Maryland finds out how SWC felt
Houston whips Terps start to finish, 30-21
1/2/1977
Maryland's bid for the top spot on the national collegiate ticket went the way of Reagan-Schweiker here Saturday afternoon in the 41st annual Cotton Bowl Classic.
Shoot. Harold Stassen had a better chance after the New Hampshire primary.
The grass-roots Cougars of the University of Houston pulled the plug on Maryland's voting machine with a 21-point first quarter and a late rush from the home district to post a 30-21 victory and end the Terps' wild hopes for the national title, handing them their only defeat of the season.
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And what the heck. Pittsburgh was not about to abdicate no ways.
The victory polished off a peanuts-to-Washington year for Houston, a surprise winner in its first year on the official Southwest Conference ballot. The Cougars finish 10-2 and will likely move up from sixth and seventh ratings in the final wire service polls next week.
As far as Maryland is concerned now, like Give 'em Hell Harry said, the polls don't mean nothing no more.
But then Harry could afford to say that.
"I don't know how anything could be more gratifying," UH coach Bill Yeoman grinned afterwards. "I'm just so happy that we could play and win the Cotton Bowl. Regardless of what else transpires. I think we should be ranked at least fourth."
They'll get Maryland's vote.
The Cougars struck with lust in their hearts in that opening 15 minutes. Only difference is, they scored three times.
After Maryland failed to capitalize on an excellent advantage early (a recovered fumble on the UH 36 less than two minutes deep in the game), the Cougars marched 80 yards to score like Jimmy Carter though Texas.
Alois Blackwell, the game's outstanding offensive player with 143 yards and two TD's on 22 carries, did the heavy campaigning along that particular TD trail. He carried four times for 38 yards in that 11-play surrey and drew all but two Terp defenders to him on a great fake he and QB Danny Davis executed on first down at the Maryland 11. Davis pulled the ball back and pitched it out to Dyral Thomas, who hit the corner of the end zone without being pawed. There was only 6:27 left in the first quarter at that point when Len Coplin booted the PAT.
But the Coogs got downright wanton about it. Openly sinful.
Cornerback Mark Mohr, a fifth-year player out of Arlington who hung around for his last year hoping for something like this, got the ball rolling. Literally.
Streaking in from the left side, Mohr threw himself in front of Maryland punter Mike Sochko's foot and sent the ball bounding out of bounds on the Maryland 38. Three plays later, Blackwell stepped off the final 33 steps to the end zone, zipping right by Terp All-American tackle Joe Campbell in the process. Campbell had a frustrating day, wearing UH left tackle Kevin Rollwage around like a Playboy interview most of the day. UH ran right by him most of the first quarter.
After that second TD with 3:13 left, Maryland QB Mark Manges set up with UH's All-American tackle version – Wilson Whitley. Rolling out on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Manges got stripped like a Washington secretary and our old pal Mark Mohr pounced at the loose ball at the Terp 25. Mohr, who also broke up two passes and made seven tackles, was voted top defensive hand.
With Davis making a key 17-yard dash to the 11, UH got the touch when Blackwell waltzed in through a hole gouged by right guard Ramon Rosales and tackle Val Belcher. With 51 seconds left in the first quarter, it was Houston 21, Maryland 0.
Previously, the Terps had given up a grand total of 22 points in the first quarter – all season.
Maryland finally got recognized by the chair in the second quarter and went 49 yards in eight plays to make it 21-7.
Houston meanwhile deserted the option, which had been eating Maryland alive, for a counter-trap type game that got nowhere up the middle. It wasn't until just before the half, when UH finally went into the air, that things got moving.
Long ways. Like 97 yards in seven tries.
The keys were a 14-yard run by Davis, a scrambling 25-yard pass from Davis to tight end Eddie Foster at midfield and the perfect 33-yard scoring pass to split end Don Bass. The pass hit him right in the hands as he strode across the goal-line and cleared Maryland cornerback Chris Ward, who was covering, with ease. Coplin missed the PAT, but it didn't appear to matter.
Well, it didn't but it could have as Manges attempted to stuff the box with pin-point passes. And he did it, with the aid of two Cougar fumbles and cut the deficit to a mere 27-21 by midway of the fourth quarter.
And it looked bad for the Cougars with 6:10 left, when they took over on their own seven. It looked worse two plays later on third-and-6 when Davis, back to pass, was surrounded near the goal-line by unfriendly persons. But he got a pass off and flanker Robert Lavergne made probably his most important catch of the season at the 24, tip-toeing both feet in on the sidelines.
That was a big enough first down with just over 4:30 left, but a bigger one came on fourth-and-1 at the Maryland 41 with under two minutes to play. Davis moved right down the line and gave it to Thomas, who topped the 100-yard mark and did some fine running in this drive behind the blocking of Rosales and Belcher. Thomas had a hole bigger than the national debt and he weaved 32 yards to the Terps' nine.
After three plays and a forced time out when UH had too many men on the field attempting to set up for the field goal. Coplin booted the insurance 3-pointer from the 18 with exactly 18 seconds left.
In that drive, the Cougars came through like the late returns from Duval County. They kept the ball for 15 plays and used up 5:52 of the clock.
It was capitol finish.
Cotton payoffs hit $2.1 million
Though the liberally-estimated crowd of 58,500 at the 41st Cotton Bowl Classic was likely the smallest since the stadium was expanded in 1948, the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association will hand out a record $2.1 million.
The two schools, Maryland and Houston, will each receive $950,000. Another $200,000, for the CBAA's net profit, will go to the Southwest Conference for distribution to member schools.
The figure will surpass the $2 million Orange Bowl payoff and means that only the Rose Bowl pays more than the Cotton Bowl.
Approximately 65,000 tickets were sold, some 7,000 short of capacity.
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