DUCK TRACKS
By BERNIE HAMMERBECK
Sports Editor
It took but one weekend of Pacific Coast football to prove to
experts and observers alike that accurate pre-season forecasts
of 1946 football elevens were definitely not be relied upon. The
drum-beating and ballyhoo-ex
pounding representatives of
several schools had their
mighty bubbles burst the very
first week. Tops on the list, of
course, was the downfall of the
Oregon State Beaver. The ter
rific beating suffered by the
Orangemen made them look
mighty bad, yet they should not
be counted out as they may
muster strength later in the
season.
A disappointment to many
was the showing of the USC
Trojan. Th6 mighty men of
Troy were labeled as the
PHIL SORBOE
cream of the coast, yet had to content themselves with a last
minute touchdown and a six-point win over the darkhorse
WSC Cougars. It was this Cougar eleven that made one of the
best impressions of the weekend.
The ,Phil Sorboe coached lads suffered from a severe case
of jitters in the first half as the Trojans roared into a seven-point
lead. Finally they found themselves and retaliated in the second
half to knot the count. And there the score stayed until a mere
sixty seconds remained when El Trojan scored again to win the
contest.
Cougars Live Up to Kepu tatson
The Cougars had been counted on as a dark-horse eleven, and
as such certainly lived up to expectations even if the Trojans did
not. With a contest with Idaho scheduled for this week, the WSC
men will follow against Washington, Oregon, and California in
that order. If they can get through those they may yet be reck
oned as a title contender.
Tex Oliver’s Oregon Webfoots came through their contest
in a somewhat dubious manner which has many local fans a bit
discouraged with the Lemon and Green chances. Things are
not as dark as the one-point win indicate, however. Most
openers are scheduled with the idea of margin of safety should
■the boys not click or the opposition prove unusually rough.
That’s exactly what happened Saturday with the Staggmen
plenty rough in the line, and the Oregon blocking looking none
too sharp. Few fans realize that the Oregon line was sadly under
mined before it went into the contest. How many clubs can lose
four top-flight guards within a period of ten days and still come
up with a winner? That’s exactly what happened in Vaughn Cor
* ley’s line.
Loyd, Berwick, Hanna, Meland Out
First, Harold Loyd, a fine prospect and letterman in 1942,
decided not to enter Oregon as he wished to pursue an engineer
ing course. A few days later Jim Berwick, fighting for a starting
berth, came up with a knee injury that knocked him out for two
weeks.
The crowning blow came the day before the game, however,
when Ted Meland, first-stringer at left guard, and Bill Hanna,
coming up fast at the other guard slot, were both declared in
eligible.
Thus the Webfoots lost one starting guard, another who
was fighting on even terms for a starting berth, and two others
who would have seen a considerable amount of action, As a
result three guards—Murphy, Novacic, and Kauffman—car
ried most of the duties and by the time the second half rolled
around they were mighty tired. Proof of this second half lapse
can be seen in the fact that the Webfoots gained three-quar
ters of their total yardage for the game in the first half when
the linemen were getting their blocks.
It is hoped that the big bruising Meland will be declared elig
ible prior to the Cal contest and if that happens the Webfoot
stock will go up, as the former St. Mary’s Pre-flight gridder is
. the heaviest and the ruggedest guard on the Oregon squad. Also
expected back before long, though perhaps not by this weekend,
is Jim Berwick at the other guard.
Ducks Expect Tough
Battle Against Bears
University of Oregon’s Webfoots
travel south this weekend into the
lair of a once-lambasted Univer
sity of California Golden Bear, and
according to reports from Webfoot
football heads, it is a highly re
garded Bear.
Though the California Bear was
soundly thumped by Wisconsin Sat
urday, Oregon backfield coach, Ben
Winkleman, was south over the
weekend to do a scouting job on the
game. His reports show that the
Cal lads will still be able to hit a lick
on October 5. According to the in
formation furnished the Duck board
of strategy by Winkleman, the Cali
fornia team is well stocked with
reserves. Winkleman’s one day sur
vey found the Bears able to field
three teams of almost equal
equal strength.
Another factor be^ng given
consideration by the Webfoots is
the fact that the team that
pounded the Bears so unmerci
fully was a Wisconsin team that
had one game this season already
under its belt when it trod the
turf against Cal. This, plus the
fact that the victorious Wiscon
sin Badgers began their practice
season on August 15—almost
three weeks sooner than Coast
school, leads the Webfoot coach
ing staff to believe that the Bears
were overwhelmed by a team that
is further advanced than any
other team on the Pacific slope.
Last night the Webfoots went to
work on a slightly damp Hayward
Field. Coach John Warren’s junior
varsity provided scrimmage oppo
sition while they ran through Cali
fornia plays. Besides getting plenty
of opportunity to watch the Golden
Bear style of offense in action the
Ducks are also slated for plenty of
work on their offensive blocking.
Blocking Weak
In the Saturday opener with
Alonzo Stagg’s COP Tigers the
Webfoot offensive blocking was
definitely low grade. Another weak
feature in the Webfoot picture was
the lack of clean sweeping down
field blocking. Head Coach Tex
Oliver and the entire Oregon coach
ing staff were aware of deficiencies
in both of these departments and
indicated that the WTebfoots were
slatea for drill.
Still on the Oregon injured list
was a generous sprinkling of
backs and linemen. Leading the
list is All-American Jake Leicht,
the quicksilver left half who re
ceived a knee injury in the 7 to 6
squeak-through with College of
Pacific. Leicht’s condition is still
improving and indications are
that he will be ready for another
start Saturday. Only other back
injured seriously in the Saturday
game was Fullback George Bell
who injured a hip.
Other backs disabled in pre-game
scrimmages and still on the shelf,
are halfback Glen Bostwick, who
favors a bad shoulder, and Bill
Behrens, pass-pitching half back.
Fullback Bob Sanders is still being
held because of an injured leg.
Linemen who will probably not
be ready for the California jaunt
Bruins Top Contenders
For 1947 Rose Bowl Bid
By LAIIRY LAIJ
With the 1946 football season
only a week old, sports prognosti
cators are holding their heads in
their hands, coaches who lost are
working furiously to iron out their
weaknesses, coaches who won are.
grimly pushing their teams through
stiff workouts for the coming Sat
urday campaign, and trainers are
laboring hard trying to massage
life back into muscles and ligaments
that were mashed this past week
end.
The contests this coming Satur
day take on increased importance
when one wonders whether the
teams that so obviously hit their
stride in their winning tilt will be
abfe to continue through the sea
son red hot, or will they, like fight
ers, drop a contest or two because
they can’t stand their own pace.
Heads and shoulders above the
rest of the, Rose Bowl contenders
are the Bruins of UCLA. Their
shellacking of the highly touted
Beavers leaves little doubt that
here is one, team on whom the ad
vance notices were correct; load
ed is the word. Saturday, they
take on the Washington Huskies
in Seattle, a contest which, ac
cording to form, should go only
one way.
Ducks Face Cal
The Webfoots of Oregon, who
made such a poor showing against
the under-rated College of Pacific,
travel to Berkeley to tangle with
the Golden Bears of California.
From the press box, the Webfoots
appeared to have ignored timing
completely. If Tex Oliver has solved
this knotty problem by game time,
are Right Guard Jim Berwick and
Left End Dan Garza. Berwick and
(Jarza both received leg injuries
early in the season.
the team may well live up to its
pre-season rave notices.
Washington State, who came so
close to dumping USC, has s,
breather with Idaho this coming’
Saturday, and the wounded Beavers
have a similar contest with the
Portland U. eleven. Stanford, who
at least started out right, has a
chance to further earn its spurs
against Clipper Smith's ‘‘semi-pro
fessional” team from the Univer
sity of San Francisco.
The Trojans from USC, who
got off to a winning, however
bumpy, start, tangle with the
Buckeyes from Ohio State, a
game which only the brave an®
the foolhardy are attempting to
predict. Cravath’s charges have a
habit of increasing in power as
the season moves along, and the
common consensus of opinion is
that the Trojans will be much
harder on their Big Ten visitors
than were the California Bears.
Sports staff for this issue:
Bill Stratton
Bernie Hammerbeck
Wally Hunter
Larry Lau
Don Fair
John Tylreson
A1 Pietschman
UO Student Cartoonist
Alex B. Pierce, a student in the
architecture school, received honor
able mention yesterday for one of
two cartoons entered in the Lena,
the Hyena, comic strip contest in
Portland.
TODAY’S INTRAMURAL
FOOTBALL SCHEDULE:
Delta Upsilon vs. SAE, 3:50
Omega hall vs. Vet Dorm B, 4:45
Looking for a
TREAT
You'll find one at the
Dutch Girl
1224 Willamette Phone 1932