Baylor coach Grant Tiiaff is concerned about Penn State's many offen sive formations. If ihe Bears are as ground-vulnerable as statistics indicate, take a good look at the photo—you won't see anything like it 'till next year Gym squad' looking sharp early By TIM PANACCIO Assistant Sports Editor Penn State gymnastic coach Gene Wettstdne summed up yesterday's in „ trasquad meet this way: "There's a lot of hidden tali'nt there. It should be a kin year." Indeed it may. It's viTy early in the season but )17e team looked sharp in its first - Competition" of the y'ear. Wettstone Split the team into two squads and played them off on each other. For sake of convenience, if is easier to comment on the team as a whole. • There isn't a fan in Rec 13a11 who doesn't appreciate the skill involved, floor fi xer z rise. Yesterday, the ap-, predation value went up some. Ira Stoizer, frustrated by a year of missing the extremely difficult dOuble back sommersault, it perfectly. He also stW!l( a planche, a great- stri ngth move. "I just said to mvself, 'Come on Ira, show thost ...'," said Stoizer. "Once you hit it, you get the routine beat." Remember what wal, said about the pommel horse being a troublesome area ft r the gym team this year'? You wouldn't believe that hi:d you seen Jim Hunsinger anti Pete Vastola. "I think they are gonna replace- (Billy) Murphy and Roy) Stahl nicely," com mented Wettstone. • , Both had very smpoth performances working all parts of the horse. The unit as a whole looks sound with Wayne Chandler and Gary Ross. There were three fine routines on the rings from Bob Desiderio, freshman Andy Forman, and veteran Paul Fagan. Desiderio made a recovery of his handstand press, after shooting too early, went ,into a cross and finished" with a double sum mersault dismount. Forman tucked both a cross and 1-cross while Fagan did the same, then ended his routine with a full double twist dismount. In the vault, Joe Diliberto, Jay Cooper and Stolzer each hit vaulti worth 9 points (minimum) in meet acom petition. The Lions excelled on the parallel bars as well. Steve Bizal used a side mount which you don't see that often and Wayne Chandler pulled a Diamidov which you rarely, see. A Diamidov best defined is a twisting swing it, a handstand. on one hand. It's hard to explain but easy to see. Both Howard Sharf and Doug Arnold looked good and that's encouraging. The high bar was Penn State's best event last year. The potential is there once again this season. Kent Nasveschuk struggled a little and missed his dismount, something he's never done on the bar in high school. Bizal was smooth and threw a double back pike dismount, new this season. Larry Butler, a high bar specialist, looked good and so did those vault catches. Wayne Chandler topped his routine with a hecht dismount. "They're all working together nicely," said Wett stone. "Now we have to see how quickly they can use their brains to clean up things in their routines." fi g ` -N Sk al # 4 , 1 il k , er .. 34 -- Pr43l - --Atl P :r o v . ' . r .....i .' * . . ' • ..• I.;' : t N ...6. ‘ ' x . •ii ---- • 1 4 4 100 4 . ...ik ' t..., ,',..' i ' . . 8 44 :1064. . , - , i,; , , Tom Donchez (371 hopes to find running room like this in Dallas l ~~ : ~a ~= e The end of an Ara at Notre Dame Ara Parseghian finally bowed to the pressure and turned away from the din of his supporters who never let the weight of the National Championship, off his shoulders. He stepped back from those who criticized the servility of his offense. Monday; Ara Parseghian resigned as head football coach at Notre Dame. The decision shocked everyone but his team and his friends. "It was a surprise, but not a shock," Notre Dame's ! freshman kicker Dave Reeve said yesterday. "I first met Parseghian in February and at that time he seemed so enthusiastic and energetic. But as the season wore on, you could tell he started to run down. You could see it in his eyes." "lie seemed to be getting older more quickly," Reeve continued. "As the season went on he dPas torn apart. There was a lot of criticism about there not being a strongsoffense. ' - °lr.* 4 "7: In a statement at the time his resignation was made public, Parseghian Said, "After 25 years as head coach I find myself physically exhausted and emotionally drained...l just felt that I'should get away from coaching for at least one year. I just need time to rejuvenate my self emotionally and physically." It was the pressure. The relentless National Cham pionship pressure. The only thing that really matters— at Notre 'Dame and Penn State—is the National Championship. "Definitely there's a great deal of pressure," Reeve said. "People expect so much. Like this year we're 9-2 and everybody thought it was a losing season. Most colleges would give anything to be 9-2." And it was the emotions. The emotions of a coach who was often at his desk hours before his assistants arrived and remained hours after they were gone. Parseghian wouldn't accept excuses from his players, but once ran into the endzone to congratulate one of his men after a touchdown. "You could see it building up inside him," Reeve said. "Before each game he would pace back and forth in the locker room. In his pep talks he gets so involved, so intense." The Irish hadn't had a winning team for five years Will Lions eat Cotton Candy? By TIM PANACCIO Assistant Sports Editor Now tell me junior, what's your favorite candy when you. go to the amusement park? Right. Cotton candy. And what does this candy taste like. Wrong, son. It doesn't taste like oranges. It's sweet because it is made from sugar. Okay, tell me where they make the greatest cotton candy in the world, son. That's right. Texas. And on Jan. 1, 1975 Penn -State will try and eat some candy when it faces Baylor in the Cotton Bowl (2:10 p.m. EST, 1:10 p.m. Texas time). The Bears have never competed in the Cotton Bowl classic and the Lions have never met Baylor,' which means this is' a game of inaugural firsts. Penn State has one pre game edge already: it has had national TV exposure (Baylor hasn't) and it has had bowl experience of recent ( '72, '73, - '74 ) date while Baylor has had none. Baylor wrapped up the Southwest Conference title on the last Saturday of college football, with an 8-3 log (6-1 conference). Penn State (9-2) wrapped up the Lambert Rick Starr Sports Writer Photo by Ed Palsa Trophy on its last TV ap- quarter team. The Bears pearance against Pitt. outscored their opponents in Many people are wondering the final period this season 74- aloud if Baylor has any '56 with 21 of those points legitimate rights to meet being racked up by Penn State. Afterall, this was Oklahoma. the same team that finished If you look at the entire dead last in the SWC a year second half stats, Baylor ago with a horrendous .2- I, Y..tabled 143 points and yielded record.'but 82. The first quarter was Yet the Bears have some its weakest with 38 points ih 11 impressive credentials and games. some fine football players. This is truly an improved Credentials include: football team. —the best 1,000 yard-plus "All the writers could talk runner in the SWC, Steve .4 about last year was that we Beaird (t,104 yds.) who also had some kind of fumbling holds the most carries mark problem," says Pat McNeil, for one season with 244. the :5-10, 210-pound junior —three other running backs with a combined rushing total of 867 yds. • —a 3,500 plus total offense. quarterback who throws better than .500 (Neal Jeffrey). "We're a balanced team," says Baylor coach Grant Teaff. "We use a multiple set, I and split backfield. I'd say we look like the Steelers of fensively." Funny how a Texas team would emulate the Steelers over the Dallas Cowboys isn't it? _Penn State as you are aware of, is a second half team. Baylor is a fourth Three fish legends: Frank Leahy, Knute Rockne and Ara Parseghian prior to Parseghian's arrival. Notre Dame was 2-7 the year before his first. In that first season Parseghian, a Presbyterian coach at Catholic Notre Dame put out a 9-1 team. That was 1964. Ten years later Notre Dame trustee Dr. Thomas P. Carney recalled that turnabout. At. a dinner honoring Parseghian in May, Carney said, "We had just come off a'2-7 season and I jokingly told him w',had fans who would be satisfied with a 9-1 record. I felt bad because I'm not sure he knew I was kidding. I've often wondered what would have happened if I had said 10-0." Parseghian went on to take National Championships in 1966 and 1973. To insure the championship in '73, Par seghian made one of the greatest successful gambles in the history of the college gamp. He gave his quarterback Tom Clements orders to pas* on a third and eight on his own two yard line late in 'the, Sugar Bowl against Alabama. The Irish had a one point lead at the time, their eventual margin of victory. Parseghian's record at Notre Dame now stands at 94- 17-4, but there is one game left to settle before his record is set alongside Knute Rockne's and Frank Leahy's. The Irish again will battle Alabama, this year in the Orange Bowl. But at Notre Dame this season the National Cham- 'Dallas Cotton By DAVE MORRIS Assistant Sports Editor Bagels and cream cheese. Spaghetti and meatballs. Beer and pretzels. Three unbeatable combinations, just like New Year's Day and'Bowl games. And each bowl game has its own unbeatable trimmings. The Rose Bowl has the parade and the pageantry, the Sugar Bowl comes complete with carnival atmosphere and the nightlife of New Orleans, and the Orange Bowl has the beaches and warm breezes of Miami. Oops ! Don't forget the Cotton , Bowl in Dallas. Well, at least it's on television. Even the economy doesn't think much of cotton. Oranges and roses certainly aren't a dime a dozen, and everyone knows the price of sugar is soaring. But the price of good old cotton balls is still down to earth. However, the Cotton Bowl really isn't all that bad. At least that's what Penn State fullback Tom Donchez thinks. Donchez is the only member of the team who has played in a Cotton Bowl. Way back in 1971 he backed up Franco Harris and took part in the Cotton Bowl victory over Texas. Donchez was redshirted the following season, which made him eligible for this year's campaign and a second trip to Dallas. "Dallas isn't an exciting town," Donchez said. "But the bowl is organized. For the Orange Bowl they just turn us loose on the town. In Dallas they have several things planned for the team." The plans include a nightclub act, a trip to a dude ranch, and dinner at an exclusive downtown club. Donchez also contrasted Dallas and State Cokege isn't exciting,' hut pleases Donchez fullback "Coach Shealy (Jim, new backfield coach) came in and started doing something about, t. He didn't dwell on it. He int ntioned it one time...he respet is us as individuals." The _ attitude change broug it about some happy faces and the Bears running attach rolled up 1,976 yards, with McNeil garnering 459 of that total. Baylor's defensive line had some problems this year, allowing opponents to cash in on 2,358 yards via the footsie route. Neil Jeffrey, passed for pionship is already gone. Southern Cal stunned the nation and the Irish three weeks ago by 'scoring seven touchdowns in 17 minutes. Reeve said,the game had the effect on Parseghian of almost making him stay on as head coach in order to meet the Trojans again. But he stuck by his decision. "We all have a very deep respect for him," Reeve said. "Every ball player will give out something extra for him." Parseghian's decision will also effect Reeve direct ly, since he will now have to play three years for a coach he did not come to Notre Dame to play for, Dan Devine. Parseghian's successor. "I don't mean any offense to DeVine, but in a way I'm disappointed," Reeve said. "All the freshmen here came to playpnder Parseghian, who we consider to be the best college coach in ,the country." Dievine.comes to South Bend from Green Bay, where he had only a single year of success with the Packers, and where irate fans once killed his dog and left it on his door step to show their displeasure with his coaching results. But at South Bend most are still thinking about Par seghian and the upcomipg game with the Crimson Tide. "I'd like to see a legend go out as a winner," said Drew Mahalic, a senior linebacker, "He deserves it that way." "Dallas isn't a college-type town like State College, where the only thing going is Penn State sports. SMU (Southern Methodist University) is the only school in Dallas and they weren't having a good year the last time we'were there, so they really enjoyed the Bowl. They're pretty high on the Cowboys, too." As for the game itself, which will be the last of his Penn State career, Donchez has high hopes. "It's my last game and it's in front of a big TV audience," he said. "I'm going to try to play my best and turn in a memorable performance. You always remember your last game most." Donchez had a pretty memorable performance the last time he competed before a big TV audience—Thanksgiving night against Pitt. The workhorse fullback also compared the two Cotton Bowl opponents he will have faced, and said there would be no problems getting up for the contest. "Baylor's a good team and everyone knows it. And there's this song they have "The Baylor Bears Fight Song"—l'm• listening to it right now—and just that is getting me up. Of course Baylor, being the Southwestern Conference Champion, will have a home field advantage of sorts and the boost provided by noisy fans, but Donchez said the Lions won't; be bothered. "There's going to be lots of noise out there," he said, "and it. will help both teams get the adrenalin flowing. You hear the noise but you don't know who they're yelling for. We've played on the road before and won, so it's really nothing new." 1,314 yards this season. Both Alcy Jackson and Philip Kent caught 20 or more passes for more than 400 yards. All totaled, Baylor ha' five men in double figures when it comes to pass receiving. Grant Teaff and Joe Paterno are looking forward to this first meeting. Teaff is somewhat concerned about Lion offensrve formations. "They have a lot of them," he says. "We have to be careful of them—we gotta know. who to block. That's assuming we can actually block them at all."
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