A&M Pits Aerial Circus Against Rice Power
Picking Ags, Texas and SMU to Win; Also
Baylor Over Tulsa in Top Upset of Nation
There’s something in the air to
day, and I have a funny feeling
that the prognosticators who At
tempt to pick this Saturday’s win
ners are going to be in for a sur
prise. Yes sir, fans, upsets are in
the air, and a few teams sporting
a spotless record will fall by the
wayside today.
In the Southwest Conference, the
teams are matched so closely that
not even the best crystal-gazer
could forecast these casts with any
amount of confidence.
But, there’s no use of dilly-dally
ing around, so if you’re ready,
here’s this comer’s selections for
the day:
TEXAS A&M 14, RICE 13—Too
close for comfort. I’m going against
all dope in picking the Aggies, but
do believe that the famed Norton
aerial display will be a little too
much for the Owls. However, I
look for the Rice running game to
give the Nortonmen plenty of trou
ble—enough trouble for two touch
downs. It’ll be up to the unerring
toe of Jake Webster, so don’t say
we didn’t warn you.
SMU 27, ARKANSAS 7—Looks
like the Mustangs have finally
found themselves and with Frito
Gonzales supplying the ammuni
tion, it should be a walk-away for
Jimmy Stewart’s Ponies. Arkansas
is a good team in mid-field but just
can’t deliver when the chips are
down. They’ve lost 15 consecutive
conference games and there’s no
reason why they’ll stop now.
BAYLOR 7, TULSA 6—Our long
shot of the day. By any sense of
reasoning the mighty Hurricane of
Tulsa University should be given
a three to four touchdown edge
over the Baylor Bears, but here’s
a hunch that the good ole Baylor
line will deliver once more when
they weren’t given a Chinaman’s
chance. It’s awful risky to pick an
upset like this but I’ve got a feel
ing that the Golden Hurricane will
fall from the undefeated list. This
should prove to be a major triumph
for the Southwest Conference!
TEXAS U 7, TCU 0—Most ex
perts believe that if there’s going
to be an upset this game is it. For
a long time, this writer had that
same belief, but after the Frogs’
half-hearted showing against Texas
Tech last week, I just don’t believe
that Coach Dutch Meyer’s charges
can turn the trick. However, watch
for a very close game, especially"
since Roy Dale McKay, the Texas
U sensation, is not in the best of
shape.
Owls Seek Initial Win
In Five Years Today
Close Battle Expected; Could Be Decided
By Placekicking of Webster or Bowen
By Mike Haikiii
Battalion Sports Editor
Menu for today on Rice Field in Houston: A crushing
unrelented ground attack versus the aerial circus!
That is what’s in store for approximately 30,000 fans,
including some 3,000 member Cadet Corps, when they file
into Rice stadium to witness the battle between the fast-
moving Rice Institute Owls and the crafty and air-minded
Aggies of Texas A.&M. College this afternoon at 2:30.
Not since 1937 when the Owls copped the conference
crown have the two teams been so evenly matched in every
respect and that particular characteristic has those thousands
of fans on edge in prelude to the kickoff.
The Owls, although not accomp
lishing anything sensational this
season, sport a slightly better
record than the Aggies. They have
suffered only two defeats—and 18-7
deficit to Tulane and a heart-
Predictions From Here and There; Taking
Notre Dame Over Michigan in Top Attraction
Glancing over the other games of
the nation, it’s Notre Dame over
Michigan (give Bertelli the mar
gin), Minnesota to cortie bouncing
back against the wonder team of
Iowa U (don’t believe the Hawk-
eyes can do it twice in a row),
Georgia Tech to dump Alabama but
in a very close game, Wisconsin
over Northwestern by 7, Navy over
Columbia, LSU by 6 over Auburn,
Brown in an upset over Harvard,
Tennessee in a breeze over Ole
Miss, Boston College to continue
undefeated at the expense of Ford-
ham and Missouri taking the meas
ure of Oklahoma.
Continuing, it’s Ohio State over
Illinois but surprisingly close, Tu
lane over Georgia Preflight (sur
prise), Indiana over Kansas State
by any margin it chooses, Army
over VPI by 20, Washington State
over Dartmouth in a shade, Penn
over Penn State, Kansas over Iowa
State by a nose, Nebraska over
Pittsburg in a free-scoring affair,
Mississippi State over Duquesne
by two touchdowns, Georgetown
over North Carolina State, Stan
ford over Oregon State by 6, South
ern California to run roughshod
over Oregon, Princeton over Yale
and Purdue over Michigan State in
one of the surprises of the after
noon.
Lindsay Bowen
breaking 12-7 loss to Texas uni
versity. In other games, the Hous
ton team has proven to be a stand
out and at times looked like the
conference champ.
Meanwhile, the Texas Aggies,
starting their season off listless
ly, have climbed steadily.and now
have gained the respect of the
conference. They are on the come
back trail and each week has found
Coach Homer Norton’s charges
vastly improved.
Responsible for that sudden re
juvenation has been the .Aggies’
find of the year—Barney Welch,
cool-headed 170-pound triple-threat
sophomore, who has been giving
the opponents all sorts of fits. His
prime specialty is kicking, but his
A Bull’s Eye Isn’t On A Bull To Him
Russell CooktMarksmanDeluxe,
Is Former Puerto Rican Ranger
By Mike Mann
Assistant Sports Editor
An outstanding figure on the
shooting scene at A. & M. for the
past three years has been Russell
T. Cook, the captain of the 1942-
43 Pistol and Rifle Team. Ever
since he entered A. & M. as a fish
in 1939, Cook has been amazing
all spectators with his marksman
ship.
Russell is a senior in 3rd Head
quarters Field Artillery and is
majoring in Civil Engineering; he
will receive his degree in January
along with a commission in Uncle
Sam’s Army.
A native of Puerto Rico, where
his father is a Deputy United
States Customs Collector, Cook
was raised and attended both gram
mar school and high school on that
island. He graduated from Central
High School in San Juan in June,
1936.
After he left high school Russell
spent three years working in Puer
to Rico. A year was spent as a
life guard on the Puerto Rican
beaches in the employ of the island
government. The following year
he was a life guard for the U. S.
Forest Service in the Luquilla Nat
ional Forest and then a year was
spent as a forest ranger.
Cook took up target shooting at
the age of 12 and he’s been at it
ever since. In 1939 he was selected
to be a member of the Puerto Rico
rifle team entered in the Ui S.
National Matches at Camp Perry,
Ohio. This match lasted two weeks
and after its conclusion his team
made a two months shooting tour
through the U. S.»-the scenes of
one of the matches being the Pan
American Exposition in Dallas.
As a rifle team representative
of Puerto Rico in the Centeral
American Olympics (including all
of the Americas south of the Rio
Grande), Cook' took many honors.
In the trial shots he set a record
for the sitting position that has not
AGGIES. . .
LET’S BEAT THOSE RICE OWLS
Remember Our Fountain for Drinks
and Sandwiches
GEORGE’S
exceptional running and passing
have proved to be more than an
asset to Coach Norton. Welch has
thrown some dozen passes and four
of these have connected for touch-
BATTALION^—
Saturday Morning, Nov. 14, 1942
Page 3
Aggie Ammunition
downs. Last week Barney threw
three aerials which accounted for
three of the four scores made by
the Ags against SMU.
However, Welch is not the only
(See AGGIES, Page 4)
Barney Welch
Fish Rally
To Down
Slimes 13-6
Haltom and White
Star in Thrill
Packed Battle
By Chick Hurst
Senior Spores Assistant
The Texas Aggie Fish drove 88
yards in the final three minutes
of the ball game Thursday after
noon to' defeat the Rice Slimes
13 to 6 in a hair raiser which kept
the crowd on edge until the final
gun.'
Early in the game the Fish
passing ace Buryi Baty was forced
to retire on account of an injur
ed ankle, and it looked for a while
as if the vaunted Fish aerial at
tack might be stopped for the
first time this year. But into the
game to replace him came a di
minutive 170 pound lad from Bry
an by the name of Bart Haltom,
and he soon proved plenty cap
able of filling the injured Baty’s
shoes.
Easily the standout of the con
test, Haltom ran and passed in
a manner which brought the crowd
to its feet on several ocasions.
Also a standout for the Fish was
Gus White, hard driving fullback,
who accounted for plenty of yard
age for the Fish. Sparkplugs of
the Slime attack which consisted
mainly of a slashing ground game
were John Kelley and Red Rogers
who picked up numerous gains
through the Fish line.
The Slimes opened the scoring
for the afternoon early in the
second quarter. With the ball on
their own ten yard line, the Fish
fumbled, and Mayo, Rice guard,
recovered on the nine. Kelly crash
ed over in two trys from this
(See AGGIE FISH, Page 4)
been broken to this day.
On the standing positions he was
three points behind the Olympic
Champion. Governor Winship, mil
itary governor of Puerto Rico,
presented Cook with his Olympic
awards.
In 1939, he made arrangements
to enter A. & M. in September. He
again accompanied the Puerto
Rican rifle team to Camp Perry
and on the way home he enrolled at
A. & M.
During his first year here Cook
made the rifle and pistol teams and j
the Field Artillery pistol Team.
He has been on the varsity team
ever since. Russell acted as secre
tary-treasurer of the rifle team in
1941-42 and is the captain of both
the rifle and pistol teams for the
current year. He has won 11 medals
since he has been at A. & M. and
estimates that he has fired in an
average of 20 matches as per year
in each pistol and rifle competi
tion.
Incidentally, Cook uses his own
equipment—rifles, pistols, and inci-
den.tal equipment. He owns three
target pistols and a target rifle.
Cook says the most exciting
match he ever entered was the Oly
mpic matches at Colon, Panama,
in 1938. However, running a close
second is the match with the Texas
State College for Women Rifle
team in 1940. The Aggie team de
feated the girls in the match and
then offered to give them a handi
cap, in another match. In this shoot
the Cadets were defeated.
This match attracted the atten
tion of beautiful Ann Sheridan, a
former Denton girl, who attended
TSCW. Miss Sheridan wired con
gratulations to the team on their
gallantry. She had been selected by
(See COOK, Page 4)
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