Texas Aggies Squeak Past Keyed-Up Fordham Rams, 13 to 12
New Yorkers Get Statistics, But Cadets Get Most Points
1/2/1941
The Texas Aggies got that old feeling in the third period, scored two touchdowns in six minutes, and turned back the Fordham University Rams, 13 to 12, in the fifth annual Cotton Bowl classic Wednesday.
Forty-five thousand, five hundred and seven spectators – not counting the ushers, police and peanut vendors – saw the Cadets rise up in that turbulent third period to overcome a touchdown deficit and then stand off another Fordham surge that netted the New Yorkers a closing touchdown in the fourth period.
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Marion Pugh, Texas Aggie quarterback, placekicked successfully on his second try for point, while Fordham missed both of its attempts at extra points. And there was the difference, as far as the scoreboard operator was concerned, in the day's business.
Take away the first 360 seconds of the third period, and the Rams had much the best of the day's play. The Rams racked up thirteen first downs to the Aggies' eight, Fordham making eight rushing the ball, four on passes and one on a penalty. The Cadets made five first downs running, two on aerials and one on a penalty.
All in all, the Rams ran for 118 yards, passed for sixty-two, while the Aggies were picking up 101 yards via the skyways and fifty-two on the ground. The visitors completed only five of their twenty-three passes, while the Southwest Conference cochampions connected with six of their eighteen tosses.
Twice in the first period, the Rams, with their great set of diving runners – Jim Blumenstock, Steve Filipowicz, Pim Noble and Len Eshmont, clicking like a well-oiled machine, hammered close to the Aggie goal line, but each time a Filipowicz pass fizzled and the threats added up to nothing but wasted yardage.
Then in the second quarter, Tackle Joe Ungerer broke through to block Wild Bill Conatser's punt. Charley Pierce, a guard, was there to fall on the ball, and fall on the ball he did, giving Fordham the pelots on the Aggie 20.
That was too good an opportunity to overlook and the Rams went to town. Blumenstock and Eshmont ripped off eight yards through the tackles. Filipowicz plunged through the middle for a first down on the 9. Filipowicz, with a touchdown in sight, again overshot his receiver, End Jim Lansing. But on the next play, Filipowicz turned his apparent pass into the Statue of Liberty gag, and it worked. Noble, taking the ball and taking it out to the 2, where Bill Conatser took him out of bounds with a block. Then Filipowicz drove low and hard through the right side of the line for the game's first touchdown. Tackle Steve Hudsack missed the place kick for the extra point, and that later proved costly.
The Aggies looked like the Aggies that won nineteen of twenty of its previous games early in that third period. Captain Lou DeFilippo sent the second-half kick-off out of bounds and the Aggies set up shop on their 35. On the second play from scrimmage, Earl (Bama) Smith let the crowd know that he was at halfback as he sped down the side line, took a pass from Pugh on the Fordham 30 and outran Eshmont to the goal line. Pugh's place kick for the extra point went high, but to the left of the goal, leaving the teams even again.
Derace Moser's great corner kick that went out of bounds on the Fordham 4-yard line put the Rams in a hole and eventually cost them seven points. Filipowicz, standing behind his goal line in punt formation, faked a kick, but passed to Noble, who got away and up to the Fordham 30, where he attempted to lateral to Eshmont, but his pass was ruled as a forward. That meant two forward passes on one play, an illegal procedure, according to the game's rulemakers, and Fordham was penalized to their 1-yard line. Blumenstock kicked then, but Moser brought the ball back from the 50-yard stripe to the Fordham 25. Far down field, a Fordham player was penalized for using his hands illegally, and the penalty from that spot again put the ball on the 1, this time in the possession of the Aggies. Jarrin Jawn Kimbrough faked as if he were going to crash at right tackle, swerved wide and ran around end for a touchdown, Noble missing him with a desperate tackle at the goal line. This time Pugh place-kicked the extra point perfectly.
But the Rams were not through, though they were tiring fast in the balmy Dallas afternoon. In the fourth period Bill Rothe, sub Aggie safety back, fumbled Blumenstock's punt on the Texans' 44 and Alex Santilli, Fordham reserve tackle, fell on the ball there. Filipowicz flipped the ball three times and the third pass was completed, Eshmont being slammed on the 41, however. But on the next shot Flip connected with Stan Ritinski, a reserve end, down on the Aggie 27. Eshmont stormed through tackle for seven yards and Filipowicz smashed through the middle for a first down on the 15. Blumenstock then roared through left tackle, threaded his way through the secondary and across the goal line.
Blumenstock held the ball as Hudacek tried for the tying point. But Martin Ruby, a reserve tackle, rose up to deflect the ball high into the air. It hit the crossbar as it came down, bounced back toward the kicker and was no good.
So you see that the Aggies, who never equaled the Rams in the matter of spirit, had Lady Luck on their side. The Aggies were not the better team that thrill-packed New Year's afternoon, at least not for sixty minutes, but they won the game. And that's what they came to town to do.
The Aggies played a poor game if judged on past performances, but Fordham generally was underrated in the Southwest. And, as the Rams had admitted freely before the kickoff, they came down here to play themselves a football game. They did that. Their line was a better line than that of the Aggies for the day at least, and the backfield disappointed only in that Filipowicz was no part of a Sammy Baugh or Dave O'Brien. Filipowicz had a great deal of trouble putting the ball in his receivers' hands, although he was given much better protection than Pugh. Blumenstock was the outstanding back on the field.
The Rams lost no time in showing that they were keyed up for the contest. In the opening moments the Rams, with the Fordham line outcharging the Cadet forward wall badly, hammered to the Aggie 19-yard line. But a fourth down pass by Filipowicz to End Jim Lansing was completed several steps beyond the playing field boundary and was no good.
Shortly afterward, Wild Bill Conatser's punt sailed out of bounds on the Aggie 39-yard line and the Rams ambled off toward the touchdown pasture. Blumenstock, Eshmont and Filipowicz powered and ran the ball to the 24-yard stripe as the quarter expired. Coach Jim Crowley sent in Quarterback Claude Pieculewicz with special instructions for the goal line attack. Eshmont galloped madly around left end, cut back through a densely populated Aggie area and simply bowled his way past all challengers to the 15 for what is known to the trade as a first down. Blumenstock then took up the burden and in the opposite direction, but the trail was just as open as the one just tread by his partner in crime. Derace Mosley finally blasted the Ram off the field with a body block and the head linesman set up shop on the 4-yard line. Pieculewicz failed to handle the close pass back from Capt. Lou DeFilippo on the ensuing maneuver, but squatted on the ball while the flying bodies of Cadets plopped all over the place. It was Pieculewicz's ball – by squatter's rights – and the Rams continued the attack. Charlie Henke, a great, good guard, broke through to butt down Blumenstock on the 4-yard line with a great crash. Filipowicz then fired at Lansing, but again shot over his target. Those were the Rams' best chances, excepting the ones they made good on. Maybe Filipowicz's failure to make his touchdown bombs go off was tough luck, but the Aggies must be credited with two fine goal line stands. For the runners had their opportunity to advance the ball before Flip was called upon to flip. The Aggies played football at times, but not all the time, and that was a fatal error, for the Fordham Rams, as they played Wednesday, are no team to trifle with after the whistle blows.
Blumenstock, who turned in a brilliant all-round performance, was the No. 1 ball carrier of the day, averaging 4.08 yards on his dozen carries. John Kimbrough carried the ball more than any other back and averaged 3.67 yards in the eighteen trips with the ball.
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