Evening star., 1942-10-25
Rejuvenated 5feeIers
Hard Pickings for
Redskins Today
Tribe Slight Fovorite
Against Winners of
Three Straight
BY Staff Correspondent of The Star.

By Staff Correspondent Of The Star
PITTSBURGH. Pa, Oct. a.
Riding the crest of a 3-game winning
streak, the rejuvenated Steelers col
lide with the Washington Redskins
today in squabble for the rung Of
the National Football Leagues
Eastern ladder.
There was time when you could
concede this one to the Tribe but no
more. The Steelers are hotter than
a blast furnace and Ray Flaherty's
gang will have to show its best to
keep its place at the head of the
parade. The Redskins are slight
betting favorites, however, although
most of the sporting gentry are lay
ing odds and not giving points.
The game shapes up as a duel
between the pitching of Washing
tons Samy Baugh, second best in
the league at this writing but gen.
orally ranked as the sports all-time
No. thrower, and Pittsburgh's run
ming attack featuring All-America
Bill Dudley. To help bolster Sam
my's effectiveness the Redskins an
nounced the 18th hour signing
OF Charley Malone, veteran end, who
was one of their ace receivers until
he quit football two years ago.
Twin League Topsy-Turvy.
Dudley, aided by Andy Tomasic,
Dick Rifle and Curtis Sandig, the
170-pound scatback from st. Marys
OF Texas, have turned the league
topsy-turvy by their expert legwork
in the last three games and figure to
give the Tribes secondary a busy
afternoon. New York, Brooklyn and
Philadelphia in turn have felt the
effect OF their drumming cleats and
Washington, too, had a difficult time
stopping them in the first clash be-
tween the clubs.
Washington rallied to score a 28-
IA victory over the Steelers the first
time they met, but it needed couple
OF good breaks, the most important
a blocked placement converted into
a touchdown by XII Aldrich, to turn
the trick. Pittsburgh blamed it's
defeat more on its own letdown
than the Skins efficiency and sub
sequent developments indicate they
may have been right.
The confidence gained in their last
three games will make the Steelers
that much tougher today. They
have a line that is only slightly in
ferior to Washington's on statistics,
yielding an average of 203 yards and
10 first downs game to Washing
tons 164 yards and eight first downs,
and if Walt Kiesling's charges put
little extra oomph into their work
it's doubtful if the Skins will bulge
them.
Redskins Hope Is in Passing.
That Washingtons success through
the airWays holds the key to its hopes
is patent. In each of its four vic
tories Baugh's passes have paved the
way for the winning touchdowns.
The Texas stringbean's effectiveness
is best summed up in league axiom
that as Baugh goes so go the Red
skins.
The Tribe, however, will have Andy
Farkas and Dick Todd to help Baugh
on the ground.
Pittsburgh's rise has been as sud-
den as it was sensational 1t was
doped to lose each of its last three
games and its victory in each was
labeled an upset. But a more care
full inspection of the team reveals
that its upward squirt is no flash in
the pan but the result of careful,
painstaking building, plus new blood
in the backfield that has stood up
under the pro test.
The Steelers boast man-sized
line that stood up against Washing
ton on even terms and since then
has shown improvement. Pittsburgh
is unscored on its last 21a games and
the talk here is that Washington
won't go through that line or around
the flanks for any touchdowns to-
morrow
Washington looks to the game as
it's final major test in the drive for
a berth in the championship play
off. The Skins thought last weeks
battle with Brooklyn might be the
turning point of the race and until
Pittsburgh bowled over the Eagles
that was an accurate diagnosis of
the situation. But the Steelers can
tie for first place by winning today
and if they do there is no telling
what the future will bring.