Day Of The Game

Now Hornung is swinging to his right and it's our 49-option and I look down toward the end zone. This time Ron Kramer is open, but this time it's Hornung who underthrows and the left linebacker, that 57, makes a great leap and intercepts and brings it out to the 39 before we get him. A little later they have third and four on their own 45. This is a big one—all these third downs are getting to be big ones now—and we've got the blitz on and we make him hurry his throw to his tight end and he misses. They kick and Willie Wood calls for a fair catch on our 20.

Let's not die here now, I'm thinking, a few plays later when things are going our way and we go into Brown Right. It's third and three on our 36 and Taylor runs to daylight outside the halfback's block on the right linebacker and it's going to be close. They bring out the chain and measure. We've made it.

Starr is dropping back, looking toward Ron Kramer. McGee has gone down the left side about 20 yards and, when he makes his cut to the inside, the right halfback, playing him tight to the outside, cuts with him. They are a close pair, bumping, and as the ball reaches them Max is falling. They're both falling, and the ball has bounced off someone's hand and it's still in the air. The right safety is coming in for it now, and he has it. I see one green shirt go down and then another, and their man is back deep in our territory before Tom Moore knocks him out of bounds. The referee has called time and Jim Ringo is with him, pointing downfield. Their middle linebacker and a couple of others are protesting, but the ball is coming back. We're getting it, and it means a first down on their 40.

And now let's take it to them, I'm thinking. While they're still upset let's take it to them. It's Jimmy Taylor on our 39-toss. He gets a great block by Jerry Kramer pulling and by Tom Moore, and he runs away from one man and pivots around another, and we've got a first down on their 30. McGee runs a perfect L-zig-out and Starr fires it right into his hands and we're on their 12. We run a power play, our 47-drive, with Hornung back in for Moore, and he picks up five. We've got a second and five on their seven, and we're in great shape.

"Tom!" I say to Moore. "Go back in for him. Let's run that 36 from the Blue Left, and let's go all the way."

I watch us go into the Blue Left now, Hornung to fake inside or outside that right end of theirs. This is the one we need. I see those lines charge and the hand-off to Moore, but some white shirt is in there. Some mud-covered white shirt is in there and we lose a yard.

It's third and six now and Starr is faking our 36 and dropping back. McGee is running the L-V-out and has his man beaten but he runs out of field and it goes out of the end zone.

"Field goal!" I say. "Let's go!"

Paul makes it as the quarter ends. We're still down 7-6 though. They're a tough ball club, especially inside their own 10. We knew that, but I thought we could handle that right end on our 36. That leaves us one quarter to do it now.

After our kick, they move the ball down to our 37 and it's fourth and three. They line up to try a field goal. Again I watch the passback. The lines collide. I watch the kicker take his steps and the ball rise. It's going...going...deep enough, but it's wide to the left.