Syracuse Takes Squeaker From Kansas, 14‑7, for 13
Interpreted from Gene Ward Lawrence, Kan., Oct. 1 —
A desperation pass on fourth down in the final quarter set up the winning touchdown as Syracuse came from behind to edge Kansas, 14‑7, before 50,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.
The little man who made the big play never knew his team had won. Halfback Whitey Reimer, knocked unconscious on the field, was carried to the dressing room as Ernie Davis plunged the last half‑yard for the score that extended Syracuse’s glittering victory streak to 13 games.
The defending national champions had stumbled through much of the afternoon, rendered an early tally to the fired‑up Jayhawks on a fumble, and trailed 7‑6 as the final period opened.
Kansas struck first at 2:07 of the opening quarter. Quarterback John Hadl’s crisp pitchbacks out of the split T freed Curtis McClinton and John Coan on sweeping runs. Coan’s dash to the right carried him into the end zone after Schick blocked Reimer with a rolling tackle.
Syracuse’s first touchdown came midway through the third period. Pete Brokaw set it up with a 24‑yard reverse burst, and Ernie Davis broke loose for 16 yards to the Kansas 30. Two plays later he blasted for 12. On third down at the 10, Sarette pitched left to Ken Ericson, who was clear on the goal line between Allen and Crank. The conversion failed, leaving Syracuse behind 7‑6.
The Jayhawks fought hard to protect their lead. Hadl’s punting was superb, once booming 47 yards into the wind, and his passing kept Syracuse pinned deep. But the Orange, led by Davis, Sarette, Baker, and Brokaw, mounted a 15‑play drive late in the fourth quarter.
With the ball on the Kansas 19, Sarette limped off, and substitute Dick Easterly took command. On fourth down, Easterly fired a pass to Reimer at the 5. Reimer was slammed to the ground by Bill Crank and Allen but held the ball. Moments later, Davis hammered through for the winning touchdown.
Coach Ben Schwartzwalder praised Kansas afterward, calling it “as fine a team as we’ve played since I’ve been at Syracuse.” He singled out Hadl as “the best ballplayer in the country.”
Kansas outgained Syracuse 190‑to‑155 on the ground and matched them in first downs, but the Orange defense stiffened when it mattered most.
Syracuse’s streak lived on — 13 straight victories — won by inches and courage from a team that refused to quit.
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Courtesy of The New York Daily News October 2, 1960 via Newspapers.com
Sooners Overcome Panthers, 15‑14
Interpreted from Roy McHugh Norman, Okla., Oct. 1 —
It takes something extra to beat Pitt — extra points. Oklahoma had what it took, just as UCLA did two weeks ago.
At Owen Field today, before 52,000 fans, Pitt and Oklahoma each scored twice, but the Sooners escaped with a 15‑14 victory.
The double‑or‑nothing conversion again made the difference. Pitt tried it twice, succeeding once. Oklahoma place‑kicked for one point the first time but played to win, not tie, after Pitt had gone ahead in the second half.
A fourth‑quarter touchdown left the Sooners one point behind, and they lined up as if for a placekick. Pitt fell for the hoax. Instead of holding for Karl Milstead to boot, third‑string quarterback Bennett Watts rolled right and crossed the goal line for the two points Oklahoma had wanted all along.
Pitt’s offense clicked as it hadn’t since 1959, rolling up 372 yards rushing and passing. But the defense faltered, and a blocked punt proved costly.
Oklahoma struck first midway through the opening period. Quarterback Jimmy Carpenter mixed short passes with ground gains by Dick, Fritz Walker, and Paul Hedges, driving to the Pitt three. Gary Wylie and Don Dickey finished the march, Dickey cutting off Pitt’s left tackle for the score. Milstead’s kick made it 7‑0.
Pitt answered in the second quarter. Jim Traficant passed to Fred Cox for a touchdown, but Ed Sharockman’s two‑point rollout failed, leaving the Panthers behind 7‑6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Pitt surged again. Traficant hit Mike Ditka for the conversion after Cox’s second touchdown, giving Pitt a 14‑7 lead.
Early in the fourth, Phil Lohmann blocked a Cox punt, and Oklahoma recovered on the 11. Two plays later, Wylie and Dickey combined for the tying touchdown. Then came Watts’ fake kick and winning run.
Pitt outgained Oklahoma, 372 to 268, and showed flashes of power behind Bob Clemens and Jim Cunningham. Traficant, the sophomore from Youngstown, completed 8 of 15 passes for 102 yards and a score.
But once again, the Panthers fell by a single point — their second one‑point defeat in three weeks.
Courtesy of The Pittsburgh Press October 2, 1960 via Newspapers.com
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Michigan State Overcomes 99‑Yard Shock to Defeat Michigan, 24‑17
Interpreted from Edward Prell East Lansing, Mich., Oct. 1 —
Michigan State’s Spartans recovered from the jolt of a 99‑yard kickoff return by Michigan’s Dennis Fitzgerald to win, 24‑17, Saturday in one of the most spirited intrastate battles since the rivalry began back in 1898. Before 76,490 fans jammed into Spartan Stadium, the game unfolded like a war on turf. Michigan struck first, moving with clock‑like precision after the opening kickoff. Dave Raimey, a speedy 190‑pound sophomore from Dayton, blasted through the right side from two yards out to score at 6:55. John Halstead added the extra point for a 7‑0 lead.
Three plays later, Spartan quarterback Tom Wilson hit Herb Adderley with a pass to the Michigan 18. Adderley raced to the 6, and Wilson followed with a keeper for the touchdown. Art Brandstatter’s kick tied it 7‑7. Michigan regained the edge early in the second quarter when Halstead booted a 35‑yard field goal for a 10‑7 lead. But Wilson and Carl Charon took command for State. Wilson’s 42‑yard pass set up the drive, and Charon pounded over from the four. Brandstatter’s kick made it 14‑10.
Then came Fitzgerald’s lightning run. Taking Jim Bobbitt’s kickoff a yard from the goal line, he cut right and found an alley of blockers along the east sideline. Only one defender remained, and Benny McRae’s block cleared the way. Fitzgerald sped 99 yards for the score. Halstead’s kick put Michigan ahead 17‑14. The Spartans tied it midway through the third period when Brandstatter kicked a 32‑yard field goal. With 2:18 remaining, Charon broke through left guard from the three for the winning touchdown. Brandstatter again converted.
Michigan State outgained the Wolverines on the ground and controlled the ball in the final minutes. Wilson played every offensive down, passing for one touchdown and directing two others. Charon led the Spartan rushers with 124 yards in 14 carries. It was a bruising, emotional contest — a classic Big Ten battle fought to the last minute on a perfect autumn afternoon.
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Courtesy of The Chicago Tribune October 2, 1960 via Newspapers.com
Middies Upset Huskies, 15‑14
Seattle, Oct. 1 —
The gold‑clad Middies of the Navy found a football bonanza in the final minute of play today when a 31‑yard field goal by Gregory Mather sailed over the crossbar to give Navy a 15‑14 victory over Washington’s highly favored Huskies. An overflow crowd of 57,000 sat tensely through the calm afternoon waiting for the vaunted power of Washington, ranked third in the nation, to crush the challenging Middies. But each time the Huskies ground out a touchdown, Navy’s spirited crew managed to match it, though the Middies failed each time to convert the extra point. Each team had one touchdown nullified by penalties.
Washington struck first, moving 48 yards in eight plays to score the first time it had the ball. Navy answered immediately, marching 70 yards in twelve plays behind the driving runs of Joe “The Jet” Bellino, who plunged over from the one‑yard line. Mather’s conversion attempt was wide, leaving the score 7‑6. The second period was scoreless, but Washington went ahead 14‑6 midway in the third quarter when Bob Schloredt directed a 43‑yard march capped by Ray Jackson’s three‑yard smash for the touchdown.
Navy came back again. Bellino fielded the kickoff like a baseball line drive and returned it 23 yards to the Navy 30. In four plays, three of them passes by substitute quarterback Harold Spooner, the Middies struck again. Spooner hit Al Hughes with a 26‑yard pass for the score, but the two‑point conversion failed.
With the score 14‑12, Washington appeared to have the game wrapped up as the clock neared two minutes. But Navy forced a punt and took over at the Washington 24. Five plays later, a nine‑yard pass to Hughes was nullified by an illegal backfield formation. Then, with only 14 seconds remaining, Mather calmly booted the game‑winning field goal.
Washington’s Rose Bowl hopes, favored by ten points to two touchdowns, slipped away on the last play of the first half when the Huskies, with the ball on the Navy eight‑yard line, chose to try for a touchdown instead of a field goal and were stopped cold by the hard‑hitting Middies. It was a stunning upset and a triumph of grit and precision over power, as Navy’s disciplined squad outlasted the Huskies in one of the season’s most dramatic finishes.
Courtesy of The San Francisco Chronicle October 2, 1960 via Newspapers.com
Gators Stun Tech 18‑17 in Last‑Second Thriller
Gainesville, Fla., Oct. 1 — Larry Libertore, the diminutive sparkplug of Florida’s offense, tossed a perfect two‑point pass to fullback Jon MacBeth with only 32 seconds remaining to give the Gators a heart‑stopping 18‑17 upset victory over Georgia Tech before 39,000 fans at Florida Field.
The game was a masterpiece of drama and determination. Tech, favored by two touchdowns, had led 17‑10 late in the fourth quarter after Billy Williamson’s dazzling 45‑yard run capped a brilliant drive engineered by quarterback Stan Gann. But the Gators refused to fold.
Starting from their own 15, Libertore directed an 85‑yard march that will be remembered for years. He hit Don Deal with a 32‑yard strike, then sent Bob Goodman smashing through tackle for 10 yards. Sophomore halfback Bob Hoover followed with another burst to the two. Twice Florida was stopped inches short, but on fourth down Libertore pitched to Lindy Infante, who swept around end for the touchdown.
Coach Ray Graves faced a decision that froze the crowd. Kick for one or go for two? He turned to his players, raised two fingers, and the roar from the stands settled it. Libertore rolled right, faked to Infante, and fired to MacBeth, who caught the ball alone in the end zone for the winning points.
Georgia Tech had struck first in the opening quarter when Gann completed his seventh straight pass, a scoring toss to Anderson, with Tommy Wells converting for a 7‑0 lead. Florida answered before halftime as Libertore lateraled to Deal for a touchdown, tying it 7‑7. Wells’ 40‑yard field goal gave Tech a 10‑7 edge at intermission.
In the third quarter, MacBeth intercepted a Tech pass to halt a drive, and Billy Cash’s field goal tied the score 10‑10. Then came Williamson’s long run and Wells’ conversion for 17‑10, setting the stage for Florida’s final surge.
The victory was Florida’s first over Tech since 1945 and only the second in history. Fullback Goodman gouged 64 yards through Tech’s middle, while tackle Vic Miranda and end Pat Patchen anchored a defense that never quit.
As the shadows lengthened over Florida Field, Coach Graves crossed to shake hands with Tech’s Bobby Dodd, and both men smiled. It was a fitting finish to a game that tested courage and heart — and proved that the Gators, at last, had arrived.
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Courtesy of The Tampa Bay Times October 2, 1960 via Newspapers.com