Notre Dame Scholastic Football Pages

Volume 74

Issue 11

13 December 1940 THE NOTRE DAME SCHOLASTIC 17

Notre Dame's Fighting Irish looked like Notre Danne Ends 1941 Grid Season a super-team as the Laydenmen coasted through niini defenses for 374 yards With Seven Victories and Two Defeats gained, 18 first downs and four touch­ downs. The second stringers started the scoring in the first period with a "South Irish Score 168 Points to Their converted and then fol­ Bend" pass from "Dippy" Evans to Opponents 67 lowed by zigzagging 60 yards oif tackle Steve Bagarus. A pass, Saggau to Juz­ to make the score 13-0. A few minutes wik, was good for the second touchdown later Bob Saggau swept right for three plays after the first stringers en­ The 1940 football season is over. A another touchdown. Captain Piepul con­ tered the game. Piepul converted. Full­ Notre Dame team which had its good verted to make the score 20-0. John back Crimmins plunged over from the days and its bad ones has compiled the Hancock, a third string Yellow Jacket two-yard line for another six pointer. very respectable record of seven games back, took the ensuing kickofF on his own Johnny O'Brien completed the scoring won and two lost against typical Notre eight and charged 92 yards through the when he converted the extra point after Dame opposition. Irish defense for a Tech score. In the Juzwik's fourth period score. This seven and two record cannot be third quarter, substitute tackle Jim the true story of the Notre Dame season Brutz scored what proved to be the Notre Dame 7; Army 0 for Coach Elmer Layden is but a mere margin of victory of Notre Dame's 400th A great Notre Dame team lost most of shadow of himself. Layden has just seen football game. Brutz recovered a blocked its lustre as a greatly inspired Cadet a potential national championship team Tech kick and ambled over the goal line. eleven pushed them all over Yankee Sta­ ^ rise to the greatest heights only to be dium, outdoing them in everything but toppled by (you name it; we cant). Notre Dame 61; Carnegie Tech 0 the scoring. Near the end of the first The team, badly beaten, made a great And the Irish backs went marching period Steve Juzwik snatched an in­ comeback as "Fighting Irish" teams have by—. A juggernaut of 67 blue and gold tended Army touchdown pass out of the a habit of doing and ended the season clad warriors relentlessly beat out a air on his own 19-yard line and streaked with flashes of former glory. touchdown tattoo that completely over­ down the sideline, outstepping would be Now on the long cold winter evenings whelmed a brave little crew of Tartans. Cadet tacklers, to payoif territory. Cap­ to come. Coach Layden can sink down in Before the game was six minutes old, tain Piepul added the extra point and his easy chair and reminisce on a season end Johnny O'Brien blocked a Tech the Irish defense did the rest as Army that produced one of the most ei'ratic punt and recovered to run 24 yards for racked up 16 first downs to four for the of all Notre Dame teams. However, he a touchdown. It was Juzwik, and Piepul, Irish, and out-gained the winners by 175 won't rest long for there's another nine- and Piepul again, Crimmins thrice, and yards. Thus did Notre Dame gain her game schedule coming up next fall and Lee twice before the adding machine 20th victory of the 38-year-old series graduation as usual will take its toll. Re­ took over and showed Coach Layden the over "the weakest Army team in his­ largest Irish victory margin in his seven placements will have to be found for tory." year regime as Notre Dame coach. such men as Bob Osterman, Tom Galla­ Notre Dame 13; Navy 7 gher, Johnny O'Brien, and Pete Kelly. Notre Dame 26; Illinois 0 A fourth-down seven-yard run around But most of all, next year there won't be For the fourth successive Saturday, end by Bob Saggau in the closing min- any "Moose." The following paragraphs briefly re­ call to readers high-lights of the 1940 season. Coach Layden's seven-year rec­ ord now stands at 47 wins, 13 losses, and 3 ties. Notre Dante 25; College of Pacific 7 The 51st season of Notre Dame foot­ ball opened with the 307th Irish victory. A great last half offensive show led by • Captain Milt Piepul broke a 7-7 half- time tie score and gave Notre Dame an 18-point victory. Right halfback Steve Juzwik scored the first Irish touchdown on a seven-yard smash through the Tiger line. Captain Piepul place-kicked the extra point. Reserve fullback Bernie Crimmins scored the winning points at the start of the third quarter; and the final period saw Piepul and Juzwik put the finishing touches to one of the worst defeats ever handed a Pacific team under Coach Alonzo Stagg, the grand old man of football. Notre Dame 26; Georgia Tech 20 The Irish first team played only one quarter, the second, but that was enough. A pass. Bob Saggau to Bob Hargrave, was good for the initial score. 1937—N.D. 51-Kansas 0; but that season was spoiled too. 18 THE NOTRE DAME SCHOLASTIC utes gave Notre Dame her sixth straight win as the Irish wer'e again outplayed Irish Varsity Selects St. Edward's and Dillon in every respect but the scoring. Notre 1940 All-Opponent Squad Tie for Interhall Title Dame took a six-point lead in the first In response to a telegi'aphed request quarter when Bob Saggau faded back Under cloudy skies, and with a biting from the SCHOL.4STIC, student manager from the Na\'y- 32 and sailed a long pass wind sweeping across the muddy stadium Bill Hawes air-mailed from Los Angeles to left end Bob Dove in the end zone. gridiron, St. Edward's and Dillon halls the results of All-Opponent team poll of Flathmann, Middle tackle, blocked the battled each other to a scoreless draw the varsity football squad immediately try for the point. Navy went ahead on last Saturday afternoon, in a game that after their victory over a dangerous substitute Bob Leonard's extra point was scheduled to decide the Inter-hall Southern Cal team last Saturday. The after Gebert had slipped off tackle for football championship of the University. result is a. first and second team com­ 30 yards and a touchdown. Then on the A hundred and fifty fans who braved posed of men whom the Irish gridders subsequent kickoff the Irish passing at­ frigid temperatures to witness the festiv­ feel offered their best competition this tack, sparked by Saggau, sailed 78 yards ities, watched an outmanned St. Ed's season. cut of reach of the "Navy anti-aircraft eleven fight valiantly against a hard- When compared with the various AU- guns; and it was all over but the shout­ charging Dillon line, which repeatedly American selections that have their ap­ ing. ripped gaping holes in St. Ed's forward pearance recently, the squad's All-Op­ wall. Dillon sent its fast-stepping backs Iowa 7; Notre Dame 0 ponent choice shows a definite agreement It can't happen here; but it did. 50- through for long gains, only to be re­ especially when one considers the limita­ pulsed when pay-dirt seemed imminent. 000 people stood hushed in Notre Dame tion on their choice. Many players on the stadium, the final gun had barked and All-Opponent outfit have received at Dillon missed its first scoring oppor­ these 50,000 who had seen it still could least honorable mention on the more in­ tunity in the opening period when its 55 not believe it. Fifteen white-uniformed clusive Ail-American selections, where yard march to St. Ed's 28 ended with Hawkeyes, led by Fullback Bill Green many excellent players have been over­ Bob Donhoe's fumble. Hugh Mallon of and Capt. Mike Enich, upset the mightj'^ shadowed by still brighter gridiron lumi­ St. Ed's fell on the ball to end the threat. Irish. Two big lines hammered away at naries. In the last quai'ter, a poor kick by each other until the break came in the It should be remembered that the cali­ Fi-ank Piatt, who had played brilliantly last quarter. Iowa recovered a Notre ber of some of this season's opponents for St. Ed's all afternoon, set up another Dame fumble on the Irish 24-yard line; was not as high as it had been in the Dillon threat which failed to materialize. here Green took charge and on the past. Nevertheless, the Irish of 1940 had Gene Goeller ran Piatt's punt' back to fourth try plunged over for the score. their hands full in most of this year's St. Ed's 17 yard line, where an attempt­ Northwestern 20; Notre Dame 0 contests. ed field goal by Jim Bellinger, fell short. A truly great Noi-thwestern line Another factor to be considered is that The honor for the longest run of the smothered the Irish attack while two ex­ for the most part the selection was made day went to Vince Daigler, shifty Dil­ cellent backs, Bill DeCorrevont and Don on the performance of that particular lon halfback, who intercepted one of Clawson, collaborated to hand the Irish player against the Irish. Injuries may George Marcucci's passes, and returned their worst defeat by a Wildcat team. have hampered him before or after that it 70 yards to the St. Ed's 12 yard line, Clawson started the scoring in the sec­ game; or, as is so often claimed, their only to have the play nullified by a clip­ ond period on a pass from DeCorrevont. opponents may have played inspired ball ping penalty. Piatt, Johnny Kilbane, Then in the thii-d period, DeCorrevont against Notre Dame. What other expla­ Jesse DeLois and Bill Hartman, all dashed around end for another score. nation is there for the close one against played outstanding ball for St. Ed's, Dick Erdlitz converted. Clawson scored "the weakest Army team in years," or while Daigler, Matty Byrne, Jim Burke the final touchdown soon after. E^-'''' that big disappointment at the hands of and Larry Kelley, performed sensation­ again converting. Notre Dame's bright Iowa, who broke their string of four ally for Dillon. spot in the game, which was much closer straight defeats at Notre Dame's ex­ The championship, and the right to than the score showed, was a one-man pense? riot job by Captain "Moose" Piepul. claim the gold football charms, as well Northwestern, who dealt the Irish their as the silver trophy to be presented by Notre Dame 10; Southern California 6 most decisive setback of the season, the Rev. J. Hugh O'Donnell, C.S.C, pres­ It Was billed as Notre Dame versus placed five Wildcats on the All-Opponent ident of the University, will be decided Southern California but ended up a full­ squad. Southern Cal, who met Mr. Lay- by the flip of a coin, when the Rev. back's field day, Piepul 10-Peoples 6. den's boys in true Trojan fashion, was James D. Trahey, C.S.C, prefect of dis­ Irish Captain "Moose" Piepul played second with two men on each team. cipline, calls together a meeting of the probabljr the best game of his three- Army, Navy and Iowa tied with three i-ival coaches of the two halls; "Doc" year careerl.as he almost single-handedly each on the squad. Georgia Tech placed Handy, Physical Education instructor in beat a Trojan team that was playing its two men, and College of the Pacific and charge of the tournament and the presi­ best game of the year. The game was not Illinois each came through with one man dent of the Student Council, sometime five minutes old when the "Moose," on on the first and second teams respec­ in the near future. It is expected that fourth down, booted a 20-yard field goal tively. the awards will be made sometime after that put the. Irish ahead. On the third Complete line-ups as chosen by the the Christmas holidays, when all the play after kickoff, Bob Peoples roared varsity are: through the center of the Notre Dame teams will gather together in the Univer­ KrueRer (USC) ..!. L.E Butherus (NWU) sity dining halls, for an Inter-Hall foot­ defenses for 46 yards and a touchdown Bauman (NWU) L.T Walker (Iowa) to give the Trojans the lead. In the sec­ Lokanc (NWU) L.G Weidner (Army) ball banquet. ond period the Irish, sparked by "Dip­ Gillis- (Army) C Harwood (Navy) According to Mr. Handy, next year's Vitucci (Navy) R.G Sohn (USC) py" Evans, marched 82'Vards in ten Enich (Iowa) R.T..... Flathman (Navy) tournament will be started much ear­ plays to the. Westerners' three-yard line. ' Boyarski (C.ofP.) R.E __ Ison (Ga.Tech) lier. It will be run along the same lines Piepul crashed through center for the Green (Iowa) Q.B Richards (NWU) as this year's, with a slight change in a touchdown and added the extra point Maiur (Army) L.H. — Bosch (Ga.Tech.) few of the rules to be decided upon-at a that put Notre-Dame ahead for keeps. Robertson (USC). R-H Peoples (USC) Qawson (NWU) F.B Bernhardt (Illini) later date. —Bill Reynolds •—Jack Dinges At this time the SCHOLASTIC, and the