Evening star., 1938-12-29
Rivals Heavier
Seen as
Barrier
Texans Front Rated
As Good as Any in
East or Midwest
Bv GRANTLAND RICE.

PASADENA, Calf. Dec. 90
Then ] peered into the future far
as human eye could see" Mr.. Tenny-
son once wrote. That's about as far
as you can peer accurately. Peering
into the near future, it strikes me
that the Texas Christian-Carnegie
Tech game in the Sugar Bowl at
New Orleans will come close to being
the most interesting scrap of the
year, old or new.
1t is loaded to the gunWale with
possibilities of debate and argument,
rebuttal and counter-rebuttal. And
that is 80 per cent of football. 1t
all goes back to this point-that
many believe Southwestern line play
can't match the forward walls of the
stronger teams from the East and
| the Midwest mean the Pitts
burghs and the Minnesotas-the
Carnegie Techs and the Notre Danes
and the Michigans.
Forward passing? Yes. But not
the rugged battle up front.
The front-line trench tells the
story is the Eastern and Midwest
ern slogan.
Carnegie Tech Best in East.
Carnegie Tech beat Pittsburgh de-
cisively. Carnegie Tech beat Holy
Cross, one of the stronger teams
from any section, better than most
who now hold the spotlight. A match
for nybody-anyWhere Carnegie
Tech had the edge on Notre Dame
until a third and fourth down ruling
by the referee scrambled things up.
Carnegie Tech doubled Dukes score
on North Carolina State.
So Carnegie Tech can't be a COL
lection of misfits who never saw a
football. Carnegie Tech can't be a
puff ball, trimmed in lilacs And
name few better coaches than Bill
Kern.
Carnegie Tech was the best team
in the EaSt-a better team than the
Big Ten had to show-on a par with
Notre Dame at Notre Danes peak.
A strong line flanked by fine ends
and one of the best backfields in
| football, headed by Condit and
Muha. AS good as they happen to
come along. Maybe better.
And no team in the country played
three such strong teams as Notre
Dame, Holy Cross and Pittsburgh.
Not even close.
Tennessee Test for Any.
1t has been my belief, after look
ing over the seasons play-after COL
lecting all the expert opinion at
hand-that the two best teams in
the country were Tennessee and T.
c. U.-or T. C. U. and Tennessee.
Bill Alexander of Georgia Tech, a
keen observer and intelligent critic.
with no prejudice to ride, figures
Tennessee the best team in Dixie
from the Atlantic to the Rio Grande.
I agree with him.
I would have no deep worry in
wagering my ultimate and final shirt
on Bob Neylands Volunteers against
anybody.
The graet battle of the day would
| be between Tennessee and T. G. U.
You can rate them even.
T. G. U. is one of the best teams
the Southwest ever sent into action.
1t probably is the greatest team
Texas ever turned out-not even
barring the S. M. U. team that had
knute Rockne's and Notre Dame S
best all-time team licked in 1880 up
to the last few seconds-I mean
Savoldi, Brill, Carideo, Schwartz,
Mullins, etc. The team that annihi-
lated Pittsburgh and Southern Cali
fornia, to mention only two COM
plete wrecks.
T. c. U. Finest Ever in Texas.
Down in Texas they will tell you
this T. C. U. roundup is the best of
them all. Matty Bell of S. M. U.
admitted the same So did most of
the Texas coaches. A team with
the games star center in XII AL
drich; fast, heavy line, headed by
246-pound Hale; pass-catching ends,
(See RICE page CAY