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Cotton Bowl 1948
SMU 13 Penn State 13 |
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By George White The Dallas Morning News 1/2/1948
Thus, the 1947 collegiate gridiron champions of the East and the Southwest finished undefeated. They will receive identical Cotton Bowl team trophies.
It was not for any lack of determined effort by both teams that they finished deadlocked, however. To the final gun both were firing for victory. Time and again each eleven missed by an eyelash. On the very last play of the day, after Penn State had called time out to stop the clock with only two seconds remaining in order to gain opportunity for one more shot, Dennie Hoggard, lanky Negro end, dropped a bullet touchdown peg into his breadbasket from Elwood Petchel. He was behind the goal line on his knees, closely crowded, but he could have won the game by holding the pigskin.
To the 47,000 fans who jammed the Fair Park saucer to overflowing in crisp but bright, clear weather, the encounter developed into just the slam-bang sort of affair that had been advertised. There were exceptions only in that pass-minded Methodists cracked the vaunted Nittany Lion stone wall which had held opponents to an average of 17 yards per game running, for 102 yards on the ground; that the power-ladden Easterners contracted the aerial mania for which this section is famed and passed for both of their touchdowns.
Once the Texans absorbed the shock of the first power attack of their opponents and got their own offense to clicking, there was every sign that this one would be unexpectedly easy for them. A 40-yard pass by Doak Walker, who was having a terrific twenty-first birthday, to Wingback Paul Page and the latter's 13-yard run paid off as the culmination of an 82-yard drive. Page slipped behind Defensive Halfback Jeff Durkota to make the catch and staved off the latter's desperate effort to overtake him before he crossed the double stripe. The entire march required only eight plays. It included another 8-yard gainer on a pass from Walker to Blocking Back Bob Ramsey.
Late in the second quarter, which the Mustangs completely dominated with their running game battling against a stiff north wind, Walker slammed inside the defensive left tackle for another score from 2 yards out. Fullback Dick McKissack set it up with a 20-yard burst through the left side of the line.
Walker, who converted the point from placement after the first score, was denied after the second one. Penn State was badly offside on the first try and he got a second shot. Again the overanxious white shirts were palpably offside but not for official recognition.
It was 13 to 0. Almost everybody, including the Pennsylvanians, who'd have a long ride home to face, was reconciled to accepting a victory for the Southwest- probably by a decisive score. Exceptions were the Nittany Lions themselves and Coach Bob Higgins.
With only a minute and a half remaining before the intermission, the SMU coaches sought to give needed rest to their regulars who were absorbing more battering in winning than they had taken at any time during the season. Reserves were rushed into the fray before Bill Sullivan's kickoff to Larry Cooney. Certainly these fresh, game-tried replacement could hold that running attack for ninety seconds even though the Lions might make some yardage. They'd have too much ground to cover to reach home in the time allowed them.
What they didn't reckon with, however, was the sudden lightning that Higgins had up his sleeves to loose through the air.
Cooney ran the kickoff back 22 yards to his own 35. The lead looked safe. Elwood Petchel, who proved the type passer who could go in the best Southwestern style, dropped back and whipped a toss to End Bob Hicks for 17 yards. Smothered on the next try he ran through a spread defense and picked up 16 yards before David Moon hauled him down. Another throw to Wallace Triplett, his Negro backfield mate, was knocked down by Raleigh Blakely, and then a penalty for overtime out set the Lions back to the SMU 38. A Petchel to Hicks pass missed fire and an offside penalty against the Lions was declined by SMU. It was fourth down and 15 to go. Petchel was shooting the works to get back into the game. He cocked his arm and faded back, located Larry Cooney maneuvering behind Bobby Folsom, who had dropped back to a defensive, halfback position, and laid one in his lap on the 14 yard line. Cooney raced across untouched and Ed Czekai converted to make it 7 to 13 (video).
Page almost got loose on SMU's famous kickoff play that led to victory over Texas, but he was hauled down after a 37-yard return and the half gun barked.
The tying score came in the third quarter, during which SMU never owned the ball outside its own territory. The Mustangs had their backs to the wall. Once they took over on downs on their 1-yard line, a stanch stand by the line with Earl Cook standing out, holding the power-packed huskies from the Nittany Mountains to four yards on four downs.
It was after the kick out of this hole that Penn State scored on three plays. Petchel, who proved he could run as well as pass, came back 27 yards with Ed Green's punt and would have gone the route but for a desperate, crisp tackle by Green himself. The ball was on the SMU 9-yard stripe.
A crack at the middle by the pile-driving Francis Rogel got four yards and tightened up the defense. Another smash by the same player found Earl Cook too much barrier and got only a half yard. Then Petchel, eyeing the defense carefully, feinted a run to his right and hit Triplett in the end zone with a pass for the score (video). This time Czekaj's placement boot that would have brought victory sailed barely wide of the uprights.
SMU had a chance to gain a strong strategic position for a winning comeback when Cook recovered a fumble by Larry Joe to get the ball on the SMU 44 two plays before the third quarter ended, then capitalize on the wind in the final chapter. It didn't pan out.
Unable to gain against the tight defense offered by the invaders, the Methodists were forced to kick, and End Sam Tamburo partially blocked Walker's effort, to give Penn State the ball on its own 45. From there the Lions drove to the SMU 21 and SMU finally took over on downs on the 24. SMU's first play from scrimmage from this point saw substitute Center Charles Beatty intercept a Gilbert Johnson pass to give Penn State the ball on the Mustangs' 33. An interception by McKissack of a heave by Petchel broke up this march and Walker's 59-yard quick kick set the Lions back on their 31. They smashed out into SMU territory before a Walker interception gave SMU the ball in midfield and opened the Mustangs' last chance for victory.
One pass, Johnson to McKissack was good for 17 yards and a first down to the Penn State 34. Then, with time running short, the Methodists tried to make every heave go all of the way. Triplett and Bill Luther covered the receivers while the forwards rushed Johnson badly to destroy his accuracy. SMU gave up the leather on downs on the Penn State 39. Then came Petchel's 24-yard gainer to Hicks and that last play of the game on which Negro End Dennie Hoggard dropped the ball. He rolled over in disgust for a moment, then leaped up grinning from ear to ear, grasped Doak Walker's hand and lauded him for his great performance.
A fumble early in the game—in the second quarter—by McKissack, which gave Penn State the ball on its own 8-yard line and broke up an SMU march, looked costly at the moment but it probably only delayed the second Methodist score. On the kickout, the Mustangs marched 38 yards to count, passes by Johnson to Milam and Howard Parker being mixed with McKissack's running to set up Walker's touchdown.
On the whole, the Penn State line stood out. It outplayed SMU's in all except the second quarter. During the first period especially it appeared that the Mustang forwards were holding their own but in reality it was linebackers who were nailing the Lion ball carriers. Lloyd Baxter, backing up the right side, especially stood out.
Penn State featured one offensive formation from an unbalanced line, running from a Z, both right and left. Petchel's running passes were noteworthy. On the unusual side was the play on which, running fast to his right, he passed to the left to Triplett for the second touchdown.
Larry Joe proved a fine broken-field runner with good hip action and Rogel was the mightiest powerhouse on the field.
Penn State used only two defenses, a 6-2-2-1 and a 5-3-2-1 and at times looked vulnerable to passing but Triplett and Cooney gave the line great support against passes as well as running plays.
SMU's best offense proved a spread in the backfield, three to the left, and its best gainer a trap that lured in the weak-side tackle with Walker cutting inside him for consistent gains. The Mustangs employed a wide-spaced, overshifted 6-man line with two line backers guarding the anticipated point of attack and handled it effectively on the whole. Only twice did they go into a 5-man line and their virtual 8-3 worked beautifully in their magnificent goal-line stand when they held for downs on the 1-yard line in the third quarter.
Walker, of course, was outstanding, and Sid Halliday, Earl Cook and Dick McKissack all had a big day, especially the latter, with his blocking. For the Lions, Petchel and Rogel on offense and Triplett and Cooney on defense in the backfield, and Suhey, John Nolan, John Wolosky and Negley Norten in the line were conspicuous.
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Doak Walker picks up 10 yards in the first quarter. |
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SMU's Dick McKissack is brought down in the second period. |
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Triplett and teammates broke the Cotton Bowl color barrier. |
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Attendance: 43,000
Scoring Summary
First Quarter SMU- Page 53 yard pass from Walker (Walker kick)
Second Quarter SMU- Walker 2 run (Kick failed) PSU- Cooney 38 yard pass from Petchel (Czekaj kick)
Third Quarter PSU-Triplett 6 yard pass from Petchel (Kick failed)
Individual Statistics
Rushing PSU- Rogel 25-95 SMU- Walker 18-66, McKissick 12-36, Ketchel 9 -25
Passing PSU- Petchel 7-15-165 SMU- Johnson 6-16, Walker 5-9, 1 TD
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Surging
from behind, Penn State's Nittany Lions battled Southern Methodist's
Mustangs to a 13-to-13 stalemate Thursday in the twelfth annual Cotton
Bowl Classic. 
