Football's Week

THE SOUTH

1. ALABAMA (5-1-1)
2. GEORGIA TECH (5-1-1)
3. FLORIDA (4-2)

It was Dizzy Dean Day in Jackson, Miss., and the townspeople gave the old Cardinal a handsome handmade shotgun. But it was MISSISSIPPI that did the shooting in the afternoon game of a day-night doubleheader. Down on its luck this year, Ole Miss dragged favored LSU down to its own level and won 23-0. It was no game after the Bengals lost Nelson Stokley, their good sophomore quarterback, in the second quarter. Sophomore Fullback Bobby Wade and Halfback Mike Dennis ripped through LSU for 153 yards.

Mississippi State, the other home team, was not so fortunate. ALABAMA came out throwing, Steve Sloan hit Dennis Homan with a 65-yard pass in the third minute and State never recovered. Later, David Ray kicked a 27-yard field goal as 'Bama won 10-7. State Coach Paul Davis did not like the result, but he understood it. "You just can't give Alabama that easy touchdown and then beat them," he said.

Florida, as much a favorite as LSU, was similarly fated to lose. AUBURN, behind 10-0 in the first half, suddenly perked up when Alex Bowden, a seldom-used senior quarterback, came in. He threw two first-down passes, something Auburn almost never does, both for touchdowns, and Linebacker Bill Cody, scoring on a 29-yard pass interception and a fumble recovery, did the rest of the damage as the Tigers won 28-17.

Georgia, meanwhile, was involved in a wild one at Chapel Hill. North Carolina, with Danny Talbott passing and running for 318 yards, had the Bulldogs whipped 35-21 going into the last quarter. Then Lynn Hughes, a defensive safety moved to quarterback, scored three times, Preston Ridlehuber broke off a 31-yard run and Georgia won 47-35. GEORGIA TECH, also caught in a free-for-all, beat Duke 35-23, as sophomore Kim King had one of his good days. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 141 yards and three scores. "Men," said Tech's Bobby Dodd, "we have out-proed the pros."

Maryland's busy Tom Nugent, busy switching his coaches, busy switching his arguments and busy switching his players, ended up the week with Safety Fred Cooper at quarterback, which must have been the right thing to do because Maryland took South Carolina 27-14. NORTH CAROLINA STATE came up with a seven-man umbrella pass defense that confused Virginia's Tom Hodges and won 13-0. CLEMSON, still unbeaten in league play, bombed Wake Forest 26-13 for its fourth ACC win.

THE SOUTHWEST

1. ARKANSAS (7-0)
2. TEXAS TECH (6-1)
3. SMU (3-2-1)

The thing about SMU is that, in the role of a "breather " it keeps popping up on the schedule—and winning. Four weeks ago the Mustangs tied Purdue, a team then ranked No. 1. Last week, in Dallas' Cotton Bowl, they met Texas, ranked ninth, and scored 21 points in the final quarter to humiliate the once-proud Longhorns 31-14. Badly beaten in total offense, 330 yards to 187, the Steers were still in the game with 9:58 left. But SMU sophomore Jim Hagle burst 93 yards for one score, Ronnie Reel went 58 yards with an interception for another and Mike Livingston passed 45 yards to John Roderick for a third as the Mustangs beat Texas for the first time in six years. A telegram to Coach Darrell Royal earlier in the week may have been the portent. It said simply: FORGET IT.