The Southwest

The 1957 recession has not hurt Southwest football one bit, and the area, as usual, will field some of the richest teams in the nation—one or two of them rather nouveau.

In the Southwest Conference, where stocks on all teams remain at a peak until after the first game, Texas Christian holds a slight edge.

TCU Coach Abe Martin, who seldom has a bad team, says the 1958 Horned Frogs will be one of the biggest and fastest squads he has ever coached. Martin's biggest trouble spot is at quarterback. Hunter Enis is back for his senior year after having been a disappointment the two previous seasons. But in spring training he completed 80% of his passes and now appears ready to burst into the full bloom of his potential. Fullback Jack Spikes, a punishing runner of the Kyle Rote variety, is one of the main reasons TCU is rated the best bet to win the conference championship.

Southern Methodist and Texas, too, must not be counted lightly. SMU returned to respectability last year in Bill Meek's first season as head coach and probably has more good football players than any other school in the conference. Big question here is defense. Five teams scored 19 or more points on SMU last year.

Darrell Royal, who brought Texas from a 1-9 season to 6-3-1 and a Sugar Bowl berth, performed one of the outstanding coaching jobs in the country last year. The Longhorns were awkwardly effective from the split-T in 1957. This year Royal feels his backfield will move the ball better because of improved speed. Main reason the Longhorns are picked high is the defense, which allowed only 49 points in the last six regular games.

After the first three teams, there is quite a drop-off in the conference. Rice, Arkansas and Texas A&M are fairly evenly matched and Baylor brings up the rear.

Jess Neely, in his 19th year at Rice, again will use the Chicago Bear T. His losses were rather small, but they were key ones, and chances are slim that he can repeat as conference champ.

Frank Broyles, one of the most imaginative young coaches in football, will start his new assignment at Arkansas by installing the wing T. The Razorbacks should have the swiftest backfield in the conference, but a brutal early schedule—four conference games in the first five weeks of the season—works to the disadvantage of a new head coach.

Texas A&M, too, has a new coach, and Jim Meyers is bringing the single wing back to the Southwest for the first time since Bowden Wyatt departed from Arkansas after the 1954 season. The Aggies have just four outstanding football players from the Bear Bryant regime—Fullback Dick Gay, Tackle Ken Beck, Quarterback Charley Milstead and End John Tracey—so Meyers undoubtedly will find himself on the thin side. The sophomores must come through, especially in the backfield, if the Aggies are to have any kind of year.

Baylor, picked one-two last year, failed to win a conference game. Overall team speed should improve this season, but a lack of depth, lack of experience and lack of a coaching staff seem to portend a difficult season in 1958.