. Iowa State protests were to no avail. Neither was a comeback effort.
SMU also sprang a surprise. His name is Brian Duncan, a fullback who did not know until shortly before the opening kickoff that he was starting against Virginia Tech. But start he did, and when the Gobblers keyed on Running Backs Alvin Maxson and Wayne Morris, as they had been expected to, Duncan tore through the middle of the Tech defense for 144 yards in 14 carries. With Maxson breaking loose for two touchdowns and Quarterback Keith Bobo for two more. SMU won 37-6 and for the first time since 1950 had launched a season with three wins.
Texas A&M sophomore Carl Roaches returned four kickoffs for 193 yards—one for a 100-yard score—and the Aggie offense out-gained Boston College 407 yards to 282. That had all the makings of an Aggie triumph, but Mike Esposito of the Eagles scored on runs of three and 36 yards in the closing two minutes for a 32-24 upset.
Three weeks ago, Clint Longley of Abilene Christian set a school record by passing for 433 yards. Last week he hit on 19 of 28 passes for 434 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-7 romp over Southwest Texas State.
WEST
1. USC (2-0-1)
2. ARIZONA STATE (3-0)
3. UCLA (2-1)
Judging from the buildup for the Oklahoma-USC game one might have thought the outcome was going to determine world supremacy—at least. Sooner fans invested in a huge billboard in Los Angeles that said: SMILE, OKLAHOMANS. NEXT WEEK NO. 1. Some 8,000 Sooner rooters invaded town in the hope that Trojan Coach John McKay was right when he groused about his team's unsteady play in the first two games. "We lack cohesion," McKay insisted. "We are making mental mistakes. It appears we either can't count or can't hear." All the while Barry Switzer, the Sooner skipper, retorted by saying, "They're a super, super team."
In the end the Trojans proved to be something less than super, super. A 42-yard pass that would have given them a 7-0 lead was called back because of a penalty. USC gained just 161 yards, Oklahoma 339, all but nine on the ground. Pat Haden's 15-yard pass to J. K. McKay brought USC its lone touchdown. For Oklahoma, Waymon Clark rumbled for 126 yards, but it was Quarterback Steve Davis who got the only Sooner score on a two-yard plunge. The result was a 7-7 tie. Hardly billboard material.
Other Pacific Eight clubs were fairly successful for the first time this season. Only two lost: Oregon State to Brigham Young, 37-14, and Oregon to Utah, 35-17. Aiding Washington State in a 51-24 win over Idaho were Eric Johnson, who ran back a punt 75 yards for a TD, and Robin Sinclair, who returned another 72 yards for a score. Stanford overcame San Jose 23-12, and in a showdown between the Orange of Syracuse and the Pear of Washington the Huskies won 21-7. No matter how many men the Orange deployed against Defensive Tackle Dave Pear there was no stopping him as he made 15 solo tackles and assisted on seven others.
Woody Green and Alonzo Emery both scored twice as Arizona State began defense of its Western AC title by drubbing Colorado State 67-14. In another WAC contest, Wyoming stopped Texas-El Paso 31-8. Air Force made New Mexico a 10-6 victim.
MIDWEST
1. OHIO STATE (2-0)
2. NEBRASKA (3-0)
3. MICHIGAN (3-0)
Twice in the last eight minutes Dave Humm directed Nebraska to touchdowns and ultimately to a nerve-racking 20-16 win over stubborn Wisconsin. With the Badgers clogging up the Huskers' running game and out-gaining them 175-148 on the ground, Humm was forced to the air. His 25 completions for 297 yards were team records and when he hit Frosty Anderson with a 23-yard touchdown pass in the fourth period Nebraska had a 14-10 lead. That advantage lasted just as long as it took Selvie Washington to bring back the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a 16-14 Badger lead. Then, with five minutes left, the Huskers got the ball on their own 17 and seven plays later Tony Davis rammed through the middle for 14 yards and the touchdown that finished off the Badgers.
Baylor, too, concentrated on its defense against the run, realizing Colorado had only seven pass completions in 31 tries during its first two games. But the Buffaloes came out throwing and riddled the Bears 52-28, as Quarterbacks Clyde Crutchmer and Dave Williams both tossed two TD passes.
Oklahoma State led Southern Illinois only 14-7 at the half, then exploded for five third-period touchdowns and a 70-7 victory. Kansas also started slowly. But with Delvin Williams scoring three times and the defense tightening up, the Jayhawks trounced Minnesota 34-19. Spreading themselves almost from coast to coast, Big Eight teams had a fruitful 6-1-1 week.
There was little joy in the Big Ten though, not with three wins in 10 contests. Even Ohio State's 37-3 crunching of TCU was not all that enjoyable, for Champ Henson, who led the nation with 20 touchdowns a year ago, was injured. He underwent surgery for torn knee ligaments and was lost for the season. The rain poured down at Ohio Stadium, but the wettest-ever crowd there at least got to see Archie Griffin scamper for 119 yards in 14 tries. Quarterback Cornelius Greene ran for 113 yards in 15 carries.
Michigan was even more depressed after a 14-0 win against Navy. "I hope that's a humbling victory, if there is such a thing," said Coach Bo Schembechler of the Wolverines, who had been favored by as much as five touchdowns. Navy got 20 first downs, held Michigan to 15 and was kept from scoring largely because of its own errors.
Indiana picked up the only other win for the Big Ten, putting down Kentucky 17-3. But other invaders won, Pitt halting Northwestern 21-14, West Virginia stopping Illinois 17-10 on a 55-yard pass from Ade Dillon to Danny Buggs and UCLA shredding Michigan State 34-21.
In a Mid-American Conference tussle, Paul Miles scored four times as Bowling Green bopped Western Michigan 31-20. And Toledo's Gene Swick ran for 85 yards and completed 20 of 24 passes for 267 yards in a 35-8 funfest against Ohio U.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
THE BACK: Freshman Running Back Tony Dorsett led Pittsburgh past Northwestern 21-14, scoring on bursts of six and 79 yards and also eclipsing the Panther rushing record by galloping 265 yards as he carried the ball 38 times.
THE LINEMAN: Randy Spetman, a defensive end for Air Force, bedeviled New Mexico all day and was at his best in the fourth quarter, pouncing on the Lobo quarterback three times to help preserve a 10-6 victory for the Falcons.
