The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 3, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 25, 1963 Page: 7 of 10
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V
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25, 1963
THE THRESHER
Seven
Thresher Football Preview
Hogs Picked For Tops;
Rice Can Play With Any
The Shadow of Bear Bryant
stalks the Southwest Conference
this 1963 football season.
Seven years ago the Shadow
was very real, and he wore the
maroon and white of Texas A&M.
In 1963, it is dressed in the
orange and white of Texas Uni-
versity. The Bear is gone; his
philosophy remains.
FOR DARRELL ROYAL and
his disciples play by Bryant's
rules: defense and hard-nosed
football win. games. This is the
era of defense in the once wide-
open Southwest Conference. This
is still the Age of the Bear .
Examples, from Royal himself:
O When you pass, three things
can happen and two of them are
bad.
£ When Ave kick the ball
from our 30 to their 10, hat's
six first downs on one play.
9 We'd rather let the op-
ponents have the ball on their
20 than for us to have it on our
20. We feel we're 60 yards closer
to a score.
THIS PHILOSOPHY, once
again, will have Texas near the
top of the Southwest Conference.
This plus 27 lettermen and a
handful of all-conference per-
formers.
But when January 1 rolls
around, the Longhoms won't be
in the Cotton Bowl. The better-
balanced Razorbacks from the
University of Arkansas will be
there.
AS WAS SO poignantly dem-
onstrated last New Year's in
Dallas, the style of football Tex-
as plays cannot conquer a good
football team. LSU didn't make
mistakes; consequently, Texas
was helpless.
As Texas will find out once
again, you can't out-field-posi-
tion a good football team. They
may find it out more than once.
On October 27 last year, Rice
was a good football team, and
unseated Texas from the number
one spot in the nation. On Octo-
ber 20, the 'Horns needed a nev-
*
Tax Card Allows
Students To Buy
Football Tickets
Upon payment of the four dol-
lar blanket tax the Rice student
is eligible to attend home games,
to purchase student tickets to
out-of-town games, and to pur-
chase guest tickets to home and
out-of-town games. Tickets tnay
be obtained at the Student Ticket
Window on the east -side of the
field house entrance from 9 am to
5 pm on week days: and from
9 am to 12 pm on Saturdays.
Student Activities Cards must
be presented in order to obtain
tickets. These non-transferable
cards are punched when used'to
admit the student and his guests
to the Rice Student Section.
The Athletic Business Office
will attempt to allow students to
purchase 2 guest tickets per
game (at $4.00 aniece).
Tickets to home games may be
purchased through the Friday
preceding the game. Out-of-town
game tickets will be available
until the Saturday of the week
preceding the game.
er-to-be-repeated 90 yard drive
in the fading minutes to sep-
arate Arkansas from conference
and national championships.
ANY ONE OF THREE teams
are capable of smashing Long-
horn dreams this season. TCU,
with its general overall strength,
is fully capable, but more likely,
the burden must rest upon more
explosive elevens like Rice and
Arkansas.
Still more likely, since Rice
faces a revenge-minded football
team in Memorial Stadium, where
the Owls have gone winless for a
decade, the savior must be Ar-
kansas.
So the SWC should find it-
(Continued on Page 8)
Owls Schedule
Sept. 28
LSU at Houston*
(6-6)
Oct.
5
Penn State at Uni-
versity Park, Penn.
(7-18)
Oct.
12
Stanford at Hous-
ton'*
Oct.
19
SMLT at Houston'"
(7-15)
Oct.
26-
-Texas at Austin*
(14-14)
Nov.
2
Texas Tech at Lub-
bock* (14-0)
Nov.
9
Arkansas at Hous-
ton* (14-28)
Nov.
16
A&M at Houston*
(23-3)
Nov.
23
TCU at Fort
Worth* (7-30)
Nov.
30
Baylor at Houston*
(15-28)
* Ni
ght
games
Prognosis For
Green But Still
Tigers:
Mean
By CORDELL HAYMON
It was a warm evening in late
September. A proud band of Rice
followers stood amidst a shock-
ed crowd' of 68,000 L.S.U. t fans
as the scoreboard clock stopped
at 0:00 and stared at the un-
believable news:—powerful L.S.U.
held to a 6-6 tie^ by a scrapping
team of Rice Owls. For the sec-
ond year L.S.U.'s dreams of a
national championship were dis-
rupted by the blue-clad Owls.
It is said that an elephant has
a long memory, but the L.S.U.
Tigers haven't forgotten the bit-
terness of that September eve-
ning. Many seniors are gone
from Coach Charles McClendon's*
Cotton Bowl Champs (lS-fiUov^r
Texas), but the Tigers are once
again a powerhouse.
FEATURING A big starting-
line (averaging 217 pounds) and
a bevy of fine backs, the Tigers
can only be appraised in terms
of "potential." The new sub-
stitution rule has litirt * the
popular L.S.U. three-team sys-
tem, but it is still employed—
with modifications. The big prob-
lem of this fall seems to have
been teaching everyone to play
both offense and defense. Only
guard Robbie Hucklebridge has
experience as a two-way player.
But the material is there. As
illustration, the only returning
starter is junior halfback Danny
Le Blanc who has received pro-
minent mention as an All-Amer-
ican candidate. Yet Le Blanc has
been forced from his: starting
berth-by a red-shirt sophomore,
Joe Labruzzo, a 9.6 sprinter.
NO MORE DOES it seem cer-
tain who will emerge as the out-
standing lineman, but in this dis-
agreement lies the key—all are
potential stars. Six-foot five inch
end Billy Truax is a top receiver.
Ronald Pere has received all-star
notices at tackle, and Robbie
Hucklebridge is a standout at
guard.
Rice backfield coach Bo Hagan,
who scouted L.S.U.'s 14-6 con-
quest over Texas A&M last week,
warns that the Tigers' first unit
is "as good as anybody's." Half-
back Labruzzo showed his po-
tential as a breakaway threat in
returning a point 83 yards for
the decisive touchdown against
A&M. The Tigers steem fast, and
fullbacks Buddy Hamie and Don
Schwab appear to be powerful
inside threats.
L.S.L1". SPORTS an improved
passing attack behind sophomore
quarterback Pat Screen, possibly
the top Tiger quarterback pro-
spect since Y. A. Tittle. Soph-
omore Billy Ezell is also a top
quarterback and both boys a\-e
considered terrific runners.
The Tigers, despite their inex-
perience, will not be vastly weak-
continued on Page 8)
'Conservative' Offers New Look:
Neely To Institute Novel Defense
By CORDELL HAYMON
Jess Neely is essential y an
exponent of conservative foot-
ball. In other days this was a
criticized characteristic of
coaches, but the success of such
conservatives as Bud Wilkinson,
Darrel Royal, and Paul Dietzel
has all but wiped out this critic-
ism in informed circles.
If Neely is conservative, he is
no less imaginative in using his
personnel to best advantage.
MOST PROMINENT AMONG
new Owl tactics will be the use
of a "Rover Defense." This de-
fense, similar to that employed
at Arkansas, is primarily design-
ed to offset the unbalanced
power of increasingly popular
wingback and slotback offensive
formations.
The Owls have abandoned their j nnirily as a blocker ;
(i-2 defense which required a ceiver, with the bulk
In addition to this change on
the line of scrimmage, the Owls
will flip-flop the linebackers to
allow Malcolm Walker to meet
the strong side power plays,
leaving the fullback with the
responsibility of meeting dives
and counter-plays to the over-
load defense which throttled
Texas's running game last: sea-
son.
THE OWLS DEPLOY three
deep men in the defensive second-
ary. They will use a zone defense
against passes, but hope for a
more effective aerial defense
through employment of stronger
rushing of the passer.
Offensively the Owls look lo
a much improved ground game
to restore a strong scoring punch.
The wingback will be used pri-
id pass re-
of the ball
the
•apable
shift in action to the offensive ; carrying riding on
lineup. It was felt that the new shoulders of two fine .-els of
Rover Defense would allow in j deep backs.
eliminating this shift. morej TAILBACKS GKNK WALKER
aggressiveness. The success of
the new defense hinges largely
on the performance of the right
(or rover) guard.
THE ROVER GUARD lines
up inside the defense end on She
offensive strong side. Sophomore
starter Ronnie Ulbrich has shown
great promise and is capably
backed by Archie Peterson- and
Bill Walker.
New Rules Will Permi
Smoother, Faster Play
Bv CORDELL HAYMON
"You can't tell the players
without a storecard." Amidst the
confusion surrounding recent rule
changes in collegiate football, the
cry might be "You can't tell the
rules without a rule book."
At its winter meeting the N.C.-
A.A. Rules Committee considered
.legislation to improve certain
weaknesses in existing rules. The
three evils which the new rules
were designed to eliminate are:
(1) time-consuming player line-
ups when checking into the game;
(2) messenger service," that is,
use of a "wild card" substitution
before each play, allowing the
coach to call each offensive play
from the sidelines; (3) over-spe-
cialization of function.
THE PRINCIPLE source of
controversy for 1963 is the new
substitution rule. The present
rule allows unlimited substitu-
tion when the clock is stopped
except before the fourth down or
the first down when the ball has
changed hands. On these downs
each team is limited to two sub-
stitutions. This allows the use of
Yt kicking specialist and allows
removal of the quarterback (or
other individual) when his team
is on defense.
THE NEW RULE prevents
complete use of offensive or de-
fensive specialist units (as pop-
ularized at L.S.U.). Coach Neely,
whose teams have resisted the
swing to specialist fotball, fore-
sees no harmful effects to his
substitution policy. The Rice
quarterback will still be removed
on defense, but all other Owls
will be , two-way footballers.
The only other significant rule
mollification allows the forma-
tion quarterback to receive pas-
ses. This'rule will have , little, if
anv, effect on Rice football.
and Gene Fleming and fullbacks
Russell Wayt and Paul Piper
give the Owls a power running
game comparable to any.
The shift of end George Parry
to wingback places a "third end"
in the lineup. George may be used
as a runner on counters and re-
verses, but his value lies in his
ability as a strong blocker and
to]) pass: receiver.
QUARTERBACK W A L T E R
McReynolds is an excellent pass-
er. With a number of superb
receivers Rice has all indications
of a fine passing' game m com-
plement its basic ground atta'-k.
Ex-quarterback Gone Wa'ker pro-
vides the constant threat
halfback pass.
Rico punting promise.- u
ment. Gene Fleming. Pan
and Penny lloliingsw >•:
handle the punting rhoiv.-
in.jured Parry Rice and
Cochran, a graduate of tii
weight team, are manag.t
goals and extra points.
of the
. (Ift.en
.1 imm\
e light-
ig field
Owls Three Deep Rosier
No.
N a m e
I'os.
Wt.
HI.
Class
Fx p.
83
John Sylvester
le
185
6-1
Sr.
2 v 1
Bert Barron
le
190
6-0
82
Howard Avers
le
195
6-3
Soph
fl
76
John Minis
It
2511
6-3
Sr.
2 v 1
70
Larry Stewart
It
195
6-1
Sr.
1 M
77
Pat Estill
It
211
6-1
Soph.
1 sq
63
Johnny Nichols
rg
200
5-11
Sr.
2 vl
69
Wayne Betfsch
rg
199
5-10
. -Jr.
1 vl
62
Bill Walker
rg
208
6-0
Soph.
1 sq
57
Malcolm Walker
c
240
6-1
Jr.
1 vl
53
Craig Christopher
c
224
6-2
Soph.
fl
54
Rudy Schreider
c
202
6-2
Jr.
jc
64
Ronnie Ulbrich
Iff
198
6-0
Soph.
1 sq
61
Archie Peterson
Iff
214
6-0
Sr.
. 2 sq
68
llarlon Hearing
Ig
206
6-1
Soph.
fl
73
Jim Villing
rt
214
6-3
Soph.
fl
74
Richard Bowe
rt
'218
6-2
.) r.
1 vl
71
Gene Arnold
rt
228
6-4
Soph.
1 sq
80
Jerry Kelley
re
196
6-0
Sr.
2 vl
86*
Dale Callihan
re
197
6-1
Jr.
1 sq
87
Joe Froli
re
211
6-3
Jr.
* 2 sq
84
George Parry
wb
190
6-0
Sr.
1 vl
19
Billy Hale
Wl)
178
5-.lI
Jr.
1 vl
14
David Ferguson
wb
171
5-11
Soph.
fl
47
Gene Walker
tb
202
6-2
Soph.
fl
45
Gene Fleming
tb
18^
6-0
Jr.
1 vl
41
Ronnie Hatfield
tb
170
5-10
Jr.
1 vl
37
Russell Wayt
fb _
218
6-1
.1 r.
1 vl
30
Paul Piper
fb
200
6-0
Jr.
1 vl
32
R.'J. Nitsche
fb
188
6-1
Soph.
f 1
27
Walter McReynolds
qb
182
6-0
Jr.
1 vl
23
Ronnie Ceryenka
qb
174
5-11
Soph.
1 sq.
21
Benny Hollingsworth
qb
200
6-2
Jr.
2 sq.
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Keilin, Eugene. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 51, No. 3, Ed. 1 Wednesday, September 25, 1963, newspaper, September 25, 1963; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth244892/m1/7/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.