Texas Gains Revenge Over Tennessee, 16 To 0
Vol's Errors Help Steers
1/2/1953
Texas stole Tennessee's thunder in the Cotton Bowl Thursday, scoring all its points after Volunteer mistakes and collecting a sweet 16-to-0 victory.
The Longhorns dominated the game from start to finish, in a fashion seldom matched in the sixteen previous classics.
Tennessee never was a real factor. It's famed defense, toughest in college ranks during the regular season, sagged as the Steers rumbled through for 269 yards on the ground.
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Completely reversing the forecasts, it was the Texans who shone on defense. The Volunteers gained only a total of thirty-two yards; on the ground, they had the miserable statistic of minus fourteen yards against the fired-up forward wall of Texas.
If the Texas team wanted heavy revenge for the upset 20-to-14 loss of two years ago in the same New Year's classic, it couldn't have arranged for a better method of getting it.
The first period was only halfway through when Texas struck. Tailback Dave Griffith fumbled a snapback as he prepared to kick out from the end zone after a Texas punt went out on the Vols' four-yard line. End Carlton Massey of the Longhorns hit him and slowed him up and then a Texas back, Pod Price, put the finishing tackle on the confused Tennesseean in the end zone.
That gave Texas a safety and a two-to-nothing lead.
In the second period, the Longhorns recovered a fumble and drove tewnty-two yards for a touchdown, with Halfback Gib Dawson sweeping right end from the four-yard line.
A similar miscue by Tennessee in the final quarter also set up a Texas score. This time the Longhorns moved twenty-six yards. The ball was only an inch or two from the goal line when Billy Quinn, the sensational sophomore halfback, cracked right guard for the touchdown.
Dawson added both extra points.
The running star of the game was big Dick Ochoa, the Texas fullback. He roared for 108 yards and was voted the game's outstanding back.
Harley Sewell, the Longhorns' All-American guard, was declared the best lineman in the poll of sports writers covering the contest.
Texas gave a maginificent demonstration of ball control, running ninety plays to the Volunteers' forty-one.
Gen. Bob Neyland of Tennessee, who may have coached his last team, alluded to this later when he said Texas kept up such strong pressure that Tennessee never could get going.
The pressure was maintained on both offense and defense. In the first period, Tennessee had the ball on only two plays, and fumbled each time.
The Texas defense, which might have felt a little embarrassed because precious few compliments were paid it before game time, was at its peak, sustaining a fierce effectiveness throughout the afternoon.
The only back who gained any yardage worth mentioning, in the cause of Tennessee, was Fullback Ted Schwanger. His total was a modest 22, contrasted with Ochoa's 108, Quinn's 67 and Dawson's 49.
Quarterback T. Jones of the Steers had one of his finest games, running the team in perfect style and gained 57 yards, 32 of them on passes.
Tennessee threatened only once, getting to the Longhorn 19 in the second period. They reached that point after taking a punt on their own 25 and then having to kick from the same line after three ineffective thrusts.
Safety Paul Parkinson of Texas fumbled the punt when he was hit by Tennessee's Tackle Bob Ussery, and All-American Guard John Michels of the Volunteers gobbled up the ball on the Texas 36.
Schwanger and Tailback Jimmy Wade pushed the ball to the 19. A penalty for illegal use of the hands moved the Vols back to the 32 and three plays later, when the charging Texas line got through with it, the Tennessee club had fourth down, with 43 yards to go, and had to kick.
Twice in the fourth period, Texas got to the Tennessee 24-yard line. On the first occasion, a fumble ended the drive and on the other, with second-stringers in the game, the Longhorns were held on downs.
Texas took the opening kickoff and ran sixteen plays before it had to relinquish the ball, with Dawson kicking out on the 4 from the Tennessee 38.
Then came the critical fumble by the freshman tailback, Griffith, and the safety which put Texas in the lead.
In the second period, Polk recovered a fumble by Ray Byrd, one of the Vol fullbacks, on the Tennessee 24. Ochoa got 4 yards in two tries but Jones was held for no gain on a fake pass-and-run play. Quinn burrowed through left tackle for seven yards to put the ball on the 11.
Ochoa took up the burden again and plowed through for 7 more on two carries.
That put the ball on the 4 and Jones then called the perfect play.
He faked a hand-off to Ochoa a, who carried out his mission perfectly. As the Vols line braced to stop the rampaging fullback, Jones handed off to Dawson, who sailed around right end, avoiding one tackler neatly, and scored standing up. Early in the final quarter, the teams exchanged fumbles, with Texas recovering the second one on the Tennessee 26.
Ochoa and Dawson ripped into the line to the 5. Quinn smashed right guard for 3 to put the ball on the 2-yard line. Ochoa didn't quite make the touchdown on a dead-ahead blast. The ball was still an inch or so from the white line.
Quinn provided the final touch with a shot through right guard.
The game was played in near-perfect weather, with only a brisk southwest wind to offer any unpleasantness to the capacity crowd of 75,504.
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