Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-28
WIN, LOSE OR
DRAW sy FRANCIS s1AAA
The Same Old Question

MIAMI, DEC. 28-The who-do you-fke brigade out in
full force On Fager street in the city proper and on
Lincoln Collins the Beach, it's the
old question And course the people who ask already
convinced they know the answer.
Maryland getting shorter shrft than
two years ago. when it last the Terrapins and
Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl Many people qualified
and otherwise lean toward the Sooners 1t hard to put
finger the Surely Oklahomas TO win January
1854 couldn't have been that impressive As 1t is recalled
Coach Jim Tatum operating without his regular
quarterback
The Terrapins IS North Carolina bit handler
than Oklahoma. turn, Oklahoma bowed Missouri
with greater ease than did Maryland Each won all 10
and there couldn't have been too great difference
in the respective schedules The Terrapns licked bowl team
UCLA, and the Sooners one in Pitt.
You hear great deal of talk about speed in connec
ton with Oklahoma Even the Sooners publicity depart
ment unquahedy calls the IS edition Coach Bud Wlkin-
sons swiftes all positions considered Maybe speed talk
has great deal to do with it, although Oklahoma and
Maryland did not down here to at Tropical Park
or Hialeah.
THERE IS ADMITTEDLY glitter to oklahomas record
that outsparkes Maryand's Such winning 20 in
scoring los consecutive games playing 50 straight Big
Conference engagements without defeat and four
winning the last Maryland ran
up "a points in mdseason against Syracuse But Oklahoma
got against Kansas Sc against Colorado 40 against
Kansas State So against Iowa State Il against Nebraska
and So against Oklahoma AIM Question Were the Sooners
playing anybody?
Remember Harry Mehre the old Notre Dame center?
Harry in the portswrng business for the Atlanta
Journal Because of his past record Mehre has almost
much at stake while specializing in football predictions and
observations when coached Georgia and Mississippi
And he has been leaning toward the Sooners by obquey
limiting that Tatum stresses defensive play too much.
1.-TWO years ago." Harry saying, Il could hardly
wait kickoff, when two great splT teams wear
out the turf of the Orange Bowl with eight nine or possibly
10 touchdowns
You know the story It turned to be of those
old fashioned defensive battles The upset angle the
only excitement of the afternoon, unless you
guard tackle of the old school who loves defensive
football"
IT IS METRES NOTION apparently that Tatum wanted
to win much his onetime assistant at Oklahoma
that he played bit too close to the vest Sam Snead
said Mehre recalls that he feared but two things
Lightning and Ben Hogan don't know what else Tatum
fears but of them is Oklahoma"
Therell be daydreaming about high scoring battle
next Monday the part Mehre who puts this
Oklahoma and Maryland know too much about each
other evenly matched and too much will be at stake
for either Tatum wilkinson to do much gambling. The
pass will be used Just to let the opposition know
that it isn't against the rules to throw the ball."
Wryy Mehre mentions that both coaches select their
material defensive ability first believing that the offensive
sk be developed in good defensive football player
Perhaps that is the to Of those healthy
shelackng used to take Harry says my theory was to
select the best offensive men, believing that took more
skill play oense than defense must have been wrong
when you compare Tatums and Wknsons records against
mine"
MEHRE DEFINITELY LEANS toward Oklahoma, to
peat and by the whoppng big margin of another TO score
1T will be the story unless raum decides to loosen
up that Oklahoma defense with little more variety ne
predicts "He might get beat that way but he is certain
to lose playing a conservative game"
Well now, you could question that theory, too Mary
lands virtually hung the first three games
Missouri, UCLA and Baylor in that order-and by the
margins of victory Tatm didn't throw caution to the winds
Large Jim left up to the defense and played it close
to the vest You can't get much closer to the weskt than
1912 Missouri TO UCLA and 206 over Baylor.
Who, meP wouldn't be surprised at a scoreless tie.