The Big Ones Are Yet To Come

On what should have been the last full day of the college football season most college presidents, reacting swiftly and decisively to President Kennedy's assassination, postponed or canceled scheduled games. Some, however, were late in arriving at a decision. At East Lansing, Michigan State President John A. Hannah, after first announcing that the Big Ten championship game with Illinois would be played, changed his mind late Saturday morning. A few colleges decided to play anyway, but at least one of them had some iate misgivings. At Miami, President Henry King Stanford came to the press box only minutes before the kickoff ready to tell the waiting crowd of 57,773 that the game with Florida had been canceled after all. He was talked out of his announcement by a member of the university's board of trustees. Most of the games drew large crowds, although some traditional contests attracted considerably less than their usual quota. Often the games were viewed with subdued attention. In almost all cases, half-time hoopla was dispensed with, and at the Kentucky-Tennessee game in Lexington the old battered beer barrel, usually claimed with a great show of exuberance by supporters of the winning team, remained untouched on the sidelines. It was not a gala day for college football.

THE EAST

THE TOP THREE:

1. NAVY (8-1)
2. PITT (7-1)
3. SYRACUSE (7-2)

Harvard and Yale, on the eve of their 80th game, were the first to announce that they would not play Princeton and Dartmouth, poised to meet with the Ivy League championship at stake, quickly followed suit, and by early Friday evening every eastern game, including the one between Penn State and Pitt, had been either postponed or canceled.

THE MIDWEST

THE TOP THREE:

1. MICHIGAN STATE (6-1-1)
2. NEBRASKA (9-1)
3. ILLINOIS (6-1-1)

Nebraska and Oklahoma elected to play for the Big Eight title and a trip to the Orange Bowl. But Bud Wilkinson probably wishes now that they had not. His team was pounded 29-20. Despite pregame rumors about player shifts and trick plays, Husker Coach Bob Devaney decided that this was no time to get fancy. He simply pitted strength against strength—his big, tough line against the Sooners' fast, shifty forwards—and his strategy worked handsomely. Bob Brown, Nebraska's 269-pound guard, and Lloyd Voss, a 245-pound tackle, played Oklahoma's best, Guard Ed McQuarters (240) and Tackle Ralph Neely (243), nose to nose and trampled them in the rush to get at the Sooner backs. Along with the other Husker linemen, they jarred the Oklahomans loose from five fumbles and gave up only 98 yards rushing. Meanwhile, Brown and Voss mounted a violent charge that led Rudy Johnson, Dennis Claridge, Kent McCloughan and Fred Duda to touchdowns. Only when Nebraska had a 29-7 lead did the Huskers relent. Then Oklahoma's Wes Skidgel scored twice, on a 22-yard run and a 25-yard pass from Tommy Pannell. Devaney did not mind at all. He just said, "This is the biggest win of my coaching career."

Ohio U. Coach Bill Hess made no such extravagant claim, but he was just as happy. Halfback Jim Albert's 10-yard sprint got Marshall University down early 7-0, and the Bobcats held them there to win the MidAmerican Conference championship 17-10. BOWLING GREEN, the old champion, went out gloriously. Tom Reicosky smashed independent Xavier for three touchdowns, Jim Wisser rushed for 151 yards and the Falcons won 26-15. KENT STATE gave retiring (after 18 years) Coach Trevor Rees a farewell gift: a 23-0 win over Dayton.