TUESDAY. OCTOBER 3. 1961
Halftime
Out of the rubble of Penn State's shocking 25-8 upset at
the hands of Miami Friday night emerges one small but
perhaps significant consolation.
State's reputation as one of the top football powers in the
country has dropped considerably—and so has the pressure
that • accompanied it.
In other words the Lions no longer have to prove to themselves
that they are as good as other people predicted they would be.
They have to prove to other people that they are as good as they
know they are.
One battle doesn't win a war and one football game doesn't
ruin a season.
Now all State has to do is pick itself up off the floor, dust off
its pants, and prove that Miami was just a bad dream.
Despite what the experts say, State has a relatively inexperienced
second team. With some of the pressure off, sophomores like Don
Caum, Dick Anderson and Gary Wydman may begin playing like
the coaches know they can.
MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, the Lions have a good team,
and if a few breaks come their way a lot of people will be denying
what they said about State after Friday night's debacle.
As one Lion said shortly after the shocking defeat, "This has
happened before. We'll come back, wait and see."
For those with short memories. the Lions were in a similar
predicament after two games last year.
After knocking off Boston University, 20-0, State was thoroughly
outplayed by Missouri at Beaver Stadium and lost 21-8. The wolves
began to howl, and they turned up the volume when State proceeded
to lose two out of its next three.
But the Lions did a complete turn-around, won their remaining
five games and walloped Oregon in the Liberty Bowl, 41-12.
QUARTERBACK COACH JOE PATERNO, who viewed the Miami
game from the press box where he manned the field phones, didn't
offer any alibis for the Lions but he didn't show any discourage
ment either.
"I knew Miami had a good team and they didn't do anything
tonight to make me believe otherwise," he said.
"But I know we have a good club too—maybe not a great one—
but a good one. People just went too far overboard on us. We have
a good club and we're going to prove it."
When Rip Engle was asked after the game if he thought the
Lions were overrated, he replied, "I don't think that we're over
rated so much, I think that Miami's underrated."
808 MITINGER, who played a superlative game on' defense, said
he thought the whole complextion of the game might have changed if
left halfback Al Gursky hadn't fumbled on the Miami 34 early in
the first quarter.
"In the first quarter when we drove through them before
Al fumbled I thought, 'they're not that good'," Mitinger said. "If
we could have scored once or twice in that first quarter it would
have been a different story."
State stopped the Hurricanes cold the first time they had the
ball. Then the Lions drove all the way from their 26 to the Miami 40
In five plays - -with the State line rocking Miami back on its heels.
But with first and 10 on the 40 the ball popped out of Gursky's
hands as he drove off right guard and Nick Ryder recovered on
the 34.
Davis Cup Team
Downs India, 3-2
!Uni N
led States EW DELHI,
In
India
C(Au p P) — The ! agetto and Solly Hemus, two
Davi tennis
team won a trip to play Italy in managers who were fired this
Rome where Capt. David L. I season, joined the New York
Freed said prospects are "prettylMets yesterday as coaches under
i
dismal" by downing India 3- 2 ;71 -year-old Casey Stengel, who
yesterday in the interzone finals.lwas put out to pasture by the'
The American team clinchediNew York Yankees last year.
the victory in the fourth singles Manager Stengel introduced his
match, the first of two on yester- new coaches at a news confer-
day's program, when Whitneylence called to re-introduce the'
Reed, of Alameda, Calif., beat "Old Perfessor" after a year's
Jaidip Mukerjea, 19, in straight absence.
sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. { Lavagetto was let out as man- 1
In the fifth match, reduced to`ager of the Minnesota Twins and
a formality, India ace Ramana-lHemus was released at St. Louis
than Krishman beat Chuck Mc-Cardinal manager during the 1961 1
Kinley of St. Louis in the
tour-season. With Stengel on a one-;
ney's best match, 6-4, 4-6, 1-6, 6-3,!year contract, there have been
6-4.. strongl reports that Lavagetto is
_ _ _ .
But Freed was far from opti-1 the heir to the throne in 1963.
mistic about the upcoming series N -- -
with the Italian team, Oct. 13-15.
The winners will advance to thei
challenge round against Australia;
later in December.
Last year, the Italians, led byl
gangling Nicola Pietrangeli, beats
the U.S. but later lost to the Aus-t
INDIE WEEK
HAYRIDE
FRIDAY, OCT. 6
In the Wake
Of a Hurricane
Hemus, Lavagetto Named
Coaches for NY Mets
NEW YORK (N)—Cookie Lav-
"TRAMPLE THE TERRIERS"
PEP RALLY
WEDNESDAY 6:45
OLD MAIN LAWN
FRESHMAN CUSTOMS BOARD HAS
MADE FRESHMAN ATTENDANCE MANDATORY
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, UNIVERSITY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA
By JIM KARL
Sports Editor
Mild-Mannered Mitinger
Makes Mince Meat of Mira
By JIM KARL
It turns out that there's an
other side to the story of
George Mira's Orange Bowl
heroics Friday night that gave
Miami the impetus for a 25-8
upset over Penn State.
' The common version goes
something like this: Mira, the
sophomore quarterback, team
leader and future Hurricane All
lAmerican, was kneed in the ribs in
the Kentucky-Miami game last
week and the injury was slow in
healing.
Miami newspapers expressed
some doubt that Mira would be
able to play against the Lions.
but Mira started the game with
j his ribs heavily taped.
With less than seven minutes
gone in the game, Mira ran a
keeper, tried to cut inside right
end Bob Mitinger, but slipped on
the wet grass after picking up
short yardage.
The crowd of 45,879 held its
breath as Mira lay motionless,
then cheered as he struggled to
his feet and walked almost bent
over double back to the Miami
huddle.
j feTayed in the game and from
,the way he directed the Hurri
jcanes, the injury apparently didn't 808 MITINGER
;bother him anymore.
Then early in the second . . . tracked down at least one Hurricane
quarter, Mitinger, who had * * * * * *
been hounding the 176-pounder (team quarterback . .. legally, that the same deferential treatment
all night, got a good angle on :is."las the 'Sacred Cows' of India and
him and slammed him to the Mitinger said he didn't think ! that it was a gross violation •of
ground from behind. Again Mira he ever hit Mira after the the football code to lay a hand
rolled in pain before getting to whistle had blown. "If I had 'on him or to drop him to the
his feet and a rumble of boos they , would have called it on ground,
floated down from the caver- . me. ' "Bob Mitinger, Penn State's
nous stadium. Shouts of "Get t The Miami press played up Mi-, brilliant end, was the particular
No. 86" and "Get that Killer," tinger's defensive tactics in thel target for unfail abuse as the
drifted across the field.
papers the following day, but ex- result of Mira's injury . . . It is
Mitinger continued playing his cept for a few cases (one writer ridiculous to label Penn State's
usual rough defensive game andldescribed him as a 'killer') he said tactics as 'dirty'."
on the last play of the second he thought the accounts were im-'
j Despite his low opinion of Mica
quarter he stalked Mira across the partial and fair. ;as an actor, Mitinger thought he
field and pounced on him from ! Unfortunately, the same rant was a good quarterback. "I wasn't
;
behind just as he got rid of the j be said about the crowd. lin long enough to get a really
ball. I "Their cheerleaders and one close look at him but he was a
As Miami's "Band of the Hour„ 'whole section of their stands kept good ball handler and passer and
marched onto the field the crowd;
Istood and booed State and Mi--1 ,
shouting, 'savage, Savage,' in the mixed up his plays well,” he said,
ltinger as the Lions went to the; second half," he said. "Then this' "But the kid who really im
dressing room for halftime. { writer comes out and calls mejpressed me was this Weaver. I
'
, killer in the paper--I justjthought he did a very, good jab."
Mira didn't see any action in laughed at it all. 1 Weaver, supposedly is poor
the second half except to hold
"But don't misunderstand me," i runner and a hesitant passer,
for extra points, but Bobby Ihe hastened to add, "I don't par- completed four out of seven
Weaver filled in capably as Mi- titularly like bein g called aerials against State and pulled
ami cut through Penn State de- '
fenses like a razor blade through killer'." off some nifty runs.
Tommy Devine, sportswriter; Many ,observers labeled Friday
whipped cream.
for the Miami News, gave a rep-'night's contest as one of Mitinger's
Then there's the other version,
less widely circulated but deserv
resentative account of the pro-jbest defensive efforts. The defen
ling to be told. ,ceedings. "Mira was hurt three live statistics kept in the Orange
It s related by Mitinger The Vil
!times in the first half and it led Bowl press box accredited Mitin
lain ' a
soft-spoken, mild-man
;to a wholly partisan and idioticjger with six tackles and one assist
,
Ireaction by the crowd," Devine , but one Miami scribe said that
playing football.
jnered gentleman when he's not (wrote.. ,whoever was keeping those sta
,
I "First of all, I didn't rough I "They seemed to have the at-,tisties must have been crazy, Mi
him up," Mitinger said. "I j ust titude George chould be accorded' (Continued on page eleven) _
tackled him like I'd tackle any- 1 GUYKRESGEJACKIEARPERC PER
body else." n [ ~ , ,m,A,, , .,•
, • -- , -A,
"The first time he was 'injured t ..';',K'.
'he slipped right under me and I' i , `....it,el ' •
didn't even touch him," he said.!: : j 'J. '451;511 , '"
"I wasn't even near him and he.r 1 - ,t,f,"•5>
was rolling all over the ground: ;'
3; I ",..;j1ii.•;;;, jj"j
yelling 'Oh, get off me. I'm hurt. = t -./t;:`;.:. 'il•tl
I'm hurt'." a l' :
But Mitinger concedes he didn't t 4 . , ;',;:6 ",;..> : J
let Mira get off so easy the next ...'''
~- I
time he had a chance. 13 t ~:: •
"Every time after that Jim '..4 I •
FP' , ,'-,
Smith and I really rushed him. ',7, 1 5:: A
One time when I hit him I ILs ! f.:,,e
i t ,
1 , ;',..t, , tt , , , ,A
knew that he was hurt. Even if ,i 1,3 ! ~.., ,f -..;„*.Y5. ,
he hadn't had bruised ribs he .e.w.
would have felt that one." 7.,- %%%' 14 7
40
•C;',
-''Y''2.V , ' 'I
"I'd call him a ham or an actor," ; - `.'"k.. • v. '''''-gA+
Mitinger sai d. "He definitelylx f
played up to the home crowd. Heit .
tried to turn the crowd against us.;.l
"If the quarterback doesn't ex-ix
pect to get hit hard he should gets,,
out of the game. Just like every-j- - e,
one else, we're out to get the first l 2 ---
_________j,
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PAGE NINE
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