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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 1949)
' : r •i ii i. -\ 7i'~ i* BY BILL POTTS SMU’s fs freat game against the another star. Even the ponderous No. 1 team of the nation Satur- linemen and backs of No' re parae, day will make the hationfs sports writes* w«ke up and take a very close look again at the Southwest Conttipnce. For Notre Dame, the nation’s number one powerhouse, and rated by ita coach add many others as the greatest in the history of the school, had to break a four quar ter tie to defeat the fifth ranking team in the Conference, Southern Methodist. 1 Mustangs “Up” The Mustangs were “up” for the Irish Saturday. There was no doubt of that. And the ra^st outstanding back of the game didn't play for the Micks Saturday. The most outstanding player of the day was Killer Kyle Rote, the Methodist back who stepped Into the shoes of the great Doak Walker and did a marvelous job. 4 j ! \ -Walker was on the sidelines in ' civilian clothes nursing an injured '• leg which he received in the' TCU game last Saturday. Hip only appearance on the playing field was when the captains of the two ^toams met just before the kickoff tr> call the referee’s" coin toss. Walker represented SMU with the Mustangs’ two other co-captains, Bobby Folsom and Dick McKis- sack. The one thing that can be said- -again and again about the play of the Ponies Saturday is that they . were great. The way they played for 60 minutes in their hall game, you would have thought that no one had bothered to tell them that they were 28 point underdogs. There were others on the SMU team that deserve and have gotten much praise from sports writers. t Little Johnny Champion, the mite sized scathack from Houston was GENERATORS And STARTERS SERVICED CJKT OFF TO A GOOD START KVBRY TIME . by having your gen erator Borviced reg ularly. / Especially important how that winter is about to put the pressure on your car. DRIVE IIP TODAY! •L, I 1 “Over-all Overhaul Service’’ ' - . - V- ROBESON ' Motor Co. 724 N. Main Ph. 2-8815 to get a good hold[ on before they could - him ‘Watch-ch r '"') , i Guard 9 Champion wasn’t awed by the Irish’a enormous All-Arne dean end Leon Hart either. Around Hart’s End It may sound unbcliei able but most of the yardage Role gained was around Hart’s end, and who was part of the interference which led him? Johnny Chamiion. And the Mighty Mite and his U ammstes cut down the big boy jlime and again and allowed Rote ! the run ning room that he needed H. N. “Rusty” Russell; Jr., the sophomore Methodist buck who is bon of the SMU backfield coach H. N. Russell, took over ancjther part of the duties of the missing Walk er. He called the signals! through out the game and did a[ fine job. The Methodist line, which should have been pushed all over the field Saturday, rose amid its injuries and gaps where its number one men were out and played the Irish a whale of a game. Tackle Neaf Franklin was one of the outstand ing men on the Mustanjr forward wall as were the ends, C^o-Captain Bobby Folsom and convejrted back Pat Knight. Rote Shines But it was still the Sap Aptonio bruiser, Kyle Rote, who was the player of the game. Of the 128 yards rushing that the Mustangs made against the South Bend team, (26 yaris were lost, mos ;ly on un- successir successful pass attempts) counted for 115 in 24 tries. John- other 13 Rote ac- i ny Champion made yards in two tries. In the passing department. Rote held dowq most of thi passing duties but at times gavi them to Sophomore passer Fred Banners of Dallas. With these twjo passing, it could be easily seenj that the Irish were lacking in o»ie they didn’t have a pass < On the other side of the Scrim mage line was the Notre Dame team, with its three All-Americans, Leon Hart, tackle Jim Martin, and fullback Emil Sitko. Sitko was leading rusher for the Micks—he bruised 84 ydrejis in 14 carries and did not loie a yard while doing it. He easily Ijved up to his title of “Six-yard Sitko.” Tackle Jim Martin of the Irish forward wall lived up to his rat ings but end Leon Hart (Jid not. Time ami again the Methodists clicked off yardage around his end and at times he was imide to look like a schoolboy player b^r the Mus tang’s lighter intorferanoe run-, new. ■ ‘-.I jk ! At other times Hart played the kind of hull for which he was noted and managed to take out the Meth odists’ backfield iiieq whep ft seemed necessary to do so. Knocks Out Bote It was because of a particular ly hard tackle laid on him by Hart that Rote was not in the game when the Ponies were threatening on the Notre Dame four yard line in the waning minn^es °f the game. His absence on*two plays caused the Mustangs’ scoring eff ort 1° fail* ★ j! ii j Coach Frank Leahy of Notre Dame was quoted as saying that, "SMU is undoubtedly the best team we’ve se«n all year,” and that Kyle Rote was “the most under-rated player in America.” After Saturday’s game, both statements are undoubtedly-trjue. Will 5 Entrain for St. Dropping Tilt to Ni TV Nat 7 Champs Edge Rote-Led Mustangs Jewell McDowell, S’ S'/*” leHerman, guard from Amarillo, is cur rently pacing the Cadets as they head for a rendevous with Hie St. Louis BiUikens In Missouri. The former all-stater has tallied 32 points in his first two contests. + Weight Men Vie For Shamrock Trophy, Medals The A&M Weight Lifting Team will journey to Houston to at tend a weight lifting meet 4hthe Shamrock Hotel, January iSiW> cording to Frank C.* Dees, presi dent of the Weight Lifting ,C1ud. This meet will serve as a supple ment to the annual Gulf A.A.U^ event, the president explained. Prizes include a team trophy for the winning team and medals for outstanding Individuals. An added attraction will be a physiqtio contest for irnm and women, The winners of this event) will be|named Mr. and Miss Golden Coast.! At present the traveling .teatrj is hot Complete since thefe are no team inembers who qualify for the light weight division of 132 pounds and under and the heavy we|ght! division of 181 pounds and Over, the club head added. Anyone wishing to try out fop the weight lifting team is urged to iattend a meeting which will be held Wednesday, December 7, In the Little Gym, Dees said. Battalion SPORTS MON,, DEC. 5, 1949 Page S Ex Visits Manager Meet in Fort Worth ii. M. Tacker, district manager of the Rational Farm Life Insur ance Cohjpany, left today for Ft. Worth, wmere he will attend the Fall Quarter managers meeting. Tacker was graduated from A&M last January and since that time, he has been employed as a dis trict manager by the National Farm Life Insurance Company. r** 1 ‘ - Aggies -1 For Christmas Cheer. • * The STUDENT C(M)P STORE Has a complete line of — RADIOS ' . ji I' SPORTING GOODS BOOKS NOVELTIES LET US REPAIR THAT RADIO STUDENT CO-OP STO rtvdntR k Pnoi i North jGatfe ; !' i Southwest Hardwood Highlights f • • During the pant week every Southwest Conference cage team except Baylor opened ita 1949-50 aeuaon, ■ Baylor makes its initial start to night with a home tilt with the North Tcxaa State Eagles. The Aggies opened Thursday night In Mhdlson Square Garden and were the victims of the Long Island U. Blackbirds, losing 52-66. Buddy) Davis m ow! 16 points and Jewell McDowell 14 for the Cadets. John DeWitt was right behind with 13: j . ' 1 With the three Farmers who took high point honors two nights before once again leading the way, the Maroons took an early lead Saturday, but were caught in the j last half, and lost to Niagara in a Buffalo tilt, 50-53! < j j Porkers Win, Lose Arkansas took its season open er by dropping easily the Kansas State Teachers of Pittsburg, Kan- ,p.. ; ,. . j , , * i i sas, 50-41. Again Saturday night rhis «eek s schedule for t he Ag* | porkers took to the courts, gies is as follows: j but in their second tilt they were \ December 6: St Louis Billiken* [ edged by the Oklahoma Aggies in ( at St. Louis, Missouri. ; M ‘ - - - December 7: Oklahoma Aggies at Stillwater, Oklahoma. The! Cadets’ first home game will be Monday, December 12; i wui. against Abilene Chrijstian College. (See HIGHLIGHTS. Page 4> Schedule for Ag Cagers Reported BY HAROLD RATLIFF Associated Press Sports Editor : 7 f ;L ' r • ' Dallas, Dec. 5. UP*—Notre Dame’s Fighting", Irish pulled back from the shocklof a thundering Southern Methodist offense that had them on the brink of defeat Saturday to drive 57 magniflcient yards for a touchdown that gave them an un defeated, untied, season, 27-20, be fore 76,457 fans in the Cotton Bowl. In one of the all-time thrillers of Southwestern football history, the men of Notre D$me stopped! a great SMU drive on the seven- yard line with less than four min utes to go to finish four years un beaten—the first time Notre Dame ever accomplished such a glittering feat. It includes 36 victories and two ties. Southern Methodist, picked to lose by at least 28 points, battered, crippled, and weary, put its great est game into this battle Saturday, latehing onto the flying shirttail Of Killer Kyle Rote, the greatest player on the field, to play Notre Dame its closest game of the sea son. Southem Methodist battled with out its great back, All-America Doak Walker, who was on the side lines in civilian clothes because of a leg injury, but Walker, in his palmiest days, never played a greater game than Rote. Rote ladividnal Star '-I T J [, Kyle smashed and crashed for 115 yards and he passed 24 times and connected on 10 for 146 yards. Bob Williams, the great Notre Dame quarterback, bested Rote in passing with 11 completions in 18 throws for 156 yards, and includ ed in his throw's two for touch downs. But no one could match Kyle running with the ball. Notre Dame, as a result of its ground power, led in yards with 442, with 277 of it rushing. But SMU got 307 passing. The SMU total was 409 as a result of a net 102 running. Rote actually oiit- gained the entire SMU team, sirtce the other Mustang backs lost yard age. It was a rough battering ball game with players being carried off the field in a stream; Notre Dame Better There appeared little doubt but that Notre Dame had the better team, but the great Rote, the mightteat runner seen in the Cot ton Bowl this year—and possibly for any other year—almoat beat the Fighting Irish. It was the first time this year for Notre Dame to bo held on even terms in the Inst half. In fact, the Methodists had the better of it in the final two periods , the migi And ss the game ended, the mighty Rote was battering to the Notre Dame 41- yard line in another great SMU •urge. i ■ is Notre Dame thus finished the season as national champion for the seventh timfc and the tenth time in 61 years of football tAfbe undefeated and untied. Crowd Overwhelmed The huge crowd Jarred the gtent Cotton Bowl to its foundations, rocking and swaying and going mod at the gridiron drama being unfolded before them. Notre Dame thus found Southern Methodist its toughest foe. Three times the teams have met .and today was the Widest margin the Irish ever have, been able to win The score was tied 29-20 early in the fourth period as Notre Dame gathered its green-shirted legions for that one great drive that paid off. Emil Sitko, Francis Spaniel, Leon Hart (the All-America end who went to fullback in the clinches) and Bill Barrett ripped and tore the SMU line. From the Methodist six, the fleet, driving Barrett whirled around left end for a touchdown. Ponies Threaten Again Back came the Methodist horde to drive with the kick-off from its 29 down to the Notre Dame four with Rote passing and running un til he reached the 28. Here he was hit hard by the giant Hart While attempting to pass and had to leave the game. Sophomore Fre(i Benners stepped in and passed to|H. N. Russell on the Notre Dame five. Russell lost one at center and Benners was hurt attempting to pass when rush ed by Hart. Rote then came back in to the ganie and circled left end for two. Then Kyle tried a jump pass over the line that Jerry Groom and Bob Lally intercepted in -uni son. That was the ball game. . Aerial Attack Used ^ SMU tried 35 passes and com pleted 17, getting five intercepted by the Notre Dames. The Metho dists did just What they w^fe ex pected to do—fill the air with foot- bnlls. . , ji v SMU and Notre Dame traded drives through half of the first period, but finally the Irish (cot one under way that carried 73 yajrds for a score. The pay-off was a pass from Williams to Wightkin that ate up 42 yards and brought a touchdown. Steve Oraoko kicked the extra point. 1 ■ Shortly afterward came t|ie most sensational play of the giime. It (See SMU, Page 4) Buffalo their first entrained'- play the e do«e to Ha that initial cage victory night in Buffalo's spacloug Muni cipal Auditorium against the short and speedy University of Niagara five. /The Cadets were oujt in front )from Jewell McDowell's! fro« pitch that was the first mark; on the scoreboard until Niagara’s James Moran sank a charity toss only one minute and 30 aecondh before the final whjetle. f Niagara Nnocka Count Moran’s flip knotted the;count a.t •47. Then J. Smyth Um*cd in a WILLIAMS Correspondent 4—The Texas Aggies, still recently inaugurated basketball ly night for St. Louis: where they ig University of St. Louis Bilikens ~ I H- : ring up* aturday Insure Tomorrow Today EUGENE RUSH, General Agent j (' American National Insurance Co. North Gate Above Aggieland Pharmacy 5 t,1W| ' ' J Stillwater, Okla. A field goal | from far out by Gabe McArthur of the Cowpokes with nine seconds to play gave the Aggies a 43-41 5 — FREE Your Name on your Aggieland ’49 | j] ' ; j / 1 r' ; j '■ *'• FREE. Just bring it by your EX- i CHANGE STORE and we will place ! r ' ''I• • l> „ • ! j ! your name in gold on the cover with our nbw Kingsley Monograming i ’ | ■ ' Machine. j 4 -•V --'Ml’ !!: Exchange Store Main Campus “Serving Texas Aggies” T A. & M. Annex TTT ARROWS 1 i OXFORDS/ $3.95 / Kindly Notkn the Collar! ^ 1 I '■ £ " ■■ it - '! I i .', .'1. *•’ - on* of Arrow'i campus favor***, Hi* wid*-tpr*ad $uu*x” in fin* Gordon Oxford fabric. Arrow'i smartly stylod and long wearing Oxfords ar* alto avallabl* | In button-down and r*g*lar collars. 1 [Whit* and solid color*. S** your r 1 UNDERWIAK • s*om 47-47. crib short back over and w*a fouled in the the Ag’s Walter He mode good on his fi H hi* head i , - . Davis. <''' / 'J ' ” j j 'J' . -v - 1 1 ' Il ■ ‘'-111 !' . J| ■ . ’ | i r I •! . ' r 1 : t : ";j;Y / ]! ; i . ■ ' -• , ; ■ v I ; V v- ■'! •- i 1 j . . .L • • . i ■ ■■ Li iroceM by . shot ef fort to make the *cor«iboard read 69-47 with just over ohe minute re- "•“W-i ■ t ■- - on tched W Tom Birch and William Smyth respect ively to make the final' store of 53-50. \ Coach Marty Karow’jJ Texas! hoopaters enjoyed their largest lead of the tilt with nine minutes left when they were ou( in front 43-27. The visitors were ahead 27- 20 at halftime. McDowell Paces Ags McDowell again paced the Ag gie scoring with seven field goals and four ftyf tosses for a total of . 18 points. The Cadet sophomore whom Buffalo newspapers de guard rned in v job on :been pub- magu- iding Amer- sen L with a deadly eye: e defensii ma watd liy an impressive defi Zeke Sinicoia who licized in many baske zinjes as one of thi eastern candidates ican honors. I ■ j V Birch 1 led the Eagle point-mak ers with 13 points, (trailed by Joe Smyth with 11. Davis, livhose 6’8” frame towered above: all of his - but (iut in half. Texas AAM DeWitt, f Garcia, f .. Tumbow, f.. Houser, f .. .Davis, c .... Sutton, c .. Martin, c ... J McDowell, g . Miller, g... - Walker, g ^oon, g ... Totals .. S .;.17 ’ 16 Niagara U. ( Morah, f ...!.| 3 Hudson^ f .....| 1 j W. Smyth, f o! Stanbauer, f .1 1 Foley, c i......I 1 J. Smyth, c J ... 6 Sinicdla; g J'.. 3 Birch, g| L.. 4 Murphy, g ...,| Oj FT RF 5 Totals Halftime gra 20. Free throv li 6 5! 4 0 2 -( 18 17 22 re: A&M 27, ] miss Moon 2; Ni Smyth, Folej^f 4, Birch | 1 ’ 1 issed 1, M< 'ra—Moran J. Smyth, Sinkolu 6, f. 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Mo«t noted Improvement in the A&M *hootingi department w»» at the free throiv line wher* they dropped in fife shots out of six in the first hqlf and 11 out of in the second. ^Niagara canned of 61 attempt^ from the floor &od 17 of 85 one-^oint chances. ' )— FG FT PFjtP TumbowJ Da^is 3,^ McDowell 2, : A&M— :l : I Ivl' 1 drop in for M supply? They coifit* In •r solid cdlfri. |3.W. ClOTUIERB COIXMK * KKYAN •fTi 1 1 1! V I i ■ i' 1 v-