The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 43

rnron oy I mnnr J' Renewed Volunteers Ring Liberty Bowl rw By BASIL BROOKS AwlWnt loam (Biter KNOXVILLE Nov I It was as one-sided as a game of eight-ball in Minnesota Fats1 garage as dramatic as an hour of five-card stud at the Cincinnati kitchen table Memphis State in urgent need of a decisive victory to remain in contention for a possible Liberty Bowl invitation got very little in the way of decisiveness Tennessee in urgent need of a tonic to revitalize an anemic 1974 football season got the Tigers It was the perfect elixir For the resurgent Volunteers a convincing 344 triumph over Memphis State in picturesque Neyland Stadium was precisely what any physician treating Big Orange football would have recommended And It just might be medicine enough to turn the Liberty Bowl's thoughts toward Tennessee as an opponent for 14th-ranked Maryland which opened its arms to the Liberty's first invitation last week The Liberty Bowl was represented here on this brilliant Saturday afternoon by Bill McElroy and Joe Signai-go who watched the fourth consecutive triumph over their rivals from West Tennessee along with a sub-capacity crowd of 68738 Nnihe-dressing room was paid a postgame visit by the Liberty Bowl and Signaigo Indicated the Liberty's mind wouldn't be made up until after next Saturday's results are in While Tennessee 44-1 with three games remaining (Ole Miss in Memphis Saturday Kentucky here Nov 23 and Vanderbilt in Nashville Nov 30) strode away triumphantly here Saturday the Tigers saw their bowl aspirations 1 all but erased And -the Vols handled this particular erasure in a way that left no one doubting Tennessee's determination to quell B-B JM ll- Tmb-FO Towntend St Twin Maroon 4 runt (Tswnwnd kick) Yerbrougfi 14 paw from Holloway (kick MM) Tonib-ra Towmond A Morgan 1 run (Towmond kick) Tml-BSovIh 2 run (Wot pau from Holloway) Vorna 1 run (kick tailed) Attendance tgjSS STATISTICS MSU Taaaouoo 11 a St-111 AM 120 110 I It W-7B4 1-114 Punts 7-31 t-M etnatHtpyardi MS US INDIVIDUAL LEADCNS PUSHING -Mompta state Voma SA Suitor Ml awwarsL1" RECEIVING Momptili State Thompson SSI Moon 352 Butler 2-21 Tonnoiwo Salvors Sif -Yprbrauphl-14 Goytot 1-20 PASSING -Msmoiiis Stats Powlor SIM IN yards Robb 2-2-0 17 yards Tonmmoo Holloway M4 Ill yards THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL IISINBSI-HNANCI Sunday November 10 1974 MM much of the grumbling that echoed across Shlelds-Watkins Field on previous Saturdays this season "We just took a good old-fashioned country beating" said a disappointed Fred Pancoast the Tiger coach who saw hia record drop to 64 with an ominous excursion to Astrodome looming next "We just didn't hit with them they jumped on us early and we never caught up" On this fall Saturday that mushrooming number of disenchanted Vol supporters was to remain silent Con-dredge Holloway regaining most of his agility and deceptiveness after bouts with early-aeason injuries and his Orange-clad offense muffled some And a swarming intimidating Volunteer defense handled the rest Memphis' State made the deepest penetration by either team in a scoreless opening period The Tigers beginning at their own 29 marched to the Tennessee 34 before the drive stalled nullifying the David Ligon fumble recovery that started it That was on the third play of the game and it marked the first action seen by Ligon originally signed with Tennessee in four weeks He had been sidelined by a pinched nerve That Ligon fumble recovery was Memphis State's and last meaningful-break Following Virgil Peony's 27-yard the first of several line-drive kicks that pushed the Tigers into poor field position as a result of either sheer shortness or a Stanley Morgan the Vols drove to a 36-yard field goal by Ricky Townsend He kicked the first of two lengthy three-pointers (he later added a 43-yarder in the third period) at 14:14 of the second quarter to give Tennessee its 34 lead Only minutes later a swatch of Tiger trickery backfired with Ricky Mauck intercepting Keith halfback pass to give Tennessee possession at its 32 Holloway took the Vols those 68 yards in 11 plays and Morgan cata-paulted four yards for the first mpion Despite Charge Of Tennessee's Ron McCartney Fowler Throws To James Tho yard field goal after the weary Tiger defense yield a touchdown The Vol margin swelled to 164 The final two Tennessee scores plus Memphis lone came in the final period With Randy Wallace replacing Holloway at quarterback Tennessee cruised 85 yards in a time-consuming (10:13) 21-play drive and scored on one-yard dive Less than two minutes later a floating Fowler pass was snatched by Vol linebacker Greg Jones at the Tiger 29 and returned to the six Tailback Mike Gayles scored the final Vol touchdown three plays later on a two-yard burst Commissioner Has Final Word A Arid Its Spartans Over Buckeyes Ohio State's Cornelius Green Feels The Pressure Of A Vise Michigan State's Paul Rudinski (37) And Kim Rowekamp Sandwich Buckeye Quarterback Memphis State's David touchdown Townsend hit the extra point and Tennessee led 104 With 45 seconds left before the half the scrambling Holloway found wing-back John Yarbrough in the end zone and hit him with a 14-yard touchdown pass that somehow slipped through Tiger defenders Ed Taylor Ray Wallace and Marty Hammock Townsend missed the conversion kick and the Vols led 164 The game was as good as over Memphis State quarterback David Fowler fumbled at hia own 25 early in the third period and Holloway engineered Tennessee to Townsend's 43- Wlrophota Bulldog Defense Converges and first downs (21-12) now has lost two consecutive games following a 35-0 blasting by Alabama last week "A loss is a loss and it hurts all the way to the bottom of your Tyler remarked I love all our players for the way we fought the whole State elected to junk it's usually-po-tent running game in the first half in favor of the pass but got only 35 yards rushing and 55 passing in the first 30 minutes "We decided we needed to try to loosen them up early" Tyler said "But by the second half we'd decided Nips State Despite remaining The extra-point kick was blocked Holloway who has been the object of some fan criticism gained 139 yards In total offense (8 of 10 passes completed for 110 yards 9 rushes for 29 yards) to become career leader in total offense surpassing former Vol quarterback Bobby Scott Holloway now has 3658 yards Hie Tennessee pass defense suspect In earlier games and able to intercept only four passes reacted to file Tiger air game with a renewed spirit The Vols matched their seasonal interception total by getting four MSU passes A two-point conversion attempt failed when Jackson caught Baggett's pass but fell a fiill two yards short of the goal line He had thought he was In the end zone when he caught it The Buckeyes gained only nine yards on their next series following the MSU kickoff and punted to the Spartan 12- -yard line On the first play Jackson crashed through a massive hole in the OSU line swerved to the sideline and went all the way as the stadium shook with the thunderous roar of the crowd oaia State IBS HI AUcMom state Ill IB OSU-FG Klaban FG Notion 19 OSU-FG Klaban Homon 1 run (Klaban kktt one 44 POM from Bappott (paw MM) MSU-Jactaon run (Nlttian kick) Ar-TlSlX Prat downs IT 11 jtMbM-vanli BHPf Panin yard 44 Return yordi ft It Pen MM MM FunlP BBT MT Fumble toll 7-7 S-t Pnoltlo-yordi l-S MB Ohio1 jtBtfcyfflBS Hoiuon sau- Giants9 Johnson Breaks Hand Bone NEW YORK Nov 9-(AP)-Ron Johnson who twice has rushed for over 1000 yards during his National Football League career has Buffered a broken bone In his right hand the New York Giants reported Saturday Johnson plagued earlier this season by a sprained ankle and a pulled hamstring muscle that prevented him from starting in the first seven games suffered the broken bone during a scrimmage Friday X-rays were taken Saturday and the ring and Index fingers on right hand were taped together but the veteran running back participated in the team's final workout before game against the New York Jets at New Haven Conn However Coach Bill Amsparger said he was undecided whether Johnson Jets Johnson the leading runner last season with 902 yards in 12 games made his first start this year against Kansas City last Sunday and scored twice in New 33-27 upset over the Chiefs Family Tourney Features Week1 As the highlight of Youth Appreciation Week Nov 11-17 the Optimist Club of East Memphis will sponsor an 18-hole family golf tournament at Holly Hills Country Club Entry blanks may be obtained from area pro shops and youths under 17 can play free Additional Information may be obtained by calling the club (754-2000) The tournament is an 18-holc event and the round may be played on any day of the week Stan Musial and pro Bobby Hull serve as cochairmen of Youth Appreciation Week And the extra-point attempt typified what kind of day this was for file Vols Holloway holding for Townsend received a high map from center and was forced to chase the ball back to the 25 When he finally retrieved it and gained control he arched a desperation pass toward the end zone Tight end Tommy West was there and caught it just Inside the back boundary Mike Robb spelled Fowler In Memphis ensuing series and drove the Tigers SO yards for their only touchdown Reserve Jay Verna scored it on a one-yard run with 40 seconds edup a fumbled snap at the final gun and plunged into the end zone But the play as it turned out count When the gun went off both teams -believing they had won broke into victory dances as file crowd swarmed onto the Spartan Stadium field and surrounded the two squads Ohio State unbeaten 19 consecutive regular-season games since a similar 19-13 upset here two years ago entered the game a four-touchdown favorite en route to its season-ending showdown with unbeaten and fourth-ranked Michigan which beat Illinois 144 on Saturday to take sole possession of first place in the Big Ten The Buckeyes had pulverized eight previous opponents this year by a cumulative score of 360-75 The Spartans waited until file final quarter for the theatrics by Jackson who broke open through the left side of the Ohio State defense and raced un-' touched down the right sideline and by quarterback Charlie Baggett who just moments before had hit Mike Jones with a 44-yard touchdown strike MSU had bounced back from an Ohio State touchdown by fullback Harold Henson after the Spartans had fum-' bled the ball away They moved 80 yards for the first score then held the Buckeyes and forced a punt Jackson broke loose on the next play and scored with barely three minutes to play "I never saw a finer performance by a Michigan State football team" beamed Coach Dennis Stolz whose players had throttled the devastating Buckeye offense all day "I thought our defense played an unbelievable game There was tremendous pressure on our team in the second half never told if I won or lost the game" he grinned pointing at an imaginary scoreboard just look up there We were ahead at the Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes said he thought his Buckeyes had scored in the last second the films come out we know who won" he fumed When a reporter sought comment following decision Hayes shouted using profanity: "Unless you quit bothering me going to put my fist down your throat!" But he acknowledged earlier "They played a great game and so did we We moved almost 80 yards with three minutes to play That's pretty good" Tom Klaban gave Ohio State leads of 34 and 64 on short booti in the first and third quarters both coming after the tenacious Spartan defense stalled Ohio State drives Michigan State sandwiched in a 39-yard field goal by Hans Nielsen with three seconds to play in the half after Baggett had scrambled for 30 yards to the Ohio State 22-yard line But in the fourth quarter the fireworks started The Steve Luke recovered open-field fumble after the MSU quarterback had run for a healthy chunk of yardage and Ohio State went 44 yards in eight plays Henson plunged over from the one to widen the Buckeye lead to 134 and seemingly end the Spartan challenge But it took just seven plays for MSU to retaliate Baggett hitting Jones down the right sideline after missing similar attempted bombs throughout the game EAST LANSING- Mich Nov Michigan State stunned top-ranked Ohio State 16-13 Saturday on an electrifying 88-yard touchdown run by fullback Levi Jackson and a post-game ruling by Big Ten Conference Commissioner Wayne Duke It took Duke nearly 30 minutes to confirm what a delirious disbelieving capacity crowd of 78533 had that Michigan State had held on a goal-line stand with seconds to play and Ohio State out of timeouts had not gotten its final play off in time from the one-yard line was the ruiing of the back judge and the' field judge that play had expired before the last play" Duke said of the confusion-filled final seconds The line judge had briefly signaled an Ohio State touchdown but Duke said the Buckeyes would have sustained a penalty on the play had time not run out Wingback Brian Baschnagel pick- Felker On Auburn's Rick Neel UPI Tetoptieto that you win by dropping back on every snap We gave our players something they could explode with (the Aakura IN I N-M Mi I SM 1 McIntyre I run (Wlhon kick) FG Gtllll 41 Fuller ount I A nv ST lo I return (WINen kick) pom from Felker (Nickel kick) 4Hclntro SI run (Wllwn kick) Lew pom tram Folkor (Nkketi kick) tolled) St Sorkum boh (rum Folkor iNIvkot A -14000 STATISTICS Aukum MM First Down 17 II Yard MM JT-IS7 Panina Yurdt 7SS Return Yorde 177 Pomo 4-IO 1BJJ-! Punt 7-47 Ml Lmt 4t Yard 1 Ml Auburn By BOBBY HALL Staff Writer JACKSON Miss Nov 9 For half of fills overcast Saturday afternoon Mississippi football team appeared dazed by a "Sun-stroke" Perhaps all that mid-week ballyhoo about the Sun Bowl Invitation was too much for the long-starved Bulldogs Auburn followers probably would object to that theory however say it was just too much Tiger which stormed to a 174 first half lead then endured a traumatic finish to escape Mississippi Memorial Stadium with a 24-20 Southeastern Conference Victory indeed fortunate to come out of this one on sighed Ralph 'Shug' Jordan coach of the lOth-ranked Tigers "Give State credit On any other day they might have won it" Such was the case as an estimated crowd of 38000 watched the Buir'on- storm back and threaten game string of victories In this bitter rivalry have to look into a whole lot of minds to determine what happened to us in the first said Bob Tyler coach of the Bulldogs play in El Sun Bowl Dec 28 probably against North Carolina would hope the bowl didn't affect ua that way I think it did" But something was wrong A'ter Intermission the Bulldogs were a different team as quarterback Rockey Felker hurled State back into the game with three touchdown passes The outcome still was in doubt until Auburn cornerback Jim McKinney Intercepted a Felker pass near midfield with 35 seconds left This was an afternoon when cowbells (there must have been 15000 of them) rang like thunder and tempera flared several times The game was interrupt-ed at least a dozen times because of excessive noise and on two occasions players had to be separated from on-the-fleld fighting Auburn now 8-1 and headed to the Gator Bowl used big-play explosive-lieu to gala Its lead A 00-yard gallop by halfback Rick Ned set up a one-yard touchdown burst by fullback Secd-rick McIntyre with 13:27 left In the first period The Tigers stretched their 74 lead to 104 with 9:37 showing in the second period on Greg 41-yard field goal Auburn now 3-1 in the SEC was denied a touchdown late in the period by a brilliant goal-line stand at the Bulldog one but got another six-pointer with 21 seconds remaining in the half cn Mike 52-yard punt return Fuller was a menace to the all afternoon returning three punts for 102 yards and a kickoff for 17 "We told our kids that the great game of football made so you win if you are 17 points down at the Tyler said "We think we were Felker who completed 16 of 32 passes (with two Interceptions) for 225 yards in a classy display of accuracy put the Bulldog offense in gear after intermission First he took them 63 yards in seven plays capping the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Stan Black Auburn quickly restored Its 17-point lead as McIntyre broke loose on a 54-yard scoring gallop midway of the third period making the score 24-7 The Bulldogs now 64 and 14 in the SEC going into a game with LSU here Saturday kept charging as Felker directed a 70-yard 12-play manuever Tight end Howard Lewis who caught seven passes for 100 yards made a leaping grab of a nine-yard toss with 32 seconds remaining in the period to pull State to within 10 points (24-14) After being denied another scoring chance by a fumble at the Auburn seven early in the last period Felker sparked a three-play 49-yard scoring drive to make it 24-20 with 3:10 to go The touchdown came on a 26-yard toss to Melvin Barkum but a try for two points failed i State which outgalncd the Tigers for the afternoon in total offense (377444) A tn i A.