Evening star., 1941-09-21
Hoyas Are Promised
Plenty Of Trouble
By Hapes, Hovius
Fine Bucks Head Smurt
Team Rebels Will Toss
At Backward G. U.
By LEWIS F. ATCHISON.

on anOtner 1OOtDdll season at Grill
fifth Stadium Friday night and in
picking Mississippi for an opening
game partner the Hoyas have as
sured themselves of busy evening
and mess of trouble.
The Johnny Rebels will be the
favorites for GeorgetoWn's might is
receding while Ole Miss, one of the
South's best last year, still is gath
ering momentum The SouthernerS
are supposed to be one of the Ma
tion's top-notch outfits this season.
If not the No. / team.
It shapes up as one Of the most
colorful most exciting opening
games in the city's history. Each
team needs a victory to get it off
on the right foot and will be ready
to shoot the works. Hoya athletic
officials estimate no less than $4,000
and possibly 10000 fans will sit in
on the spectacle, which will ap-
proach the record for attendance at
college games
Georgetown, riddled by graduation
and unable to get going in practice,
doesn't belong in the same park with
the crew Harry Mehre will shepherd
to Washington. Mississippi lost only
two men by graduation and will
start a veteran lineup against the
home team. Moreover, in Merle
Hapes and Junie Hovius it has two
of the most widely publicized stars
in collegiate ranks and critics who
have watched them perform are
unanimous that they are not over
rated.
Hapes, HOvius Sparkle.
Both Hapes and Hovius are rated
running pieces of stuff, in the games
lingo. and led an offense last season
that topped the entire South in sta
tistics. Hapes, reeling off an aver
age of 767 yards gained per play,
hung up a new record in this de-
partment. overshadowing the pre-
vious high mark hung up by Parker
Hall, Mississippi all-America, in
1898.
Hapes completed 13 Of 21 passes
for net gains of 274 yards and three
touchdowns and averaged better
than A yards in punting. He is a
past master at quick-kicks and time
and again catches the secondary
mapping The little fellow topped
both John Kimbrough of Texas A.
and M and Norman Standlee of
Stanford. both all-Americas, in
yards gained last year, but generally
was overlooked when the all-star
rolls were called.
He's hot firecracker that can
explode any time and is q constant
threat Two of the Il touchdownS
he scored were on runs of 10 and
Is yards and four others were more
than 50-yard gallops. Georgetown,
with its flanks weaker than at any
time in the last five years. may have
to get a butterfly net to Snag this
gentleman
Hovius is just as bad-or as good.
LII Butch" pulled two games out
OF tn efire with As and As yard scor-
ing runs on pass interruptions and
led the Nation in returning punts
with an average of better than Is
yards. His most brilliant perform
ance in this line was a 96-yard run
back Of kick for a touchdown
against Georgia.
Other Mississippi Stars.
But these boys aren't Mississippis
entire offense, nor its only stars. Bill
Eubanks and Co-Captain Wobble
Davidson, ends, rate with the best
In Dixie. Pep Bennett and Ray Ter
rell, who round out the backf1eld,
may be overshadowed by Hapes and
Hovious, but they can't be over
looked by Georgetown.
Mississippi's line, featuring Pete
Alesevich and George Neri at
tackles; Hermit Jones and Ray
Poole, guards. and Dan Wood, CEN
ter, Is big and tough. 1t played an
important role In last years cam
paign and should be a match for
anything the Hoyas can throw at it.
The Reds knocked off Union,
Louisiana State, Southwestern,
Georgia and Duquesne before
dropping 1-point decision to
Arkansas. They came back to whip
vanderbilt, Holy Cross and some
thing called West Tennessee Teach
ers before losing the traditional
game to Mississippi State, the same
team that bumped off Georgetown
In the Orange Bowl. An easy vic
tory over Miami closed out the sea-
son.
Georgetown may surprise us Fri
day night. but it'll have to IL 1t
nopes 10 win. In practice the Hovas
nave been anything but impressive
The blocking has been ragged. the
oal handling sloppy and the line
mas lacked the drive and cohesion
that marked its play last year. Jack
Hagerty didn't expect to have much
reserve strength, but did count on a
good first team, but doesn't even
nave That much at this writing.
Hoya Backs Lagging.
Another four days may work
miracles with the team. Such backs
as Jack Doolan, Ben Bulvin, Frank
Dornfeld and Bill Mclaughlin are
far more capable than they have
oaiO"AA III ~ dSIlSC, SIlly OOOldu ana
Bulvln have shown the form that
made them dangerous last year run
ming the ball and none has commit
ted any blocking worthy of the name.
The less said about the line the
better. Both 'Mush" Dubofsky, line
coach, and George Murtagh, end
coach are tearing their hair in de-
spair and working overtime on their
pupils, but with scant results.
Adding to Hagerty's woes Is the
absence of Mike Kopcik, who very
likely will not return to school. A
kicker of first water, his loss will be
keenly felt in a game of this nature
when a good, long boot might extri-
cate the Hoyas from more than one
tight situation.
Colored Basket Leuoue