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It will be the old story of master against pupil this afternoon, and in this instance former pupil Howie Odell of Yale goes into the ring with a more than successful record against his old boss Dick Harlow.
In two outings against Harvard eleven's, Odell has brought his teams home victorious, winning a 7 to 3 thriller in 1942, and a 28 to 0 walk away in 1945. And as any football expert in the country can tell you, a record like this against Harlow places Odell in the top ranks of any group of coaches in the country.
Key to Odell's success is, surprisingly enough, what football fans have labeled "the Odell system." Although this system begins with a basic "T", Odell has decorated it with so many fripperies of his own design that it may be called his own.
In this set-up, of course, the quarterback is the most important operator. Odell's quarterback will fake, spin and fade directly to his rear as opposed to the more usual "T" ball-handler, who will step off to the right behind his guards and tackles.
With his tremendous forward material, the 1946 Odell offense has naturally tended to make less use of the man in motion, and concentrate his strength for power plays. Thus, while Harvard fans who have watched Rutgers and Dartmouth might expect to see the wide open man in motion attack, they will get little of it today--except of course when Levi Jackson makes like a jet-propelled rocket around the ends.
Odell comes by his football skill naturally, having spent almost all of his life in the game. He played high school football in Sioux City as a youngster, and a few years later became an outstanding back at the University of Pittsburgh, at a time when the Panthers had long teeth and sharp claws.
Following his graduation, he worked with Jock Suture land, then Harlow, then George Munger of Penn, and finally Harry Stuhldreher at Wisconsin. In 1942, on the resignation of "Spike" Nelson from the Yale coaching staff, Odell got his first head coaching job. He has been at Yale ever since.
How Yale will do against Harvard today, is, at this hour, only in the broadest realms of speculation. But if top notch coaching of top notch material has anything to do with it, the sons of Harvard are in for a battle.
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