Stanford's How Boys

As a member of Stanford's winning 1941 Rose Bowl team, All-America Guard Chuck Taylor was one of the Indians' "Wow" boys.* Now, in his first year as a coach, burly (204 Ibs., 5 ft. n4r in.) Chuck Taylor has a winning Stanford team of his own: the "How" boys. The question in the minds of the sportwriters who nicknamed the team: How do they do it?

Before last week's game with Oregon State, Stanford in victory was more than a sport-page enigma. It was a statistical flop: fifth in the conference in rushing, fourth in total offensive, seventh in ground defense, second in passing. But Stanford had won eight straight games and it was pounding down the track, headed for the Rose Bowl again. Tyro Taylor, 31, who violates every tradition of the coaching trade by predicting victory for his team before every game, shrugs off the inevitable post-game question with, "Damned if I can explain it."

Meat & Potatoes. If pressed, Taylor admits that hard work has had something to do with the Stanford winning streak. Starting off with a bunch of lackluster seniors who had never lived up to their press notices, Taylor made the obvious beginning with the fundamentals--blocking and tackling. Then, instead of saddling the squad with an intricate offense, he settled for sound execution of 14 basic running plays, and 15 passing plays from Stanford's T-formation.

Taylor's stress on blocking paid off. Quarterback Gary Kerkorian now gets good protection for his passing, the meat & potatoes of the Stanford attack. His completion mark this week: 56.7% (89 of 157 passes), fifth best in the nation./-

Chuck Taylor has had some other standout performers to work with. All-America Bill McColl, a 6 ft. 4 in. end who specializes in quick-step feinting and circus catches, leads the conference in pass receiving--35 for seven touchdowns. Searching his team for a fireworks runner, Taylor found him a fortnight ago when 21-year-old Fullback Bob Mathias, Olympic decathlon champion, broke loose with a 96-yd. kick-off runback that broke the back of favored Southern California. Mathias, a junior who just turned out for football this year, "could play at any position on the team," says Taylor.

Fumbling & Bumbling. Stanford's early-season victims--Oregon and San Jose State--hardly gave Taylor a line on the team's potential. The third game--with Michigan, last year's Rose Bowl champion --was the test. Stanford passed it handily (23-13) and since then, says Taylor, "I haven't had to worry about team spirit." After Michigan, the Indians--never looking spectacularly good or particularly bad --downed U.C.L.A., Santa Clara, Washington, Washington State and U.S.C.

Against Oregon State last week Stanford played its usual erratic game in the first half, fumbling & bumbling, left the field with the score tied, 7-7. But in the first eleven minutes of the second half, after a little dressing-room prodding by Taylor, Stanford's How boys exploded for three touchdowns (two by Mathias). Final score: 35-14.

-A latter-day switch on the "Vow" boys of 1933-35, who swore U.S.C. would never beat them. U.S.C. never did.

/-No. 1: Princeton's Dick Kazmaier, 64%.

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