Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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RALPH GREGORY, Sports Editor Mike Lovejoy Irv Likov Bill Liggett Murry Seaman RALPH GREGORY: Hi, Sport! The lull before the storm. Looking back over the first four games things look pretty dismal if you rely on scores and past performances to predict the outcome of the Big Thursday clash. In four games the Birds have split even while Clemson has won three and lost one. For Clemson last week's loss to College of the Pacific was the first setback in 16 games. In this span is last year's State Fair tie with the Game cocks. Clemson went into that game with an unbeaten-untied and unscored upon record. They came out with a lucky win. You can't begin to understand the way these two teams battle unless you've seen the game before. Both teams are primed for the battle and will be determined to win it. Despite Clemson's fine record the Tigers will have their hands full next week when they try to subdue the aroused Gamecocks. Balka Looks Sharp Dick Balka was far and away the outstanding man on offense for the Gamecocks last week. He took over for Johnny Gramling at the quar terback slot and led the team to its only touchdown, cap ping the drive with a 30-yard scoring pass. During the afternoon he threw 5 passes and completed four of them for a total of 82 yards. Besides that he handled the ball well and got off one 11-yard run. That little per formance against the Tar Heels may have brightened t h e quarterback situation since it proves that Coach En right has two passers who are able to throw with accuracy. Balka is tossing for a better than 50 per cent completion record so far. He has completed eight of fifteen and has picked up 118 yards on these tosses. LaTorre, Too John "Lip" LaTorre played a terrific game Saturday afternoon and he collected several souvenirs for his efforts. Among them a black, closed and protruding left eye. He suf fered most of the injuries during the first half when he played his end position superbly, continually stopping the thrusts of the Tar Heels around his flank. Several times he picked his way through two or three blockers to bring down the ball carrier behind the line. After his first injury "Lip" came out for a rest but when a man was needed to stop the North Carolinians again he went back. Plaving with one eye closed he proved the stopper for the Gamecocks. It was the fighting spirit that the Birds have needed all season long. In my estimation it was the highlight of the best game the Gamecocks have played to date. Wadiak Recovers Stout Steve Wadiak has been sharply below the rushing pace that led him to a new Southern Conference record last ye'..ar iI ~V A'.LLA butwhe1th story LAI isnow tatl he~ has0 been s,uffering from a broken rib it may show what a truly great athlete he really is. Steve was hurt in a scrimmage prior to the opener with Duke. Since that time he has not participated in any of the contact work during the practice sessions. Yet, despite the broken rib, he was wrapped in approximately a half mile of tape and played bang-up ball in four games. Better, in fact, than the average good college back does when in good shape. The story wasn't released while he was suffering from the injury because it was figured that some of the teams may be laying for him, trying to put him out permanently. He has now recovered and will be able to go full speed against the terrible Tigers from Clemson. Tar Heel Game Between ambulance rides and a bleeding nose we didn't have too much time to ponder the game played with North Carolina but in looking back over the highlights we think the Gamecocks played their best game of the year. The North Carolina team was much heavier in the line, averaging per. haps ten pounds to the man. Yet the Bird dlefensive line more than held its owni. They held the hard running Tar Heel backs to 62 yards rushing in the first half. Only once did they let up and that was on a surprising run immediately after the second half kickoff. We lost the game but the Gamecocks were at least trying for a change and that's a vast improvement over their earlier performances. It'll take that hustle to take the Tigers next weekend but the Birds usually have it for the "big game.' We'll settle for a four-touchdown win. Just Checkin'... Steve Wadiak gained only 22 yards rushing against North Carolina but still leads the team in that department. He also paces the Birds in four other departments: total of. fense, 286 yards; pass receiving, eight catches for 76 yards; kickoff returns, seven for 188 yards; and scoring, 24 points. ...Billy Hair, Clemson's triple threat tailback leads the Southern Conference in total offense for the first four games. He is also at the top in rushing yardage. . . . Wadiak's 22 yards total against the Tar Heels was his lowest total since coming to USC in 1948. . .. Although Wadlak's eight catches lead the pass receivers, end W. A. Skelton has gained more yardage with six receptions. Skelton's receiving has been good for 100 yards, Wadlak's for 76. Little Boy Roddy Kicking His Way To Stardom When a team reaches a fourth down and there is no alternative but to punt, South Carolina's Gamecocks call on Wilbur "Roddy" Robbins, who sports a big white 28 on his back, to do the job. The dimunitive back, as football players go, weighing only 160 pounds and standing 5 feet, 6 in ches tall, is an alumnus of Green ville Senior High School, in Green ville, where he held down the block ing back and wingback slots in the short punt formation. When asked whether he was on a full football scholarship he re plied by saying that he was up here to represent the Gamecocks in the world of track. "Coach Bas kin, the track coach, asked me to come out for the football team, so I did," states "Roddy." In high school he took the State Class AA crown in the 220-yard dash and the low hurdles. He placed third in the high hurdles. He started out on the freshman grid team playing in the defensive backfield but was soon moved up to the varsity offensive unit where he was playing left half back. When Jimmy Cox was injured Coach Rex Enright asked for volunteers to prove their punting abilities. Five freshmen and three men from last season's squad showed up and "Roddy" was picked from among them. He warms up with Norman Dietz from Asheville, N. C., but when "that moment" comes "Roddy" usually ends up in the game. His longest punt of the season has an interesting story behind it. In the Furman game the "Birds" reached their fourth down and "Roddy" went in to punt. The Gamecocks were offsides and were penalized five yards. "Roddy" turned right around and punted the same distance he did the first time -plus five yards. This incident occurred until Carolina had been set back fifteen yards at which time "Roddy" calmly stepped back and punted the ball the same dis tance he did the first time, plus 15 yards, for a total of 65 yards. His total punting average for the season shows that he has kicked 23 times for 895 yards and an aver age of 38.1 yards. (Pretty good for a beginner?) CH,ESTE Seaman's ( By MURRAY SEAMAN Although everybody here re joiced when Clemson lost last week, they led to the downfall of the crystal ball. College of the Pacific and SMU (or we should say Fred Benpers) were the big upsets of the week that sent the predictions awry. When the smoke of Saturday's battles had cleared we were left with 14 wins and six mis-calls, for another 70% accuracy. Tomorrow promises to be another baffling Saturday so here's the plunge for this week. Tennessee over Alabama-Bob Neyland's machine to grind inex orably on. Georgia Tech over Auburn Tech to keep their slate clean for another week. Furman over Citadel-The Hur ricane's two halfbacks, Horton and Sutton to prove more powerful than* Citadel'% aerial game. Duke over Va. Tech-The Blue Devils really on the march this week. Wake Forest over George Wash ington-The Deacons too rugged. They'll be roaring after last week's upset by Wm. and Mary. Georgia over LSU-Wally Butts to have his boys up after last week's shellacking. Maryland over North Carolina The Old Liners have too much all around ability and power. Miami over Washington and Lee ---A close one. Should produce an air-game worthy of the Southwest. Hackett vs. Bocetti. N. C. State over Wm. and Mary -Alex Webster to be the differ ence. Virginia over VMI-The Cava JUST 2 BLOC That's Sunshine Laundry Gervais - two blocks from ti guys and gals take all theh. Sunshine. One-day Quality S< in., shirts, piece work an service means satisfaction f SUN! LAUNDRY Al 1415 GERVAIS MI 1NC 4 A ND ON :tH rystal Ball liers to get back on the winning trail at VMI's expense. California over Southern Cal. Cal voted the number one team this week. This will decide the Pacific coast champion. Kentucky over Villanova-This one decided by the toss of a coin. Either way the Wildeats can't (can) celebrate. Michigan State over Penn State -The Nittany Lions are tough but we see the Spartans to continue unbeaten. Notre Dame over Pitt-The Irish to get back on the winning trail They're still one of the better teams regardless of SMU. SMU over Rice-There'll be n< stopping the Mustangs now. . Texas A & M over TCU-The Aggies a real power. Texas over Arkansas-The Long. horns have too much all around finesse and power. Princeton over Lafayette-Kaz maler to have a field day. Charley Caldwell could name the score. Ohio State over Indiana-Vic Janowicz is due to break loose soon. It could be tomorrow. Penn over Columbia-The Quak. ers in a close one. FORMAL WEAR For Rent -Wright-Johnston INCORPORATED Men's Clothing, Shoes, and Furnishings 1330 Main Phone 2-4223 KS AWAY .. . and Cleaners' plant at 1415 ie University! Smart Gamecock taundry iand dr cleaniing ;to rvlce, by request, on dry clean bachelor bundle" Sunshine NIINE JD CLEANERS PHONE 6667 Che SIGNED.... P1 UNPLEA IFTER-TA i CHESTERFIELI Chesterfield Will * Sponsor Score ~ Guessing Contest Bill Gibbes, campus representa tive for Chesterfield cigarettes, an nounces that Chesterfield will again sponsor the Big Thursday score guessing contest. Each per son guessing the correct score of the Carolina-Clemson game will be awarded a carton of Chesterfields. A display will be 'set up in the post office lobby where entries will be received predicting the score of the big game. Answers must be on the back of a Chesterfield wrap per. Any USC student is eligible and a student may submit as many entries as he wishes. Each entry, however, must be on a separate wrapper. There is no limit as to the num ber of winners. A carton of Ches terfields will be awarded- to each correct answer no matter how many that may be. Only exact answers will count as winners. The contest will close at 1 p. m. A REAL SANDWICHES Baby Club - Chict MILK SHAKES - All Flavors CAKES & COOKII All Kinds - Fr Sandwiches are deliverec Canteen at 12 o'clock in WHY PAY MORE I GET IT FC CANI "Operated For Convenii RETTE IN. AMERICA N IOPRIETOR EL 3 - SANTV STE i HAS IT! ~4 a Wednesday, the day before the ame. All entries must be in by *at time. Phone 2.9250 918 MAIN STREET Joe Patrone's Collegiate Inn Specialising in STEAKS CHICKEN SPAGHETTI * * * Dine and Dance Until 12 P. M. in the "GAMECOCK" ROOM VALUE! 25c en - Roast Beef 25c - --- lOc ash Each Day d fresh each day to the time for your lunch. WHEN YOU CAN R LESS! rEEN 'nce of the Students" -L Casisi 1$. va 0