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S. By DICK .McDOW ELL
, Collegian Sports Editor
THE SPLIT-T "OPTIONAL"
A itE.APER WRITES: . I watched the Blue-White football, game
Saturday and was somewhat amazed. at . the tremendous offensive
changes from last season. Why should Rip Engle make any changes
now - after 'four years of success under the old system?
(Ed.' Note) Rip Engle has not made any changes in his offense,
merely some; additions._ What. Rip unveiled Saturday was the split-T
"optional" and from this 'corner it lOoks like a sure thing next fall.
Engle gave it an occasional • try last season and this spring went to
work in earnest to , perfect the optional—T-formation's youngest
variation.
The optional not •an offense in itself. It is actually an
adaptation of the wing -T offense. Penn State fans have seen it in
action before. Little Ed 'PMeadoWs" Mioduszewski scared a favored
Penn State team two years ago with his brilliantly deceptive ball
handling. The Lions had their hands full in winning 35-23.
Here's the way the system worki: The quarterback, taking the
ball from center circles his end in what looks like a bootleg play.
With his halfback trailing him, he has the optioh to keep the ball
and continue running or atefal :to the trailing back just as he is
about to be tackled.
The key to its success is naturally the quarterback. Last season
Rip had a great passer—the best in Penn State history—in Tony
Rados. But hampered by a bad knee, Rados just wasn't a running
back. ,However, this fall Engie has a crew of quarterbacks who
can run. Don Bailey, Bob Hoffman, and freshman Milt Plum are
all perfect quarterbacks for _the. optional system.
Bailey in particular demonstrated this in the Blue-White scrim
nage Saturday. He is fast enough and appears to have that fifth
sense that tells him when to lateral. Proper timing makes the system.
And there is plenty of passing ability in these three signal callers.
Add three fine veteran ends-,--Jesse .Arnelle, Jim Garrity; •and Jack
Sherry—a two-deep, well-proven line, and you have a passing Of
fense that can be a threat to 'anyone. Two powerful full backs,
Charlie Blockson, 'and Bill , Straub, outside speedsters - Lenny Moore
and Buddy Rowell, and Ron Younker, give the Riiper a ground
offense that could- be devastating.
Now with the addition of the "optional" variation, the Lions
have taken on a new threat. In 20- days Penn State coaches' de
veloped it amazingly. GiVe them, six more weeks in the fall and
the finished product may be the key to a successful football season.
TRACK GETS A CONVERT • - .•
Overheard after the Penn State-Navy, Track meet: "Well track
and field has just acquired a new fan. I never knew it could be so
exciting." That was typical of the reactions of many fans who wit
nessed the Lions 68-63 victory toyer Navy' Saturday at Beaver Field.
Granted the meet was an exceptional one, with four Penn State
records and six meet records smashed, but their is - no indication
that it should end there.
Pitt and MiChigan State follow' Navy to Beaver Field and a
. strong possibility loomi that more records may fall, and certainly
the meets Will be just as close. Pitt buried West Virginia last week
by an unbelievable 111-19 score and Michigan State corners most
of the power in the Big- Ten.
The evident dog-eat-dog competition looming in the future
plus Rosey Grier's continual record boosting in the shot put (he has
broken the record three times already this season), record breaking
perforinances by Charlie Blockson, 011ie Sax, and Art Pollard,
should be enough to convince even the staunchest supporters of the
goriest brutal sports that they have been missing the boat.
Track is alive, really it is you TV boxing fans, You'll find that
it packs as much action, drama, and thrills as even the bloodiest
championship fight—and no first round knockouts either.
THIS WEEKEND ONLY!
the
• happ,
ifime
MAY 6, 7 3 8 •
• SCHWAB AUDITORIUM
TICKETS AT S.U.
JOIN IN THE FUN DURING SPRING WEEK
P4jVf cOLLEGI/W M.A.M con ME PMISYI-VANII
Eastern Golf Entr
UNBEATEN in dual competition for 12 straight
meets; the Penn State Golf 'team, pictured above,
will be. a serious contender for Eastern title
honors in .the 1954 championships at Hanover,
Lion Golfers
By ROY WILLIAMS
Penn State's unbeaten golf
team will leave early tomorrow
morning for Hanover, N.H. to
renew its bid for title recog
nition in the Eastern champion
ships at Dartmouth University .
Saturday through Monday.
Last year the Lions finished
second to' Yale University, just
two strokes off the pace set by
the Eastern Intercollegiate Golf
Association team champs:
But Coach Bob Rutherford
has not decided definitely who
will make:up his six-man team
entry in the Eastern links
classic.
Play 54-hole Series
During the nine-day layoff
since the Lions' third victory
of the current campaign over
Bucknell. Rutherford has put
his highly talented squad
through a 54-hole series of
medal - ,play to determine the
two • remaining slots on his
roster.
"So far," Rutherford com
mented, 'I think Rod Eaken,
Gordon Stroup, Warren Git
tlen, and Joe Webb will form
the bulk of the team."
!1 • HOW'D YOU LIKE T 0...
earn. $5OOO
t a year...
,
be an officer in
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AND
get an
exciting
head start
in pet
aviation?
John B. Loveland, Ist
k i t o U n. . , ..y. and A.vi
e4 Selection
team N a o
ing to State are
it to show cm o ho e w ge .
They'll be here in 6
days. Meet them at
West Dorm Loung e
and the TUB.
"liiigatlgNEV.o2o
MAY 10 to 14
CIMr.M3
N.H., this weekend.. Left to right are, Geraid
Gerhart, Bob Smith, captain Rod Eaken, Jim
Webb, Warren Gitlen, and Gordon Stroup.
Easterns Saturday
Enter
"The two remaining slots,"
Rutherford continued, "will be
determined between Bob
Smith, Gerald Gerhart, and
Jim Boyanowski."
Smith Big Surprise
Chief surprise of the early
campaign has been Senior Bob
Smith; intramural champion
last year. He won medalist hon-'
ors in his first two varsity ap
pearances
But Boyanowski and Ger
hart are vying for attention.
In the 54-hole intra-s quad
matchep, Smith shot a total of
211 strokes in three rounds;
Gerhart edged Boyanowski by
two strokes with a 219 score.
R utnerf or d:s first four
choices and hold-over George
Kreidler all •saw action in the
1953 Eastern tourney at Prince
ton.
Scoring for the tourney is
medal play (the number of
strokes the man takes at each
hole); dual _ meet scoring is
match pray. "We played medal
play this past weekend," Ruth
erford said, "because that's
what the boys will meet this
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Regardless of how many sets of straight
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weekend, and it is muck!
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Eaken in Top Slot
The Nittany Lions, who owl
convincing victories over Navy,
Gettysburg, and Bucknell, will
again lead off with Captain
Eaken, who last year went to
the 21st hole of the title find
before yielding indiVidual hon
ors to Yale's, sensational sopho
more, Gerald Fehr. The Read
ing senior went to the semi
finals as a sophomore in 1952.
This year, he and Fehr are
again pre-tourney-'favorites for
the individual action.
Each six-man team of the A 8
expected entries will shoot a
36-hole course. The team will
then take its four lowest scores
of the six. The team with the
lowest total for four men will
be named champs. SeventY-five
strokes is usually average for
a man. or 150 strikes for 36-
holes.
• After the team champion is
determined, individual p 1 y
will begin." The 16 men with
the lowest scores in the entire
field which is expected to ex
ceed 100 entries will vie for
honors. .