Vols Hand UT 20-To-14 Loss
1/2/1951
Tennessee's Volunteers, who play the same type of football their namesakes did in Civil War times, proved conclusively Monday that nothing is better than a good block, a stout tackler or a recovered fumble at the right time.
They may be old-fashioned but the Vols know their business.
When their golden opportunity came in the fourth period, they rushed to the winning touchdown and a great 20-to-14 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl game.
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The Steers, proud champions of the rugged Southwest Conference, took a 14-to-7 lead through the first half, and neither team scored in the third period.
But Tennessee, which sacrificed poundage to the massive Texas line but made up for it in courage, bulleted to two final period scores.
After the first of those climactic touchdowns, Tennessee's sure-footed point kicker, Pat Shires, missed the try. It appeared he failed to meet the ball squarely and it slithered off to the right of the goal.
That made the score Texas 14, Tennessee 13, with ten minutes and thirty-six seconds left to play. Texans breathed easier then but only for a brief minute or two; the game quickly became a mad scramble.
As the crowd of 75,349 fans roared themselves into huskiness, there were two fumbles, one by Tennessee as it seemed headed goalward. Texas grabbed it and once more the lead of one point seemed safe.
But on the very next play Texas fumbled, and Tennessee recovered on the Texas 13. Sophomore Fullback Andy Kozar plunged for one yard and the winning tally five plays later.
That was the game, although hearts again stood still as Texas went to the air and almost pulled the contest out of the fire. They got to the 13 at one stage of the frantic drive but the Vols held for downs on the Tennessee 21 as only twenty-five seconds remained.
Thus was perpetuated the jinx which has hung over Coach Blair Cherry of Texas, who won only one game in the Cotton Bowl in his 4-year span of service as head coach of the Longhorns.
That span ended under the gloomy and sometimes dripping skies Monday. His men wanted to give him a victory as he went into business and retirement from coaching, but the men of Tennessee wanted victory more.
Tennessee scored first on a 4-yard pass from Back Harold Payne to End John Gruble. The touchdown was set up by a dazzling criss-crossing start-and-stop run by Tailback Hank Lauricella.
The Longhorns scored twice in the second period. Fullback Byron Townsend went over from the 5-yard line after a blocked Tennessee punt and Halfback Gib Dawson caught a 34-yard scoring pass from Quarterback Ben Tompkins the next time the Longhorns had the ball.
But in the second half, the game belonged to Tennessee and its coach Bob Neyland, who insisted upon fundamental football.
It was the sharp, whip-cracking blocks and the vicious tackles that brought Tennessee victory in its first appearance in the Cotton Bowl.
Lauricella was the day's leading ground gainer, with 131 yards gained rushing and 23 on passing. Townsend was next with 105 yards picked up rushing on twenty-three carries and Kozar followed with 92 on twenty carries. Tompkins passed for 97 yards.
The Volunteers pushed back the big Texas front wall for 295 yards, and awesome figure considering they were heavily outweighed.
The game was bitterly fought, one of the toughest seen in the bowl's history.
The game in capsule:
The first time it had possession, Texas appeared to be heading for first blood; it got to the Tennessee 32 but End Ben Proctor, usually a sure receiver, dropped a perfect pass on the 20 and Tennessee held for downs after that.
Texas had trouble with its passing all day, with receivers dropping some good ones and with Tompkins' aim, at other times, being about as poor as it has been all season.
Texas kicked out of bounds on the Tennessee 20 and on the first play from scrimmage thereafter, Lauricella broke through the hole between right tackle and end.
He roared to the right behind some perfect blocking by Kozar and Back Jimmy Hahn. Texas' great safety, Bobby Dillon, grabbed at his feet but he slipped by. Other Texas pursuers then seemed to hem him at the side line but he suddenly stopped short and circled back around them.
By that time he was at the Texas 30-yard line. Swinging to his left, he picked up more great blocking. Three big Longhorns were in hot pursuit and as Lauricella danced and dodged, they managed to gain ground on him.
Guard Don Cunningham finally managed to stop the fleet star at the 5-yard line.
The run, covering 75 yards, was one of the most spectacular ever see on this bowl's sod.
Payne then went in to replace the brilliant little back and lead the Vols to their first score. On three carries Payne netted only 1 yard but on fourth down he started to his left as though to make an end run, stopped, and hurled to Gruble, who was safely behind Texas' Dick Ochoa in the end zone.
Shires kicked the point and Tennessee led 7 to 0.
In the second period, End Billy Porter, Texas' punter, kicked out of bounds on the Vol 11-yard line. A penalty for illegal use of the hands on offense put Tennessee back on its 1-yard line.
Tackle Jim Lansford of Texas burst through to deflect Lauricella's punt, which went almost straight up in the air. It was the first blocked kick against Tennessee this season. The ball came down on the Vol 8-yard line and Cunningham recovered for the Steers.
Townsend hit center for 2 yards; Bubba Shands lost 1 at right tackle and Townsend went through the opposite side for 2. On fourth down with the ball at the 5 Townsend slipped through the left tackle-end slot for the score.
Tompkins kicked the first of two extra points.
Less than eight minutes later, the Longhorns scored again to take a 14-to-7 lead.
They drove 67 yards. Dawson and Townsend swept to a first down on the Tennessee 43. Tompkins threw a jump pass to End Tom Stolhandske for 16 and Townsend collected 7 yards through center.
The ball was on the Vols' 34 and Tompkins then threw a pass to Back Gib Dawson in the end zone. Dawson was being covered by two men, Bert Rechichar and J.W. Sherrill, but he got behind them both.
In the third quarter Tennessee drove 70 yards from the kickoff but couldn't score. Starting with the kick into the end zone, the Volunteers moved to the Longhorn 30 but Texas held for downs.
Late in the third period, Tennessee started an 82-yard surge which brought its second touchdown in the final quarter. There was only one pass incomplete – in the attack. Kozar led the ground assault and finally went over from the 5. Shires then missed the point and Texas still was ahead, 14 to 13.
Then, a few minutes later, came the exchange of fumbles. The Vols capitalized on theirs. They got the ball on the Steers' 43. Kozar, the game's most valuable back, got 6 at right tackle. Lauricella then pitched a pass to Rechichar and the back, a towel flapping behind him, got to the 14.
Lauricella slashed through the left side of the line to the 1-yard line and then Kozar blasted center for the score. Shires kicked the point and the Vols had the final score and the victory, 20 to 14.
With only three minutes and eleven seconds left, the Longhorns came back gamely with their aerial bombardment. Passes to Dawson and Stolhandske and a 4-yard run by Townsend got the ball down to the Tennessee 13.
But Tompkins slipped to one knee on the soft turf and lost 12 yards. A pass to Dawson failed and on fourth down, with only twenty-five seconds left in the game, Tompkins called a hand-off to Dawson. The Sophomore back raced toward left end but when he tried to make his cut, he found the neighborhood inhabited by the resisting Tennesseeans.
The Vols took over on their 21, ran one play and then went to the dressing room winners.
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