Redmen from U. of Mass. Seek Major Upset in Stadium, Relying on Strong Passing Attack, Heavy Line, and Depth

The University of Massachusetts played Harvard is football three times before 1916 and failed to score a touchdown. In the 38 years since then, the UMass Redmen have not met any Ivy League college on the gridiron. When they enter Harvard Stadium this afternoon, however, Coach Charlie O'Rourke's eleven will be shooting not for just a touchdown or an impressive showing, but for a major upset and their second straight win of the year.

For the Massachusetts team is undeniably "up" for this game. The players know they are reaching out of their class athletically, and are determined to be more than a breather on the Crimson schedule. As one of them put it last week: "Harvard Stadium is the Rose Bowl for us."

Passing Attack

But O'Rourke, who was an All-American halfback under Coach Frank Leahy at Boston College in 1940, will bring more than the Old College Try onto Soldiers Field this afternoon. He has a starting lineup that includes eight returning lettermen; he has a line averaging 196 pounds, or one pound more than the Crimson forward wall; he has exceptional depth at the ends and quarterback slots; and he has a strong passing attack that last week scored three touchdowns against American International College.

The Redmen came from behind last Saturday to beat A.I.C., 32 to 27. They scored the decided touchdown with just two minutes left in the game when sophomore quarterback Tommy Whalon coolly threw a 30-yard pass to second-string end Vic Bissonnette. Bissonnette caught the ball on the A.I.C. 12-yard line and scored easily from there.

Three Quarterbacks

Today Whalen, who last week completed eight out of sixteen passes for a total of 122 yards, will be only one of three UMass passers. Behind him on the bench will be junior Howie Burns and sophomore John Noble, who will both get a chance to direct the Redmen's straight-and split-T formations.

The Massachusetts running attack will be led by halfbacks Roger Barous and Hal Bowers and fullback John Porter, who in addition to their rushing abilities are all capable pass receivers. Last week Barous averaged 5.6 yards a try on the ground and Bowers picked up 4.5, while Porter, a 209-pound senior, carried the ball 18 times for an average of 4.0 yards.

Starting at the ends for O'Rourke's squad will be sophomore Dave Ingram and Co-captain Frank McDermott, each of whom gained approximately 20 yards on pass completions against A.I.C. Playing second string behind McDermott will be Russ Kidd, while Bissonnette, last week's hero, will substitute for Ingram.

Don MacPhee, a fast-moving, 200-pound guard whom O'Rourke considers one of the best in the East, will anchor the strong right side of the UMass line. Playing next to him will be Co-captain Lou Kirsch at tackle and John McGowan, a 195-pound converted guard at center. Al Gilmore, the heaviest man on the starting team at 210, will fill the left tackle slot.

Left Guard Weak

It is left guard, however, that O'Rourke admits is the weakest spot in his line. Starting at this position will be Ron Matheson, a junior who has excellent speed but at 180 pounds lacks the weight necessary to oppose the Crimson's right guard, Captain Tim Anderson.

If the visitors follow their usual two-platoon policy in the Stadium this afternoon, then the Crimson squad will meet a brand new team at the start of the second half.

Leading this platoon of second-stringers will be sophomore halfback Dick Wright, a 180-pounder whom Coach Lloyd Jordan has described as one of the men he'll have to watch out for. Others in the Redmen's second backfield will be quarterback Howie Burns, right half Don Johnson and fullback Phil Surgen. Surgen, a 185-pound junior who propped at Exeter, carried the ball six times last week for a rushing average of 9.3 yards.

Second Platoon

In the UMass line at the start of the second half will be Kidd and Bissonnette at ends, 235-pounder Bob Dufault and 240-pound Bob Theller at tackles, and 175-pound Jim Dolan and 205-pound Jim Ruberti at guards. Playing second-string center will be Ken MacRae, a 190-pound sophomore from Northampton.

One weak point O'Rourke has been working on this fall is his team's pass defense, which last year was quite ineffectual, 14 out of 36 opposition touchdowns being scored through the air. The Massachusetts coaches don't claim that they've overcome this problem completely, but they're confident that this year's team will at least show some improvement over the '53 squad.

UMass coaches predict that there'll be a lot of passes thrown by both sides in the Stadium today. And an excited Redman team will be only slightly surprised if their players wind up on the receiving end of most of them, and go on, after 38 long years, to win the "Rose Bowl."