Evening star., 1952-11-17
Lack Of Depth Topples 7erps;
GWHos Bright Outlook for SO
By MerreIl WhittIesey

By MerreIl WhittIesey
MISSISSIPPI 21. MARYLAND 1.
Jim Tatum and Jack Henneimer
one OF his most trusted assistants
almost had. a run-in over thl
phones at Mississippi Saturda!
during the progress Of the Terps
first defeat in 20 games.
Tatunl was laughing about il
later. Hennemier. with Tommy
mont on the press box phones, re-
peatedly was pointing out flaws II
Maryland's defensive play, anc
time after time would say thai
so-and-so was fiat. They're fiat
Jim" Hennemier would say
They're down, they're fat"
Hennemier was calling for helr
for some of Maryland's usual star!
who were having off-days. but
there just wasn't any help or
the bench.
II know so-and-so is doing q
lousy :oh." Tatum would reply
but who am I going to put in
some green freshman or some
other SIr We :ust brought along
for the rlde?"
Much has been written, most
Of it by out-of-town writer's, about
Maryland's depth. It was proved
Saturday, when depth was needed
that the Terps have no depth
They have a first offensive team
and a first defensive team, but nc
substitutes who can be relied on
Neither Raves Nor Pouts.
For a man whose team had not
lost in % games, Tatum took the
defeat philosophically. He did not
rant and rave nor pout. He paid
great tribute to Mississippi and
Coach Johnny Vaught and did not
criticize his players except to point
out that everybody, from himself
down to the manager, was little
confused.
The Maryland mentor said that
never again would one of his
teams have. an open date as long
as he coaches. The buildup fol
the Mississippi defeat started with
last weeks idle Saturday. which
would not haye been idle if his
schedule had not been Cancelled
by the Southern Conference.
Caught Bowl Fever.
During the week his players
somehow really caught the bow
fever, and it reached high pitch
when they read of Tennessee.
Cotton Bowl bid on Friday, the
day before the Ole Miss game
But on Saturday he had to tel
them that Maryland positively
had no chance of going to a bowl
The players believed they had beer
Disseminated against. They were
let down.
People who hate football helped
Mississippi beat us" Tatum said
in his first touch Of bitterness, long
after the game.
AS he had predicted on Tuesday
the 86-mile bus ride the morning
of the game from Memphis tc
Oxford also hurt. THE boys made
mistakes out there that they
wouldn't have made if we coulc
have had our usual Saturday
morning meeting" Jim said
That's our most important ses-
sion of the week."
After reading of some Of the
other games, Tatum pointed out
that Georgia Techs offense OBJ
viously had an off-day. but the
defense held it up in the 7-3 VIC
tory over Alabama. "Our oftense
has an off day, and what hap
pens?" Tatum said. 80 does the
defense"
First Time in Career.
Tatum said that never in his
coaching career had so many pass
receivers been behind hts defend
ers. And by that he meant in all
the other games put together. in
his service, Oklahoma or Mary
land coaching.
I'm my six years at Maryland
you've never seen more than one
or two pass receivers beyond my
defensive men. Why, Jimmy
Lear's pass receivers were open
all day, most of them beyond our
defenders
Maryland had orders to play
Lear the way it played Boston
US Harry Agganis. but Jimmy,
the brilliant split-T quarterback
who was little known outside :he
Southeastern Conference, wouldn't
stay bottled. He squirmed out OF
the traps set for him. g.
AS for Jack Scarbath. Tatum
said he couldn't get to him."
BY that he meant that ne and
the Maryland quarterback did not
understand each other as they
have in other games. Apparently
Jack, although cutwardly calm,
became a bit ratified and was 60
ing for distance instead OF his
usual procedure of first-down
yardage.
Statement Twisted. ,...
A twisted version of a Tatum
statement also may have contrib.
uted to Maryland's defeat.
Coach Vaught of the Rebels
pinned onto the bulletin board 8
column by Walter Stewart of the
Memphis Commercial Appeal, ir
which Stewart quoted Tatum as
saying he intended to use sub.
stituteS as soon as Maryland's
regulars gained three-touch.
down lead. Vaught harped or
this as a psychological angle.
Stewart, one of the South!
most respected columnists, die
Tatum an injustice, because jim
never said that. Tatum wa!
asked last week at his press con.
ference, for the Tooth time, why
he had r1illled his reolllarS Sf