Evening star., 1938-10-12
IRISH LACK DRIVE
OF OLD MACHINES
Ohio States Air Defense
Weak-NorthWestern Has
Wealth of Talent.
By JAMES S. KEARNS,

West roll up their sleeves for combat
in seven major engagements that
make this weeks schedule the heav-
Test of the year to date, there is
room now for a few more observa-
tions on the trend of the campaign.
To wit:
/. Ohio State, beaten Saturday by
Southern California, 14-7, has i'm
proved its defense against power plays,
but still is vulnerable against passes,
which may bring the Buckeyes much
trouble on Saturday against North
western in the first clash between two
of the top favorites in the Big Ten.
2. Minnesota, still undefeated after
meeting Washington, Nebraska and
Purdue, has yet to prove itself the
equal of the great Gopher teams OF
three and four years ago
3. Illinois and Michigan are in the
Big Ten race for keeps, and will make
trouble, even if they fall short of the
title. Wisconsin fills the same bill.
Notre Dame Team Green"
1. Notre Dame is good foot ball
team with lot of potential strength,
but still is too young, too green to
be the wonder machine some people
thought after the $40 openlng-day
victory over Kansas.
5, Northwestern has a great wealth.
of offensive talent in the backheld,
and should get better right along.
Further evidence in support of those
deductions cropped up Saturday Wnen
Purdue, reckoned too inexperienced
and lacking in power to match Min
nesota's might, held the Gophers to
TO score, stopping touchdown drive
on the goal line, and demonstrating
that the Gophers have found no one
to fill in successfully for Harold Van
Every, who is hurt.
This week Minnesota will get
more rugged foe, and one with more
offensive power, when Michigan's re-
vived squad invadeS Minneapolis, fresh
from a 45-7 romp over Chicago Sat-
urday. The fact that Nebraska was
beaten Saturday by Iowa State tames
down much of the excitement over
the Gophers' conquest of Nebraska
last week
Illinois Line Strong.
Illinois produced superb defensive
line in beating Indiana, II to 2, Tor
the Hoosiers netted a minus 9 yards
in running plays after rushing all
over Ohio State the previous week.
The Illini looked vulnerable on pass
defense, but their running game and
great kicking by Rettinger will make
them no worse than even choices
against Notre Dame this week, espe-
cially in view of the hard time the
Irish" had in winning from Georgia
Tech by l4-6 at Atlanta.
Northwestern finished its prelimi-
nary schedule by Walloping Drake,
$50, and in so doing unveiled another
fine left halfback in Red Hahensteln,
a sophomore from Aurora. Red made
nearly $50 yards in six trips with the
ball, passed well and generally DEM
onstrated that he can step in behind
Jack Ryan and Paul Soper at the
Wildcats left halfback post and keep
the offense on a first-team level.
Wisconsin, which plays Pittsburgh
at Madison this week in one of the
big games. polished off Iowa with
an alert, long-running attack, 81 to
13. The Badgers will bother Pitt
with their aerials and with Bill
Schmitzs running speed, and the same
assets are quite likely to make the
Badgers a factor in Minnesota's and
Northwestern conference campaigns
later on.
Irish" Show Weaknesses.
OF next Saturdays games the North
western Ohio State and Minnesota
Michigan meetings are the most i'm
portant so far as the Big Ten race
goes, but Wisconsin's stand against
Pitt will draw full share of atten-
ton, and Illinois battle with Notre
Dame now looks to be one OF the
weeks best matches.
In the game at Atlanta, Notre Dame
revealed several blind spots on de-
fense, and a spottiness in attack. The
defense was slow-moving, which came
as a surprise and may have been
caused by the heat. but it also was
outmaneuvered and outsmarted on
several occasions, and the heat didn't
cause that.
The Irish" line, losing just about
all of its defensive charge after the
first quarter, went off the deep end
four or five times for chump plays
giving up As yards to two end-around
maneuvers, and another 10 on
Statue of Liberty play.
AS matter of fact, the Irish"
needed the breaks they got-a pen
atty against Georgia Tech that nulli-
fled a pass interception and returned
the ball to Notre Dame on Techs 13-
yard line just before the first Irish"
touchdown, and bad pass from center
that caused Tech tumble recovered
by John Kelly to end 67-yard Yellow
Jacket charge when it was first down
for Tech on the Irish" 2-yard line in
the fourth period.
Oft Day for Stevenson.
Notre Dame was outkicked, with
Harry Stevenson of the Irish" hav-
ing an off day, and that deficiency
kept them in the hole much of the
afternoon. But their own inefficiency
on defense bothered even more than
that.
This is not to say that the Irish"
aren't good football team.
The Georgia Tech team they beat
was a strong, aggressive unit on de-
fense Saturday and smartly directed
team on offense. Notre Dame won the
game, after all, and earns credit there
by. but the manner of winning dis
PEELED pretty completely the notion
that another all-conquering machine
Is already rolling at South Bend 1t
may come to that, with Benny Sheri-
dan and Bob Saggau supplying real
running strength and speed, but lot
Of all-around development is still
paaSed