The Orlando Sentinel from Orlando, Florida • Page 27

n't 3 fttnttntl fttar Saturday, Dec. 22, U7I v' Cousino Once 'J i 'Too SmalP For Redskins 0 ByJIMWARTERS i iMtlMl IttH The letter might as well have been edged in black. It's message was as cheerful as a U. S. Army greetings.

He felt like Nathan Haii a man nobody wanted. "We're sorry, but we have no mora funds for football was the essence of the epistle from the Miami of Ohio athletic depart; ment. "It was just a nice way of telling too small," recalls Brad bitter pill to swallow for. Toledo fullback and linebacker who "felt I could play if II 1 1 upa I' i LWWwgBMjam. i could just get the chance.

I wanted to be a doctor and I V. uv J. 1 needed a scholarship with med school costing as much as it does," explains Cousino. What hurt most of all was that I Defenders Miami's offensive coordinator, Bob Reublin, had actively recruited Cousino. But Brad's own high school football coach had said he was too Of The Faith At T-Bowl small to play for a major college.

When it came time to offer grants the Miami staff rejected Cousind; "They told me to look COACH BILL Mallory's face to three-deep crimson when he reflects over the decision whicij nearly turned out to be the boner of If defense is the name of the game tonight' in the Tangerine Bowl, then these 10 defensive specialists should have something to say about the outcome. Talking about It after a Mianji practice on the Evans High field (above) from left, Herman Jackson and Bill Bland, guard Brad Cousino, back Dan Rebsch and linebacker Mike Monos. Meanwhile, taking it easy arpund their motel poof are Gator safety, Wayne Fields, tackle, David Hitchcock, end Ricky Browne, linebacker, Ralph Ortega and safety Jim Revels, also left to right. Miami boasts the nation's No. 1 defense.

111 I I fr rr 1r i i I i HmtlMt Itir Phtti kv RM Hvbtr) team had lost four of their last five. Florida, on the other hand, snapped back from a four game losing streak to finish strong with five straight wins over Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Miami of Florida and Florida State, the latter by 49-0. I'd have to say the overall caliber of the opposition, momentum and the home field give the Gators a definite advantage. Florida by 13 (up from 7). LAS VEGAS Miami of Ohio risks its perfect 10-0 record tonight against a Florida football team which lost four of 11 games this year when the Gators host the Redskins in the Tangerine Bowl.

This is a severe test for a Miami team that won four of its toughest games by a total ot only 17 points. But two of those victories were over betterthan-fair "big" schools like Purdue and South Carolina. The Redskins finished their season with a 6-0 win over Cincinnati, whose Greek Says Gators By Thirteen aught Steps Down Again As Coach, Remains Ole Miss Athletic Director Bill Clark From Page 1-C his career. "Just shows you the efficiency 'of our recruiting program," grins Mate lory sheepishly. Because when Miami meets Florida in the Tangerine Bowl at Florida-Field tonight at 8, Cousino Miami's middle guard who played one of the most vital roles in the Redskins" winning the T-Bowl trip.

Twice during the season he was' named Mid-American Defensive Player of the Weeku Thirty-two times in 10 games he' dropped opposing ball carriers be hind the line of scrimmage Tor.a total loss of 154 yards. And Mallory credits a fourth quarter Cousino punt block againsi Purdue with "setting up our 10-C season." So, this is the guy Mallory ealc was too small. A young man 4c determined to play for Miami lis wouldn't take no for an answer. An he didn't make them an offer th couldn't refuse. Cj "I almost had to beg to get in Miami," relates the 6-1, 195 pounde who also was shunned by the rest the country's colleges after gradua tion from Toledo Central Cathode.

BRAD KEPT punching awa, writing Mallory how much he wanted to play for the Redskins. And finally "I got a letter saying to come to the campus for a visit." No grant was offered, but Mallory and his staff put Cousino through thr paces for three or four days that-, summer. "They gave me a one-thin, scholarship and I started at middle guard on the freshman team." One of Mallory's aides whcl "helped me to move up when was Jerry Angelo, now an assistant, at the University of Tampa. As a starter in 1972, Cousino his unusual quickness and agility tc block three extra points in the! Toledo game, another in the Bowlinfi Green contest, a field goal againjli South Carolina and one puntr.lrt another outing. But the blocked punt that he'll' ir, telling his grandchildren about wa against Purdue this past Sept.

22 41. West Lafayette, before nearly. 5 4 0 0 0 predominately fans. Trailing 19-10 with eight minutes' left, Cousino darted through a gap left by a guard and fullback "anif hit the punter just before he got the ball, stumbled a couple of. times and took it about 12 IN FOUR plays, Miami's offence scored from 34 yards.

The Redskins, held on the next series and, frofn their own 39, they drove for thr winning score with fullback Chuck Varner plunging the last three. "It was nothing spectacular Cousino modestly says of the spectacular play. "Their guard out and I just hopped other way." tj! After upsetting Purdue 24-19 beforf the largest throng ever to witness iihhmiiIhibiihimSh fpii iJiiiii lli Kinard Vaught OXFORD, Miss. Iff) John Vaught stepped down as head football coach at the University of Mississippi for the second time Friday, saying the dual role of coach and athletic director was too much for one man. He will remain as athletic director.

"This has always been two jobs," the 64-year-old Vaught said. "When they are too much for one man." No successor for the football post was named. Vaught compiled a 190-61-12 record at Ole Miss, including a 5-3 mark" after he returned to coaching following the firing of Billy Kinard, who succeeded him. Vaught's squads appeared in a then-record 14 straight bowl games, a mark extended by Kinard's first unit In 1971. The string was snapped after a 5-5 record in 1972.

Kinard was fired after the first three games of the 1973 season and Vaught returned as head coach and athletic director, replacing Frank "Bruiser" Kinard in the latter post. His resignation as coach came after a meeting between Vaught and the school's athletic committee. Chancellor Porter L. Fortune Jr. accepted Vaught's coaching resignation, saying, "I do not know what we would have done without him and I know that with his assistance, the athletic committee will select a head coach who can and will continue the great athletic tradition at Ole Miss.

"I am deeply grateful to Coach Vaught for his wiljingness to serve Ole Miss in this transition. He is unequaled in his integrity end his loyalty and dedication to the game of football, to Ole Miss and to Mississippi." Dr. Richard Keye, chairman of the schools's athletic committee, said the panel "will begin immediately a nationwide search for the best possible man for the job." "I don't know what I'm going to do yet," Vaught said earlier on reports of his impending retirement. "Everybody is trying to get me to make up my mind. I want to coach if I can, but there are a lot of problems involved." Mentioned as possible successors have been Johnny Majors of Pittsburgh, Bill Dooley of North Carolina, Paul Dietzel of South Carolina, Fran Curci of Kentucky and former Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr.

Tangerine Bowl Association President Gieger, "but the main thing is that there's no prediction of rain. Most people, I think, will bundle-up good and go right ahead and enjoy the game in cold weather. But-rain is something else." From best indications, around seats had been purchased by Friday night. Gator sources indicated from .4,000 to 10,000 Seats may be sold at the, boxoffice where good seats will be on sale all day. The T-Bowl which stands for Transplant-Bowl being staged on the University of Florida campus for this year and this year alone by virtue 'of National Collegiate Athletic Association assent after it became clear -Orlando's Tangerine Bowl would not be expanded.

"A funny thing," noted Gieger, "is that if we'd had our own stadium I fully believe we'd have sold at least another 10,000 tickets. Maybd more just because of central location." ThS cold-acclimated Redskins of Miami held their final drill here at the game site Friday night while Florida wound-up work in Orlando with quarterback Don Gaffney seemingly recovered from a flu-siege. "All he needs now," said Dickey, "is to eat a couple of good meals and get his strength back. His temperature's gone and he ought to be ready." DESPITE the unseasonable cold which Dickey acknowledged would For Lnlo Scores Sentinel IMnl-A-Seore benefit Miami, the Florida mentor pronounced his Gators set to go out and seek their eighth win of the year which would be a high for a Dickey-coached team in Gatorland. "We've had good workouts in Orlando this week and everybody's ready except for Mike Stanfield, Joe Allen and David Starkey who won't be able to play.

It's true we haven't worked but five days, but it was only three weeks ago when we last played (FSU) and it's been five weeks since Miami's last game so I think the preparation factors about even-out." So all now appears in readiness for the kickoff including both schools' bands plus the Milton High School Dixie Eagles from Alpharet-ta, who motored down with a 94-kid entourage. T-Bowl officials, in addition to warning fans to wear warm clothes, were also urging game-goers to remember to fill their gas tanks before the kickoff since most stations jwill close at 9 p.m. Between the squeeze applied by the fuel crunch and the bizarre weather, the 1973 Tangerine Bowl was experiencing some problems. But It was still absolutely destined to be the most successful game of the 27 held to date and the future providing an Orlando stadium does become reality was unlimited. On Friday, in fact, Miami's Bill Mallory looked back to a Rose Bowl trip he once took as an assistant on the staff at Ohio State.

That, he recalled, had been a wonderful experience. "But compared to the warmth and hospitality we received in Orlando, Pasadena couldn't hold a candle." Mallory meant, of course, the warmth of our people not of our climate during this very unusual December. But not even that was drawing criticism from the Invaders. In fact, they saw it as the Great Equalizer, welcomed it and prayed for a blizzard. T-Bowl From Page 1C Mid-American team, travelled to South Carolina.

another blocked punt by Cousino paved the way to a 13-11 triumphi over the Gamecocks. "After South Carolina it was a lot'! harder to block a punt," Cousino. Impossible, in fact. But the threat's still there and; Florida Coach Doug Dickey worked" extra hard this past week to stop the'! man nobody wanted. David Bowden the man Gaffney replaced in October-would depend on the game situation, Dickey says.

MALLORY ALSO has a set of "specialist" quarterbacks, but declined to reveal whether he would open with Steve Sanna (the passer) or Sherman Smith (the runner). The star of the Redskin attack, however, is tailback Bob Hitchens, who'll have his No. 40 Miami jersey retired after tonight's game. The workhorse senior has pocketed nine school rushing records. The vaunted, although lighter, Redskin defense is anchored by lightning-quick nose guard Brad Cousino and heady middle linebacker Mike Monos.

The latter figured in on 210 tackles, while Cousino participated in a total of 187 hits. Miami's soccer-style kicker Dave Draught, who connected on a school record 14 field goals, makes the Redskins a scoring threat anytime they cross the Gator 40. The Gators will undoubtedly lean on a defense which was statistically the toughest in a tough Yet Miami's defense was again, statistically tops in the nation against a lineup of foes not as taxing as the Florida schedule. Flashy tailback Nat Moore, nearer his spectacular 1972 form than he has been throughout an injury-plagued '73, could well be the game-breaker for the Gators. The preseason All-American will open in the same backfield with nimble quarterback Don Gaffney, who piloted the strong Florida finish.

Although Dickey says Gaffney is definitely his starter, there may be some question as to how long the Jacksonville sophomore can go after a mid-week bout with the flu. Whether relief help would come from running quarterback Robbie Davil or passing whiz SEimilEL STAR i' 3 I hi Ml 843-3435 21 Honrs A Hay.