The Week

SOUTHWEST

The Aggie offense never really penetrated the Baylor 15-yard line, yet Texas A&M still won 20-0. Huddling for a postgame prayer before a record crowd of 51,200 in Waco, the Aggies had reason to be thankful. In the first quarter, Halfback Bubba Bean fumbled, but fumbled 10 yards forward, straight into the hands of his Split End Carl Roaches, who scuttled 56 yards for a TD. "I just slid off my block to the inside and the ball came to me," Roaches said. Then, late in the fourth quarter, Defensive Tackle Warren Trahan stretched to his full 6'4", intercepted a screen pass and fell a yard forward into the Baylor end zone. Randy Haddox' 42- and 41-yard field goals accounted for the other six points. But Baylor had nothing to complain about. The Bears never got past the A&M 40.

Big brother won the sibling rivalry, as usual. Defensive Right End Tommy Cones helped his Texas Tech team beat Defensive Right End Mark Cones' Southern Methodist outfit, 20-17. SMU was leading 17-13 when it had to punt from its 40. Punter John Blackburn bobbled the snapback only minimally, but that was all Tommy Cones needed to barrel in and block the kick. The Raiders recovered on the 26 and four plays later Larry Isaac scored.

Rice held Texas to a 6-6 deadlock in the first half on field goals by Bill Schott, but the Owls suffered a bad case of Marty Akins in the second half. The junior quarterback scored twice and rushed 188 yards as the Longhorns bellowed to a 27-6 win. "Rice was keying on the pitch man to prevent the long-gainer," Darrell Royal observed. "That's a good way to defense us, but it gives the yardage to the quarterback." Rice's Tommy Kramer completed 17 of 28 for 254 yards and the TD.

Arkansas slashed up Colorado State 43-9, scoring six of the first eight times it got the ball. Halfback Ike Forte scored two touchdowns for the Hogs and set up another with a 67-yard run.

1. Texas A&M (6-1)
2. Texas Tech (5-1-1)
3. Texas (5-2)

SOUTH

"We simply had a lot more people than TCU," said Alabama Coach Bear Bryant, a nicely understated summary of Tide football since approximately the Ice Age. No fewer than 12 different backs carried the ball for 'Bama, and six of them scored touchdowns in a 41-3 rout of Texas Christian. Willie Shelby got his hands on it only six times, but he was the leading ground-gainer with 86 yards. All these ball bearers did it without a down's worth of help from regular Quarterback Richard Todd, who remained on the injured list. "I wanted to play him but the staff overruled me," Bryant complained. Robert Fraley and Jack O'Rear did nicely instead, accounting for five touchdowns between them.

Auburn, which has an amazing record of 39-5-3 in homecoming games since its first one was played 50 years ago, burned Florida State 38-6. The Tigers are now 7-0, while FSU is 0-7, but the Seminoles trailed only 7-6 at halftime before swallowing their 19th straight defeat. Auburn went 79 yards to score on its first series, then went dry. "The drive was too easy," said Split End Thomas Gossom, who caught four passes for 85 yards and a TD. "We let down after that."

The number of bowl scouts watching Maryland defeat North Carolina State was seven. The margin of victory was only 10, 20-10. But the win gave the Terrapins, who have never yet won an ACC title outright, a firm hold on the league lead. Two field goals by Steve Mike-Mayer, three interceptions and a crucial penalty decided the outcome. After a 44-yard kick by Mike-Mayer had put the Terps ahead 13-10, N.C. State drove to a third and one on the Maryland 29. Richard Carter raced to a first down, but a lineman's illegal procedure obliged the Wolfpack to try a 48-yard field goal, which failed. Terp Tailback Louis Carter wrapped it up with a TD after an interception by Bob Smith.