The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-02

The 50,00O-plus southerners, 1t will be remembered, have been arg uing all along that though Notre Dame had one sweet football team, the Irish were not one whit better than the Red-Elephants, as the Ala bama boys are known in the Red- Clay country.
 Notre Dame swept through a ten- game schedule without a setback. So did Alabama. Notre Danes out standing performance was 27 to victory over Southern California. Alabama's big moment was q 24 to 0 deefat of Washington State - the team that whipped Southern Cali fornia, z to 6.
 Here's the List
 One might say Notre Dame's ten games were with much stronger teams than those played by Ala bama. Maybe 50, but there is plen- ty of room for argument there. IT, our opinion the two schedules are a toss-up. Here they are:
 Notre Dame Alabama Southern Methodist ...... Howard Navy ................ Mississippi Carnegie Tech ......... Sewanee Pittsburgh ............. Tennessee Indian ................ Vanderbilt Pennsylvania ........... Kentucky Drahe ... .....'.''.'..'. rioiiua Northwestern ......... Louisiana Army GeOTBid Southern California. ....
 .............. Washington State
 Team against team, which is the strongest? Let's take them in or der and one at time.
 $. M U.. to our way of thinking. was better than Howard; Navy stronger than Mississippi, and Car Three points for Notre Dame.
 Here come four points, however. for Alabama. Tennessee over Pittsburgh; Vanderbilt over Indi- ana; Kentucky over Pennsylvania, and Florida over Drake. Continuing:
 Northwestern was better than Louisiana and Army a shade better than Georgia, giving Notre Dame five schedule points against four for Alabama. Then comes South ern California against Washington State and as the Cougars whipped the Trojans. Alabama gets a point here and the two schedules are d stand-off.
 Int the Papers
 Alabama supporters in making case for their team would have you remember that Notre Dame. becau use of its proximity to Chicago, gets Il running start over Alabama in the matter of publicity. And publicity, they point out. has yet to spoil a good teams chances of being rated as great.
 Also, they argue, this country has become afflicted with q knute Rockne-Notre Dame complex. That is, to your average football fan, football and Notre Dame are synonomous, and your A. r. F. is willing to concede the Irish the national championship before the season is more than started.
 Of course, the relative strength of the two teams will never be known. The only way to have set tied the argument would have been for the two teams to get out there on the grass and fight it out. That, of course. didn't happen.
 A little speculation. however, doesn't cost thing. Alabama. had they played Notre Dame. would un- doubtedly have been bothered by the cunning and speed with which Rockne's lads carried out their as- signments. Just as true is the fact that Notre Dame. had they played Alabama, would have been worried by the southerner's tremendous power.
 On the Line?
 The Northwestern game proved that it Notre Dame had weakness it lay In an inability to cope with blazing line play. Red Russell and all but broke the Irish forward wall. And power. as MT Ocavus Roy Cohen would say. is what Alabama has nothing else but.
 An Alabama-Notre Dame game would have been an exhibition of magnificent blocking. Both Rockne and Wade are staunch believers in blocking -- perfect blocking.
 Remember in the Northwestern apparently getting nowhere. sud- denly spun Schwartz out into the clear for a touchdown? Alabama did the same thing yesterday against Washington State. Apparently making no progress one minute and the next sending Campbell out in the wide open spaces as though shot by gun.
 Know Their Stuff
 The same thing was. true of the Alabama pass attack. Every man do his duty and some time. maybe soon, maybe late, the "perfect play" will result. also a touchdown.
 The more one reads the reports from Pasadena the more one is in- cllned to agree with the 50.000-plus southerners in their argument that NOtre Dame was a great team and that 1t would take more than inst great team to beat the Red Elc- plants of Alabama.
 
 NN ~