Evening star., 1954-11-15
Monday Morning Quorterboeks
Waller Paradox for Maryland; Gotuso Squared Away
MARYLAND, 16; CLEMSON. [
Ry MerrelI Whittlesex

Dy MeFreiI WniWteSey
Ronnie Waller is to the Mary
land football team what Mickey
Mantle is to the New York
Yankees. Mantle set a club rec
ord for strikeouts, but he broke
up more ball games than any
body else on the club with those
big homers.
Ronnie has done the equiv
alent for the Terps. He's pulled
some boners and cost the ferps
some touchdowns this year, but
he's been In on the most spec
tacular scores.
Waller accounted for 26l
points in his senior year Of high
school at Laurel, DEL, and that
touchdown craze has carried
through his college days. When
he sees that football coming,
whether it's on q punt return, a
kickoff. as a pass receiver, with
a pitchout or a handoff, he
wants to 60 for that end zone.
AT times the path for ia first
down has been easier. but Rom
ME has gone for the touchdown
and, not made either. Last week
he took a punt against North
Carolina State and returned 50
yards for a touchdown. Great
play" Coach Jim Tatum said
later. But in Waller fashion, the
next time he caught a punt he
went for the over-the- shoulder
catch, grandstanding a bit. That
cost him a couple Of steps and
he was caught.
Kuharich Impressed.
Waller's romp with the screen
pass from Charley Boxold Sat-
urday was a spectacular run.
Joe Kuharich, the Redskin coach
and a Byrd Stadium spectator,
was impressed. He liked the way
Waller picked his holes and kept
on his feet.
Not since the days when
Sammy Baugh used to be de-
tanned an hour or more after
Redskin games to sign auto
graphs in midf1eld have we seen
a player spend so long on the
field after a game. Waller was
out there As minutes after the
game was over, signing programs.
He was the big hero.
Coach Frank Howard Of Glenn
son, Of course, was the unhap-
piest man in the stadium about
Walters touchdown runs. "I'm
snake-bit," he told one of the
Maryland coaches after the
game. 1--we warned them about
that screen pass and told the
boys to rush only three men. So
with the half all but over, Mary
land In its own territory, and
throwing the screen pass, we
rush three men like I told 'em,
and they still score"
While Waller was the star as
far as the spectators were con-
cerned, the Maryland coaches
had to say some nice words for
the defense. Three times the
Tigers were inside the 15-yard
line, on the IA, the IL and the 9,
and each time the Terps held.
Tom McLuckie was the stand
out on defense. although again
it was a team effort.
Terps Defense Tightens.
Clemson was a smarter team
than it had been given credit for.
The Tigers had changed their
offense, splitting the end and
putting the Maryland tackle on
the spot, and they moved the
ball up the middle nicely. But
inside the 20. of course, that
didn't work as well and the
Maryland defense frightened and
stopped them as the backers-up
moved in to help.
The Tigers have an excellent
defensive team. They're strong.
make no mistakes and back up
the line fast. 1t will be inter-
esting to see what Auburn will
do against them this week after
the Plainsmen knocked Miami
from the unbeaten class and
Georgia from the Sugar Bowl on
successive week ends.
And a word about attendance
at Maryland. That Saturday
crowd was not commensurate
with the attraction. That fig
ured to be a good ball game and
was. The paid attendance of
less than $4,000 was poor.
week after week, Maryland
puts on pregame and halftime
shows equivalent to any of the
big time college football cam
puses. They're well organized,
different and well presented.
There's acres Of free parking,
early entertainment and that old
excuse about the crowded roads
is wearing a little thin. There
hasn't been a major traffic jam
around Byrd Stadium in some
time. The only people complain
ing are those who want to leave
home at las for a 2 pm. foot
ball game and be back home 10
minutes after it's over.