Wolverines Fill Air With Passes In Preparation For
PRESS PASSES
By BUD BENJAMIN
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Guest this week in our regular exchange column is Fred
Vance, sports editor of the Daily Iflinl. Here is what Mr. Vance has to say about
tomorrow's game between Illinois and Michigan.)
The Illinois Slant . .
By FRED VANCE
I'VE BEEN sitting in my room at Champaign fully 30 minutes now, pipe in
mouth, thinking of nothing but the Michigan-Illinois game in Ann Arbor
Saturday. I've been trying to locate some reason why Illinois should be
expected to win. I've been trying to size up the Illinois outlook in terms of
victory or defeat. And the result of it all is almost as sour as the juice of
my pipe.
My thinking has been somewhat retarded, I'll admit, by a rer'ark which
Coach Bob Zuppke uttered in the coaches' locker room after the final prac-
tice before last week's Northwestern game:
"I hope we beat Northwestern because from what I understand
there's no use trying to beat Michigan."
Zup was sincere in his remark, truly sincere. All week long he had
heard assistant coach and scout Ray Eliot sing the praises of the revived
Wolverines in their battle with Minnesota.
"They've got everything," said Ray. "Precision, power, tackling,
blocking, passing, running, good defense. Right now they could beat
1S easily by four touchdowns."
But let that be as it may. The fact that Zuppke and Eliot truly fear
Michigan only means that they and the rest of the staff will be working
all the harder to prepare the team for the Wolverine encounter.,
But what a futile task that seems to be.
AT LEAST five of the Illini starters against Northwestern will find them-
selves relegated to the sidelines or a hospital bed when game time comes
Saturday. There may be more, but for the present, perhaps discussion of
this quintet will suffice to demonstrate the pitiful condition of the Illinois
squad as it gets ready for battle Saturday.
Both starting halfbacks against the Wildcats are out for the season-Bob
Wehrli with a fractured plus dislocated elbow, and Pony Tony Mazeika
with a severely twisted knee which has injured ligaments and the
cartilege.
When Wehrli went out of the Northwestern game with only seven
minutes in the first quarter gone, three-fourths of the Illini backfield
power went with him. "Wehrli is the only backfield man we 1ave that
comes anywhere near Notre Dame's standard this year," Zup had said
time and again before the Northwestern game. "He is the only back
we have."
To fill in at. the halves, Zup will use Cliff Peterson, a sophomore who was
demoted to the third team after starting the Notre Dame game, and Bo
Burris, a senior, who scored the touchdown in Illinois' 13 to 6 defeat at Indi-
ana last year but didn't get in another game until last Saturday.
Both performed well in substitute roles last week. There is a possibility
that Johnny Thistlewood, a sly little left half who sprained his ankle two
weeks ago last Monday, may get in his first major game for Illinois. He's a
junior.
ZUPPKE HAS-or had-four guards he considered top-notch-Wes Martin,
George Bernhardt, Jim Hodges, and Ralph Hathaway. Going down the
line systematically, we find that Martin has an injured pelvic bone, Bern-
hardt a nerve separation in his shoulder, Hodges his arm in a sling for
general reconditioning, and Hathaway a charley horse. Martin will probably
play Saturday with a back brace, as he did against Northwestern, but the rest
are extremely doubtful .
And that's why Zuppke has put Mel Brewer back at his guard position.
Mel, apparently well enough recovered from the knee ligament injury that
kept him from playing quarterback, against Notre Dame and Northwestern,
was considered last year the best tophomore guard in the history of Illinois.
Varsity Stops
Jayvees Using
Zuppke Plays
Nicholson And Valek Star
At Pass-Catching; Five
Backs Heave Aerials
It was well after dusk and nearly
dark when Coach Fritz Crisler called
a halt to yesterday's practice activi-
ties of the Wolverine gridders.
The lengthy session was featured
by extended passing drills. It virtual-
ly rained footballs 'as the squad tuned
up its aerial attack, running through
each play time and again until At
was worked byeach set of backs to
perfection.
On the throwing end was the regu-
lar crew of passers, Harmon, Strong,
Kromer, Trosko and Luther. The
first mentioned seemed to have im-
proved his control and accuracy as
he consistently hit the mark. Not to
be outdone, the receivers particularly
ends John Nicholson and Vince Va-
lek snared the pigskin whenever it
came within several feet of them. If
Bob Zuppke could have witnessed the
exhibition, there would be a few more
grey hairs lodged in his head this
morning.
Jayvees Stopped Cold
Wally Weber's red shirts were
stopped cold as they attempted to em-
ploy Illinois plays to gain against the
regulars, the stalwart guards and
tackles seeming to sense where the
play was going would spill the run-
ner with little if any gain. However
this is no indication of what may hap-
pen Saturday for Illinois is big and
tough and they have their razzle-
dazzle foolers down to perfection.
Footballs were not all that filled
the atmosphere over Ferry Field yes-
terday. They were accompanied by
shouts, words of encouragement, cries
of "come on gang, lets go," a "little
pepper," and the like which add up
to an enthusiastic football squad. The
players seemed all pepped up, rar-
ing to get at those boys from Urbana.
Strong Leads Way
Leading them, not by voice but by
action, was diminutive Dave Strong
who seems intent on playing against
his old teammates and bringing vic-
tory to Michigan.
Physically, the squad is in excel-
lent condition. Except for Joe Sa-
villa, out with a broken foot, all the
first three teams are free from seri-
ous injuries, surprisingconsidering
that four games have been played
this year.
Work In Stadium
The Illinois team is expected to
work out here this afternoon in
the stadium. If arrangements can be
made, Coach Crisler intends to send
his, men through a short signal drill
lit
by
in the stadium also, the visiting team
But Zup shifted him to quarter this fall where his good head, and having the time preference. Other-
ne-backing- and blocking abilities could be utilized. Now, handicapped wise they will hold the session on
vhis injury, he's too slow for blocking. Ferry Field, as the final step in prep-
At the ends Satui'day will probably be two sophomores, one of whom aration for Saturday's expected battle
never played for Illinois before the Northwestern game. Jim Phillips, who
had been alternating with Ken Zimmerman at left end, has taken the
veteran's place, and neophyte Herb Young has supplanted Bob Castelo at
right. Castelo's performances haye been downright discouraging. Zimmerman
played well enough against Northwestern but when Phillips went in with
the second team at the end of the first quarter, he played so well that the
coaches used him the rest of the game.
Phil Pezzoli will remain at quarterback the rest of the year now that
Brewer has gone back to the line. George Rettinger, the fullback who was
supposed to be a triple-threat star, has performed only well enough to keep
a slight edge over other candidates.
The Talk of the Town!!
Not the Michigan football team, not Black Friday; no, you're
all "cold." The highlight of this week will be Superior Dairy's
two new WEEK-END SPECIALS - not one but two! Read
about them below, and you too will start talking.
of the air-lanes.
John Henry Lewis
Stakes Title Tonight
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 27.-(JP)
-John Henry Lewis stakes his world's
light heavyweight title here 'tomor-
row in a 15-round fight against the
veteran Al Gainer, who for years has
been chasing champions around in
the hope of getting a crack at the
crown.
Because he is younger, bigger and
holds one decision over the New Ha-
ven Negro, Lewis was favored by the
betting odds tonight to retain the
title he won three years ago at St.
Louis from Bob Olin.
The Negro champion, four years
younger than the 28-year-old chal-
lenger and five or more pounds heav-
ier, defeated Gainer in a non-titular
fight in Pittsburgh some time ago.
Promoters predicted the twice-
postponed fight, once because Lewis
wanted more time to get down to the
175 pound class limit and the other
time because Gainer developed sinus
trouble, would bring a gate of $25,000
and $30,000.
Both fightershcompleted their
training during the day with five-
'mile jogs.I
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