Detroit
News, October 4, 1937
LIONS' SECOND HALF COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT
Green Bay Defeats Detroit, 16-14
GREEN BAY--Detroit Lions coach Dutch Clark could have been forgiven for feeling as blue as his jersey at halftime of yesterday's game against the Packers.
The Lions, who have not exactly been proficient at putting points on the scoreboard, trailed the Packers, 10-0. Clark and his teammates had managed to net exactly one yard rushing, and on a cold, rainy day, the chances of advancing the ball via the pass looked less than promising.
When the Packers scored again within three minutes of the second half kickoff, the Lions' outlook seemed gloomier than the weather. Give Clark and his charges credit for not giving up at that point, and for making a fourth-quarter run at the Packers that came up just short.
Rookie quarterback Mike O'Farrell who, having completed his responsibilities as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, joined the Lions this week, had for three quarters played like a man who hadn't seen a football field in a long time.
O'Farrell was intercepted twice in the first half by Joe Laws, one of which led to the Packers' first touchdown, a 22-yard touchdown pass from Arnie Herber to halfback Paul Miller. Over the course of the last fifteen minutes of the game, O'Farrell showed signs of the talent and moxie that the Lions sought when they made him their third choice in last spring's draft.
On the Lions' first possession of the fourth quarter, O'Farrell clicked on four consecutive pass attempts for a total of 64 yards. The final toss in the series found end Butch Morse in the Packers end zone for an 18-yard score, the first TD pass of O'Farrell's career.
After the Lions defense stopped the Packers and got the ball back to their offense, O'Farrell threw three more completions in a row, including a nice toss to Ed Klewicki that the receiver turned into a 30-yard gain to the Packers' three. On first and goal, O'Farrell was stopped for no gain. Lloyd Cardwell lost a yard on second down, and O'Farrell then threw incomplete.
With the clock showing a minute and 31 seconds and the Lions nine points behind, a field goal would do no real good. With the Packers' fans roaring, the Lions went for the touchdown on fourth down.
O'Farrell dropped back to pass, but his receivers were tightly covered. So, the Notre Dame product tucked the ball under his arm and sprinted around the corner into the end zone.
It wasn't enough for a victory, but the renewed vigor the Lions showed in the late stages of the game encouraged coach Clark.
"Mike O'Farrell lit a fire under the team in the fourth quarter," Clark said. "He can do a lot of things well on a football field, and we're looking forward to seeing more of him over the rest of the season."
O'Farrell's hot streak allowed him to finish the game with ten completions in 19 attempts, good for a total of 164 yards. The Lions had gained exactly 22 yards passing in their first two contests. The Packers' ace quarterback Herber was even more accurate, connecting on 15 of 23 throws, although his were good for seventeen yards fewer than O'Farrell's.
The Lions' failure to move the ball on the ground remains a concern, however. The Detroiters gained 17 yards on 27 carries, with Ernie Caddel's six yards the team's high total. "We have to work on that," Clark said, stating the obvious.
The Lions' next opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates, don't defend the run as stoutly as the Packers, so the beleaguered Lions backs might find the going easier next Sunday. The addition of a passing game can't hurt, either.
Code:
City Stadium Temp:44 Wind:0-10 Rain MVP:Laws
1937 Detroit (0-2-1) 0 0 0 14 14
1937 Green Bay (2-0-1) 0 10 6 0 16
2 GB TD Herber 22 pass to Miller (Engebretse) (2-31-1:01) 13:42 0-7
2 GB FG Engebretsen 28 (10-35-5:03) 5:15 0-10
3 GB TD Laws 12 run (no good) (2-32-1:14) 12:20 0-16
4 DET TD O'Farrell 18 pass to Morse (Monahan) (6-60-4:05) 8:35 7-16
4 DET TD O'Farrell 3 run (Monahan) (10-59-3:30) 1:24 14-16
DET GB
First Downs 10 10
Rushes 27-17 23-95
Passes 19-10-164 23-17-147
Sacked 0-0 1-8
Fumble 3 1
Penalties 5-35 4-40
Turnovers 2 1
Time 27:24 32:36
Third Down 2-10 4-11
Fourth Down 1-2 0-1
Net Offense 181 234
Injuries:Hutson(GB-0)
1937 Detroit
Rushing Att Yds Ave 10 FD Lg TD Receiving Rec Dp Yds Ave 25 FD Lg TD
Caddel 5 6 1.2 0 0 5 0 Klewicki 4 0 74 18.5 1 3 30 0
Shepherd 3 5 1.7 0 0 2 0 Caddel 2 1 22 11.0 0 2 15 0
Cardwell 4 4 1.0 0 0 2 0 Morse 2 0 32 16.0 0 2 18 1
Huffman 1 3 3.0 0 0 3 0 Huffman 1 0 17 17.0 0 1 17 0
Gutowsky 3 2 0.7 0 0 2 0 Clark 1 0 19 19.0 0 1 19 0
O'Farrell 6 2 0.3 0 1 4 1 10 1 164 16.4 1 9 30 1
Clark 4 -1 -0.2 0 0 1 0
Klewicki 1 -4 -4.0 0 0 0 0
27 17 0.6 0 1 5 1
Passing Att Cmp C% Yds Ave Lg Bd 25 In I% Sk TD TD% Rate
O'Farrell 19 10 52.6 164 16.4 30 2 1 2 10.5 0 1 5.3 59.9
19 10 52.6 164 16.4 30 2 1 2 10.5 0 1 5.3 59.9
Kicking XPA XPM XP% FGA FGM FG% 40+ 50+ Lg Pts
Monahan 2 2 100.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 2
Punting No Yards Lg TB BK 20 Ret Yds Net Gross
Christense 5 163 39 0 0 0 5 41 24.4 32.6
Kick Returns No Yards Ave Lg TD Punt Returns No FC Yards Ave Lg TD
Clark 4 116 29.0 54 0 Clark 2 1 11 5.5 6 0
4 116 29.0 54 0 2 1 11 5.5 6 0
Fumbles
Clark 1 Shepherd 1 O'Farrel 1 Clark 1
Sacks Hurries Stuffs Deflections Forced Fmb Fumble Rec
Morse 1 Gutowsky 1 Johnson, 2 O'Farrel 2 Payne 1 Clark 1
Fena 1 Caddel 1
Shepherd 1 Christen 1
Tackles
Gutowsky 7 Shepherd 4 Emerson 3 O'Farrel 2 Stacy 1 Reckmack 1
Clark 6 Christen 4 Klewicki 2 Johnson, 2 Reynolds 1
Fena 6 Morse 3 Payne 2 Stokes 1 Huffman 1
Ints No Yds Ave Lg TD
Huffman 1 16 16.0 16 0
1 16 16.0 16 0
1937 Green Bay
Rushing Att Yds Ave 10 FD Lg TD Receiving Rec Dp Yds Ave 25 FD Lg TD
Hinkle 7 40 5.7 1 2 25 0 Miller 7 1 82 11.7 0 3 22 1
Laws 5 33 6.6 2 2 12 1 Hutson 5 0 43 8.6 0 3 15 0
Miller 7 22 3.1 0 0 6 0 Laws 3 0 17 5.7 0 0 7 0
Hutson 2 2 1.0 0 0 5 0 Hinkle 2 0 5 2.5 0 0 5 0
Herber 2 -2 -1.0 0 0 0 0 17 2 147 8.6 0 6 22 1
23 95 4.1 3 4 25 1
Passing Att Cmp C% Yds Ave Lg Bd 25 In I% Sk TD TD% Rate
Herber 23 17 73.9 147 8.6 22 1 0 1 4.3 1 1 4.3 86.7
23 17 73.9 147 8.6 22 1 0 1 4.3 1 1 4.3 86.7
Kicking XPA XPM XP% FGA FGM FG% 40+ 50+ Lg Pts
Engebretse 2 1 50.0 2 1 50.0 0.0 0.0 28 4
Punting No Yards Lg TB BK 20 Ret Yds Net Gross
Herber 4 154 47 0 0 1 2 11 35.8 38.5
Kick Returns No Yards Ave Lg TD Punt Returns No FC Yards Ave Lg TD
Banet 1 13 13.0 13 0 Banet 5 0 41 8.2 12 0
Peterson 1 13 13.0 13 0 5 0 41 8.2 12 0
Svendsen,G 1 0 0.0 0 0
2 26 13.0 13 0
Fumbles
Banet 1
Sacks Hurries Stuffs Deflections Forced Fmb Fumble Rec
Gantenbe 1 Gantenbe 2 Miller 1 Banet 1 Becker 1
Smith,Er 1 Goldenbe 2 Engebret 1 Laws 1
Hutson 1 Goldenbe 1
Becker 1
Smith,Er 1
Sturgeon 1
Engebret 1
Gordon 1
Tackles
Goldenbe 9 Gordon 4 Sturgeon 2 Schneidm 1 Johnston 1 Svendsen 1
Gantenbe 6 Smith,Er 3 Engebret 2 Hutson 1 Bruder 1 Scherer 1
Hinkle 4 Peterson 3 Becker 2 Banet 1 Laws 1
Ints No Yds Ave Lg TD
Laws 2 6 3.0 5 0
2 6 3.0 5 0