Champions of the East

Coach Earl ("Red") Blaik did not resign when the cribbing scandals of 1951 stripped West Point of its football power; he began quietly to rebuild. Against Navy last week, fielding a team made up predominantly of yearlings (sophomores). Red Blaik put the deft, finishing touches on his reconstruction job.

There was more than the usual advance hullabaloo. Navy had crushed Army three years in a row. High-spirited West Pointers had kidnaped the Navy goat before the game (and returned him in some embarrassment on orders from "higher up." reportedly old West Pointer Ike Eisenhower).

But the Army, long-memoried from the worst beating it ever took from Navy (42-7 in 1951), hardly needed extracurricular encouragement. Army kicked off to Navy, forced a fumble, recovered it. ground out 31 yards in six pounding running plays, and was leading 7-0 before the game was three minutes old.

Yearling Halfback Patrick Uebel, a rangy (6 ft.. 197 Ibs.) Kentuckian, scored the first touchdown, standing up, on a 5-yd. off-tackle slant. Uebel, happily helping the defense as it clobbered the Navy attack, was to be the offensive star all afternoon. In the second -quarter, he scored, again standing up, from three yards out; in the third quarter, helped by some walloping downfield blocks by his fired-up teammates, Uebel dashed 70 yards with a kick return, climaxing a triple-touchdown day. Navy got a solace touchdown against a batch of Army subs in the final ten seconds of play. Final score: 20-7.

By its victory. Army, which won seven, tied Tulane and lost to Northwestern, won the mythical Eastern championship by acclaim. Did Coach Blaik think Army's comeback was complete? Said Red Blaik. with characteristic caution: "We're not out of the woods completely yet. but we're at the point at least where the timber isn't so tall."

The other big game of the week matched Notre Dame, still smarting from its 14-all tie with Iowa and irked over press and public criticism of its "Fainting Irish" act, against Southern California. All-America Tackle Art Hunter (see below) answered the critics wiith a grim pre-game promise: "After Saturday's game. Southern California will feel that they have been ripped, torn and left forlorn." While Notre Dame Coach Frank Leahy, too ill to travel, listened to the game at home, All-America Halfback Johnny Lattner helped make Hunter's promise come true by scoring four touchdowns. Final score: Fighting Irish 48, U.S.C. 14.

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