PAGE TEN
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--Collegian Photo by Marty Sam
TOUCHDOWN--13111 Brown (39), Illinois fullback, plunges over for score during Saturday's Penn
State-Illinois game in Cleveland. The Lions won, 20-9. Center Bob Saul, Guard Sam Stellatella and
fullback Sam Sobczak of Penn State attempt to stop Brown.
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Win Over Big 10 Foe
Should Quell 'Fluke' Claims
Lions'
By JOHNNY BLACK
Assistant Sports Editor
"For all those people that
were bellyachin' about the
Army game, this should give
them the idea that it was no
fluke." That was Rip Engle's
beaming summation of his Nit
tany Lion gridders' decisive
20-9 triumph over Illinois in
Cleveland Saturday.
It was a victory-hungry pack
of Lions that was turned loose on
the 111 mi in the massive Municipal
Stadium for the entertainment of
a spare crowd of 15,045. "They
wanted the game badly, and they
went after it and got it," said Ray
Eliot. Illinois coach.
But the disgrunted Illini men
tor, who is retiring at the end
of this season, gruffly refused
to compare the "minor-league"
Lions with Big Ten clubs and
avoided further comment by
hurrying to the safety of the
team bus.
Likewise, the Orange and Blue
players who were nursing their
Moises and their hurt pride in
the locker room were reluctant to
late the Lions on a par with the
Big Ten teams.
"We beat ourselves" said Cap
tain Bill Burrell, Illinois All-
American candidate at guard, and
fullback Bill Brown, the two de
fensi‘ e linebackers who made
more tackles than the rest of the
Illinois squad combined, But they
got then• signals crossed as to
whom they had faced that was
better than Penn State. Ohio
State, said Blown. but Burrell had
claimed Minnesota (the Gophers
Pre last in the Big 10 with a 1-3
record).
The feeling, however, was
mutual. Army was tougher than
Illinois, agreed the Lions after
the
esoteric
know---
it's
MORRELL'S
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
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BILL POPP
... tough on defense
* r. * .
the game. "They hit harder and
more often." said Stew Barber,
who was promptly seconded by
Hank Opperman.
But it was evident to sideline!
and press box observers alike that!
the big difference was the fierce:
line play of the Nittanies.
It was the shoestring tackles of,
Bill Popp. hard-nosed Lion guard,)
who spent half the afternoon un-t
* lt *
league team," proved that the East has some pretty fair
,squads when it beat Illinois, a
contender for the Big Ten crown.
) But the Lions didn't get much
'credit. One veteran Chicago news
'paperman said the Illini lost be
;cause they just don't play fired-;
lup football against Intersectional;
opponents. (He forgot Illinois' win!
'over Army a few weeks ago.)
Asked what they thought of
Penn Stale as a team, two Illi
nois players said they thought
both Ohio State and Minnesota
were better.
, But the truth is Penn State out
'played the Illini from the open-)
ling whistle to the end of the
game.
j So the controversy over Big,
Ten football vs. the rest of the!
country rages on and everyone
j seems to have slightly different
;opinions on the matter.
Take Notre Dame's ex-coach
'Terry Brennan who was in Cleve
rl an d Saturday r—
!for the game. I
"I don't think
you can really
!say that any
;area is better;
twiniNg his arms from the legs,t ha n another,"
of Illinois ball-carriers. It was the the young incur
slashing tackles of linebackers, ance executive
Jay Huffman and Bill Saul, the ;commented.
driving blocks of Bud Kohlhaas,l "They play
Frank Korbini and Tom Mulra_, good football all
ney. It was the long arm of Andy nv e r including
Stynchula, grabbing Mel Meyers' the East. - And)
collar and dumping the Illim;Penn State's' Terry Brennan
'quarterback 10 yards behind the definitely one of the better teams
scrimmage line. in the East along with Syracuse,
iArmy and Navy.
"It was our defense that wmi J •
"Out west you have Southern
the game," said assistant coach I
Cal, U.C.L.A. and others while
Joe Paterno, who scouts the '
!
game through field glasses from ;the South has its share of the
his lofty perch on the stadium ;goo , d ‘ ones.
roof. "Our linebackers keyed I think that Penn State or
j exceptionally well, and were in j any of the big Eastern teams
could hold its own in the Big
! the right place at the right Ten."
I time."
O'Hora.added line coach Jim '
I Leo Fischer. the former presi
• !dent of the Football Writers Asso-
Richie Lucas, running the roll - iciation. who covered the game
out and Jim Kerr, running the in - 'for the Chicago American, said
side reverse, did most of the
ground-gaining for the Lions. I
"Illinois played their ends soft'■
because of the danger of Lucas'
rollout. Thus we coud block their
ends and run outside," analyzed
Paterno.
When Cliff Roberts booted his,
30-yard field goal to give Illinois'
a 3-0 lead early in the first quar-;
ter, it was the first time that
Penn State has been behind in any
game this year. The Nittanies
found this new sensation a rath
er uncomfortable one and wasted
,no time getting back to the front
where they have remained
( throughout the six games this fall.
* * *
Grandstand Views
„
-••• AP,
I ,
i
-A . • IC`
-
. . • . „_
th: : : . , ‘ ;' , ~.: :.: "• ' ''.
We're beginning to wonder just what it takes to convince
the high and mighty people of the Big Ten that their teams
aren't the only good ones in the country.
Last Saturday in Cleveland, Penn State, just a "minor
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1959
Just How Good
Is The
the Big Ten plays the best foot
ball in the country.
"You have ten of the best teams
in the land competing against
each other week after week so
its no wonder that Big Ten teams
are so good.
"But I think that this Penn
State team would hold its own
against most of the Big Ten
squads." he said.
Illinois coach Ray Eliot shared
Fischer's view. "You have good
football played all over," Eliot
said, "but the teams in the Big
Ten have to play topflight squads
every Saturday and that makes
;a big difference."
Penn State's backfield coach
Joe Paterno said that good foot
ball is played all over the country
and no one section really has a
monopoly.
"The Big Ten has its share of
good teams and so do the other
sections," he said. "It just de
pends on where the top ballplay
ers are each year."
Another Big Ten representa
tive Russ Rippe, a Wisconsin
scout, said that Saturday after
Saturday the best games are play
ed in the Big Ten.
"In our conference you have a
big game each week and`you have
to be up for it," he said. "In
some other parts of the country,
the teams are good but they don't
have to be up all the time be
,cause their opponents aren't so
good."
But a look at the records of
the Big Ten schools against
intersectional teams doesn't
prove that their ballclubs are
that much bailer.
In 13 intersectional games this
year Big Ten teams have won 7,
lost 5, and tied 1. Two of those
wins were by one and two points.
Right now in the Big Ten race,
Northwestern is leading with a
3-0 record and Illinois. Purdue,
(Continued on page eleven)
Big 10?
By Sandy Padwe
Collegian Sports Editor