The daily collegian. (University Park, Pa.) 1940-current, October 03, 1961, Image 9
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, 1 lii .›. ' Ic , .14 l, 1., < x x 1 -e c.: 74 ~., I,- x , :a I; * * * GET THE LION'S SHARE OF ATTENTION 4 0 Light as laughter, the pure classic, pure-fun footware 1 ..) that excites cheers for comfort, praise for taste r 4 (because he wears wonderful Weejuns, too!) n >. 7: f ec•D C °' -' e .• % Bostonian Ltd.) __ ). al i 0 et Guy Kresge p ENN sun Jack Harper I 71 0 106 SOUTH ALLEN STREET c 4 Around the corner from Jack Harper's• Custom Shop r 4 _ ~. GUYKRESCEJACKHARPERGU YKRESGEJACKHARPERGU YKRESGEJA CZ HARPER, PAGE NINE * * *