Evening star., 1954-10-09

Middies Even Money
To Score First Win
In A Trips 10 Coast
BY MerreH .WhittIesey
Stor Staff Correspondent

STANFORD. Calf. Oct. g.
Navy, which never has won q
football game on the West Coast.
was conceded to have just as
much chance as Stanford Of
winning today's scrap in the
Indians sprawling go. .000-capa-
city stadium.
Game time is 2 pm. 6 pm.
In Washington, with Station
WRC to carry the broadcast. Ray
Michael will do the play-by-play.
The forecast called for a sunny
afternoon, slight breezes and
temperature in the high COS.
Stanford has the job of at
tempting to recoup a measure
of prestige for the Pacific Coast
Conference following Texas
Christians 20-7 upset of South
ern California last night.
The Navy-Stanford test has
far overshadowed publicity in
San Francisco this week of the
Pacific Coast Conference clash
between California and oregon,
being played in Berkeley, just a
few miles away. The Navy game
figures to draw between 10000
and $4,000 fans, or about $4,000
more than the other.
It's rated so even here that Of
the 16 sports writer's who pick
the games in two of the San
Francisco papers, nine picked
Navy and seven Stanford.
This is the fourth California
trip for the Middies, who in
their only non-losing perform
ance tied Washington, 14-14, in
the Rose Bowl game following
the 1923 season. Navy lost to
California, 14-7, in 1947 and to
Southern Cal, 1920, in 1949.
Both Teams Unbeaten.
Stanford is unbeaten, but no.
body knows how, and Navy is
unbeaten because, as Coach
Eddie Erdelatz said, his team has
been playing in the minor
leagues compared to Stanford.
The Indians have beaten College
of Pacific (13-12), Oregon
(18-13 and Illinois CPD. Navy
blanked William and Mary
(27-0) \and then finished fast
against Dartmouth for a 42-7
triumph.
Chuck Taylor, the Stanford
coach, almost always picks his
team to win. and he likes the
Indians today in a low scoring
affair. However, he said he is
more concerned over this game
than he was the Illinois game of
last week, which was heralded
as great upset. Taylor said it
was no such thing, as Illinois
has more reputation than foot
jail CedH CnlS year.
Erdelatz is serious about his
changes in the starting lineup.
There probably will be two shifts
IN the backfleld, with Dick
Echard, who gave the team
punch against Dartmouth, start
ing at quarterback for George
WEIGH, who is nursing injured
ribs. Phil Monahan, who was
a terrific high school player at
Burllngame, Calf, and now is
the Navy captain, is not quite
cleared of injuries but probably
will start at right half for home
town reasons. The other back
field starters will be Bob Craig
at left half and Joe Gattuso.
fullback.
The major change, of course,
will be Bill Smith, originally
listed as fourth-string quarter
back, at left end.
| The son of a member of Ala
bama's first Rose Bowl team.
Smith will be the only sopho-
more on the first two clubs.
Stanford Unpredictablc.
Stanford has high regard for
Navy's backs and it's running
attack. While it was passing
that accounted for most of the
touchdowns against Dartmouth,
the Stanford scout pointed out
1t was running that set up the
scores.
Stanford, which had a 6-3-l
record last year, is the most un-
predictable team on the coast,
and has been in Taylor's four
seasons as coach. Last year, for
instance, the Indians beat
UCLA's Rose Bowl team, but lost
to College of Pacific.
The Indians do not make
many mistakes, and have come
up with touchdowns this year on
some plays not exactly planned.
They're opportunists.
The best known Stanford
player is Jerry Goldberg, center
and brilliant linebacker who won
national lineman of the week
honors against Illinois. The
leading ground gamer is Bill
Tarr, whom Taylor refers to as
a journeyman ball player.
Sophomore John Brodie will
start at quarterback but Jerry
Gustafson, a sub, gave the team
its big lift against Illinois.