TIGERFAN'S SPORTING NEWS November 20, 1946
VAN BUREN LEADS JETS PAST UNBEATEN BEARS
It was beginning to look like no one could beat the Chicago Bears after they won their first 10 games of the season and outscored their opponents on average by more than 2 touchdowns a game. No one that is until Steve *Van Buren entered Soldier Field. Van Buren almost singlehandedly carried the New York Jets past the Bears 24-13. The third year back out of LSU ran for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also returned 3 kicks for an average of 25 yards and to top it all of he recovered teammate Korey Tennell's fumble late in the third quarter to keep what would be the winning touchdown drive alive. Oh, and he caught a pair of passes for 37 yards as well.
The performance gives Van Buren 1173 yards rushing for the season, just 21 less than league leader Bruce Jones of Kansas City. He has already surpassed his total yards gained in 16 games last season and is just 224 shy of surpassing his career high set as a rookie.
As much as Van Buren carried the Jets you have to give a large dose of credit to the New York secondary which baffled Bears QB Sid *Luckman all day. Luckman endured his worst start of his career, completing just 15 of 34 for a season low 186 yards. The 4 time allstar was also picked off twice after throwing just 4 interceptions in the first 10 games.
EAGLES FAIL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BEARS LOSS
The Philadelphia Eagles missed a great chance to move into a first place tie in the NFC with Chicago. The Eagles were upended 18-10 by lowly Jacksonville. What hurt the Eagles most was the absence of workhorse running back Harley Mitchell. Back-up Jimmy Berton gained just 21 yards on 12 carries and QB Doug Bass faced too much pressure to mount any kind of offense for Philadelphia. Good news for the Eagles is that Mitchell is expected to be ready for next week's game with Detroit. QB Ken Neal, who has outperformed Bass this season, also sat out the game but should be ready to play next week.
Stacey Bennett kicked four field goals while QB Tommy Bledsoe completed 19-of-26 passes for 250 yards to lead the Jags. Bledsoe's performance was even more impressive considering the pressure he was under all game. He was sacked twice and had Eagles in his face all game. Most notable for Philadelphia was LB Ed Leblanc, who had 13 tackles, 1 sack, 4 qb pressures and an interception.
AFC LEADERS POST VICTORIES
Unlike the NFC where the top two clubs both lost, the AFC leaders each posted victories last week.
The Denver Broncos improved to 9-2 with a 45-10 pounding of the Seahawks in Seattle. Broncos running back Oscar Hartings ran for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hartings also caught a touchdown pass and gained 103 yards receiving in the game. Broncos QB Jay Cason was knocked out of the game in the third quarter but he should be healthy for next week's game in Jacksonville.
After missing two starts with an injury QB Bob *Waterfield was back under center for the Detroit Lions and he nearly led his club to an upset win over New England. In the end the Patriots prevailed 28-24 thanks to a 14 yard Bob Irvin to Jim Houser touchdown pass with under a minute to play. Irvin threw for 301 yards and 3 touchdowns. The win improves the Pats record to 8-2-1.
Waterfield looked good despite being slowed by a lingering ankle injury, passing for 234 yards and one major. Detroit RB Fred Johnson had his best game since the season opener, running for 112 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
In other action
Green Bay took advantage of 4 Buffalo turnovers to beat the Bills 28-19. Don *Hutson had 7 catches including a touchdown grab to lead the Packers.while CB Rashod Dawson had 2 picks.
Tuffy *Leemans ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns to propel Arizona past San Diego 25-20.
Washington, still using a backup QB with Sammy *Baugh sidelined, beat Tennessee 16-10. Wayne *Miller caught a pair of touchdown passes from Mike Washington to lead the Redskins.
San Francisco outlasted Oakland 24-19 to win the Battle of the Bay Area. TE Walter Van Galder had another strong game, albeit in a losing effort. Van Galder, who was a second team AFC allstar a year ago, continued to show he is the best receiving TE in the game with a 5 catch, 117 yard effort on Sunday.
Tony Ellis ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns plus he added a touchdown reception to lead Cleveland past New Orleans 42-30. Jeff McDonald started his second straight for the Browns and threw for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
St Louis beat Kansas City 27-10 behind a 128 yard rushing effort from Mike Largent. Ulish Groce, the undrafted QB who was a cinderella story for the Chiefs up until signing a huge extension in the offseason, threw 3 more interceptions. Groce has tossed just 5 touchdown passes compared with 18 picks this season. Chiefs RB Bruce Jones gained 110 yards on the ground and continues to lead the NFL in that category.
A last minute Woody Brooks to Ryan Burns touchdown pass gave Miami a 24-20 win over Minnesota. Brooks threw 3 touchdowns in the game.
LB Li Madison returned a fumble 87 yards for the winning score as Dallas beat Indianapolis 28-21.
Pittsburgh overcame a 20-7 halftime deficiet to rally past Tampa 27-20. Rookie Elmer Angsman gained 89 yards rushing for the Steelers.
Cincinnati embarrassed the Falcons in Atlanta to the tune of 42-13. Bill *Dudley ran for 3 touchdowns and caught a Ken Smith pass for a 4th score. Dudley gained a combined 165 yards rushing and receiving. It was his first start since being injured against Tennessee 4 weeks ago.
Baltimore beat Carolina 13-10 on a 46-yard overtime field goal from Leonard Allen. The only Ravens touchdown came on a 53 yard punt return from Don Horn with 5 minutes remaining in the game.
The New York Giants found a way once again to lose a game. The Giants led Houston 17-3 at the half but lost their 9th in a row after the Texans rallied for 17 unanswered 2nd half points to win 20-17. After getting picked off twice in the first half, Houston QB Vaughan Diedrick settled down after the break and finished the day with 272 yards passing including a 24 yard touchdown strike to Mel Ours. The other Texan touchdown came on a 44 yard interception return by CB Ollie Berzinski that tied the game at 17 early in the final quarter. The Texans won it on a 49 yard field goal from Laverne Bethea with 9 seconds to play.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP
TSN COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 20
Here is the new Top 20 after this weekends action. (last weeks ranking in brackets)
1- Army (1) -- 9-0 off, at Navy next week
2. Georgia (2) -- 9-0 beat Tenn-Chat 50-23, host Georgia Tech next week
3. UCLA (3) -- 9-0 beat USC 28-17, host Nebraska next week
4- Notre Dame (4) -- 7-1 beat Tulane 34-10, host USC next week
5. Michigan (5) -- 8-1 beat Ohio State 33-7, season over
6. North Carolina (6) -- 9-0 beat Duke 28-21, at Virginia next week
7. Yale (7) -- 9-0 beat Harvard 28-16, season over
8. Tennessee (8)-- 8-1 beat then #15 Kentucky 31-14, at Vanderbilt next week
9. Rice (10) - 8-0-1 beat TCU 20-0, host Baylor next week
10. Alabama (11) -- 8-2 beat Boston College 24-20, host #20 Mississippi State next week
11. Pennsylvania (9)-- 6-1 off, host Cornell next week
12 William & Mary (12)-- 8-1 off, at Richmond next week
13. Arkansas (13) - 6-2-1 off, at Tulsa next week
14 North Carolina State (18)-- 8-1 beat Florida 38-7, host Maryland next week
15. Illinois (16)-- 6-2-1 beat Northwestern 26-3, season over
16. Oklahoma (17)-- 7-2 beat Nebraska 37-7, at Oklahoma State next week
17 Rutgers (19)-- 8-0-1 beat Bucknell 31-0, season over
18. Southern California (14)-- 5-2-1 lost 28-17 to then #3 UCLA, at Notre Dame next week
19 Kentucky (15)-- 7-3 lost 31-14 to then #8 Tennessee, season over
20. Mississippi State (nr)-- 7-2 beat Mississippi 13-10, at #10 Alabama next week
Dropping out of top 20
Stanford (20) 6-2-1 tied 20-20 at California, season over
SEC RECAP
The SEC title will come down to the final week of the college season as both Georgia and Tennessee have one game remaining. The Bulldogs will host rival Georgia Tech while the Vols travel to Vanderbilt. If Georgia beats Georgia Tech we will likely see a 1-vs-2 showdown with Army and the Bulldogs meeting in the Sugar Bowl. Tennessee could go to the Cotton Bowl to face the Southwest Conference winner.
Code:
CONFERENCE OVERALL
W L T W L T
Geo 4 0 0 9 0 0
Tenn 4 0 0 8 1 0
bama 4 2 0 8 2 0
LSU 3 1 0 6 2 0
GaTech 3 1 0 6 2 0
Vand 3 3 0 4 4 0
MisSt 2 2 0 7 2 0
Kent 2 3 0 7 3 0
Tulane 2 3 0 3 5 0
Auburn 1 4 0 5 4 0
Florida 0 3 1 0 7 1
Miss 0 6 1 1 7 1
WESTERN CONFERENCE RECAP
Michigan completed a perfect season in-conference with a 33-7 win over a dissappointing Ohio State team. The Wolverines will face UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Illinois should get a bowl invitation but a terrible finish has
Code:
W L T W L T
Mich 7 0 0 8 1 0
Illin 5 1 1 6 2 1
OhSt 3 3 0 4 5 0
Iowa 3 3 0 5 4 0
Ind 2 3 1 4 3 2
Minn 2 4 1 4 4 1
Purd 2 4 0 3 6 0
Wisc 2 5 0 4 5 0
Nrthwn 1 4 1 3 5 1
PACIFIC COAST CONFERENCE RECAP
UCLA will meet Michigan in the Rose Bowl after finishing an unbeaten conference schedule with a 28-17 win over USC. USC likely needs to beat Notre Dame in South Bend next week to get a decent bowl bid. Stanford and Oregon State also have a shot at a bowl game.
Code:
CONFERENCE OVERALL
W L T W L T
UCLA 7 0 0 9 0 0
USC 4 2 1 5 2 1
Stan 4 2 1 6 2 1
OreSt 4 2 1 5 2 1
Wash 4 3 0 4 3 1
Oreg 3 5 0 4 5 0
Cal 2 4 1 2 6 1
WshSt 2 5 0 2 5 0
Mont 1 3 0 3 5 0
Idah 0 5 0 2 7 0
SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE RECAP
Rice needs a win over Baylor next week or Texas A&M to lose against Texas for the Owls to clinch the conference title. The conference winner will play in the Cotton Bowl likely against Tennessee. Arkansas will also get a bowl bid but their destination is still unknown.
Code:
CONFERENCE OVERALL
W L T W L T
Rice 4 0 1 8 0 1
T A&M 4 1 0 5 4 0
Ark 3 2 1 6 2 1
TCU 2 2 1 3 5 1
Texas 1 3 1 5 3 1
Baylor 1 4 0 2 6 0
SMU 0 3 2 4 3 2
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE RECAP
North Carolina wins the conference with a 5-0 record. The Tar Heels finish up their schedule with a game against independant Virginia. Since there is no official affiliation with a bowl North Carolina will likely have a number of options for their bowl appearance. A good bet is the Oil Bowl against perhaps Arkansas.
As many as three other Southern Conference schools may also get a bowl bid with William & Mary and North Carolina State definates to be scheduled for a post season game.
Code:
CONFERENCE OVERALL
W L T W L T
N Car 5 0 0 9 0 0
W&M 6 1 0 8 1 0
NC St 5 1 0 8 1 0
Rich 4 1 1 7 1 1
Duke 3 2 0 5 4 0
VMI 3 3 0 4 5 0
David 2 2 1 5 2 1
Mary 2 3 1 3 4 1
VaTech 2 4 1 2 5 1
Wake 2 2 0 5 3 0
S Car 2 3 0 3 4 0
Clem 2 3 0 3 6 0
GWsh 1 1 0 5 2 0
Citadel 1 5 0 2 5 1
Furm 0 4 0 1 7 0
Wsh&L 0 5 0 2 6 0
BIG 6 CONFERENCE RECAP
Conference winner Oklahoma will be going to the Orange Bowl likely against Notre Dame. Kansas has an outside shot at a bowl invitation.
Code:
CONFERENCE OVERALL
W L T W L T
Okla 5 0 0 7 2 0
Kans 3 1 0 6 3 0
Neb 3 2 0 3 4 1
Missri 2 2 0 4 5 0
K St 1 4 0 1 7 0
IowSt 0 5 0 3 6 0
BORDER CONFERENCE RECAP
Next Saturday's game between Hardin-Simmons and Texas Tech will determine who represents the conference in the Raisin Bowl against the Mountain States Conference winner. If Texas Tech prevails Hardin-Simmons will still likely get a bowl bid.
Code:
CONFERENCE OVERALL
W L T W L T
H-Sim 5 0 0 9 0 0
TxTch 3 0 0 7 2 1
NMex 5 2 0 7 3 0
UTEP 3 2 0 6 2 0
WTxA&M 2 4 1 5 4 1
N Ariz 2 2 0 5 4 0
NMxSt 1 2 1 4 3 2
Ariz 1 4 0 4 5 0
ArizSt 0 6 0 1 8 0
MOUNTAIN STATES CONFERENCE RECAP
Denver and Utah State each have two games remaining including a showdown between the 2 schools in 2 weeks. Utah lost to Denver earlier in the season but if they beat Utah State next week and have Denver lose both their remaining games than the Utes may have a shot. The conference winner meets the Border Conference champ in the Raisin Bowl.
Code:
CONFERENCE OVERALL
W L T W L T
Denv 4 0 1 4 3 1
Utah 4 1 0 5 3 0
UtSt 3 1 0 5 2 0
BYU 3 3 0 5 4 1
Color 2 2 1 3 5 1
ColSt 0 4 1 0 7 1
Wyom 0 5 1 1 8 1
MVC RECAP
The season is complete so Tulsa will get a bowl bid but since the conference does not have an automatic affiliation where has not yet been decided. A win over Arkansas Thursday could move them up to a better bowl but the likely bet is the Harbor Bowl in San Diego against a mid-level independant team from the west or perhaps against the second place team from the Border Conference.
Code:
W L T W L T
Tulsa 3 0 0 7 2 0
StL 1 0 1 3 4 1
WtchSt 1 2 0 3 5 1
Drake 0 3 1 1 7 1
OklaSt 1 1 0 4 5 1
INDEPENDANTS
Army and Yale, two clubs that normally do not accept bowl bids are both rumoured to be close to deciding to participate in a bowl game this season. College football fans should be especially excited about the possibility of a 1-vs-2 showdown between Army and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Should Army decline than Notre Dame may accept the Sugar Bowl berth.
Code:
W L T
Army 9 0 0
Yale 9 0 0
Rutgers 8 0 1
Nevada 8 0 0
Notre Dame 7 1 0
Detroit Mercy 7 2 0
Penn State 6 1 1
Pennsylvania 6 1 0
Montana State 6 3 0
Harvard 5 1 3
Holy Cross 5 2 1
Syracuse 5 3 1
Boston College 5 3 0
Cornell 5 3 0
Bucknell 5 4 0
Columbia 5 4 0
Miami (Florida) 5 4 0
St. Mary's 4 2 1
Colgate 4 4 0
Virginia 4 4 0
Michigan State 4 5 0
Pittsburgh 4 5 0
Villanova 4 5 0
Merchant Marine 4 6 1
Georgetown 3 3 0
Brown 3 4 2
Princeton 3 4 1
San Francisco 3 5 0
Temple 3 5 0
Marquette 3 6 0
Portland 2 5 0
Santa Clara 2 6 0
Lafayette 2 7 0
Tenn-Chat 2 7 0
West Virginia 2 8 0
Fordham 1 6 0
New York U 0 6 1
Navy 0 7 1
Dartmouth 0 9 0
continued