The Week

Buoyed by its first bowl invitation in 17 years (the Peach), Maryland crushed Tulane 42-9 in College Park. The Terrapins improved their record to 8-3, their best since going 10-1 in 1955 and the first winning season in 11 years. "Since that first loss to West Virginia in the opener we've come a long way," said second-year Coach Jerry Claiborne. "We showed people today we ought to be one of the ranked teams in the country." Tulane trailed only 14-3 at the half and in the third quarter moved the ball to the Terp seven before losing it on a fumble. Maryland then went 93 yards to a TD in 10 plays and the romp was on. Claiborne used 62 men. Maryland Defensive End Kevin Ward said, "The hitting was unbelievable out there and after a while Tulane just didn't want to hear it."

Sophomore Quarterback Jeff Grantz, who had missed the previous two games because of an ankle injury, ran for 185 yards and passed for 121 more in leading South Carolina to a 32-20 victory over state rival Clemson. His 306 yards of total offense gave him 1,670 in nine games this season. "I just wish I could play for another year or that we had had him at quarterback the last two years," said senior Center Darrell Austin. "We would have had some great football teams because he is a super quarterback." Clemson Coach Red Parker was just as impressed: "I don't believe I've ever seen as fine an option quarterback. He's a superb athlete—a great athlete."

Duke and North Carolina often play for bowl invitations and Atlantic Coast Conference championships, but this year it was for nothing but pride. Duke won 27-10, which it had to do to avoid being winless in the league. Before the game Duke students stole the North Carolina ram and painted his horns and some other parts deep Blue-Devil blue. The mascot was returned at halftime while the Carolina band was on the field performing. In the other big intrastate battle North Carolina State toyed with Wake Forest 52-13, and Willie Burden became the first Wolf packplayer ever to get 1,000 yards rushing in a season. Bruce Shaw was on the starting end of a 53-yard touchdown pass play and thus surpassed Roman Gabriel's school passing-yardage record.

Miami has one game to go—at night against Notre Dame—and that contest will determine if the Hurricanes finish winners or losers. Florida beat Coach Pete Elliot's team 14-7 to make the Miami record 5-5, which ain't bad considering the previous losses were to Oklahoma, Houston, West Virginia and Alabama. It was very nearly another Hurricane happening. Miami drove from its 40 to the Gator five before being stopped with 33 seconds left.

Vanderbilt got ready for Tennessee with an 18-16 win over Tampa. Mississippi had an easy time in neutral Jackson, bopping Mississippi State 38-10, and Tennessee at Chattanooga edged Eastern Tennessee 26-21.

EAST

1. PENN STATE (11-0)
2. PITTSBURGH (6-4-1)
3. TEMPLE (9-1)

Penn State trailed 13-3 at halftime, but then the Nittany Lions woke up, sealing off the Pitt offense in the second half and winning their 11th straight game 35-13. The victory gave Coach Joe Paterno his third perfect season in the last six years and boosted his eight-year coaching record to 74-13-1, best in the country. John Cappelletti closed his Heisman Trophy campaign with 161 yards. Pitt freshman Tony Dorsett made 77.

"There is too much competition going on around here," said an Old Blue, surveying the elaborate tailgate table settings outside Yale Bowl in New Haven. In The Game there was almost no competition at all after Yale had taken a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Hitting with a fervor that it had shown only sporadically this season, the Eli defense, led by Elvin Charity—who showed none—helped bury Harvard 35-0. Yale was equally devastating on offense. Rudy Green and John Donohue took turns running around and through the Harvards, and second-string Kevin Rogan passed over them. Total offense: 523 yards. "We had tremendous consistency," said Yale Coach Carmen Cozza. "For the first time this year we had offense and defense."

Harvard had no one to blame but itself for the passing part of it. "When I was in high school," said flinger Rogan, " Harvard didn't recruit me that heavily. I got a letter or two, but Harvard acted as though it was doing me a favor. Yale alumni took me out to dinner and showed an interest in me." So he went to Yale but suffered a separated shoulder in his first frosh game and had played in only nine varsity games prior to this season.