Toppling Favorites

After an agonizing 20-19 defeat by Notre Dame last year, Michigan State's new Coach "Duffy" Daugherty went to the opponents' dressing room and faced Notre Dame's new Coach Terry Brennan. "Next year," said Daugherty, "we'll beat your brains out."

Next year came last week for Duffy Daugherty's Spartans. The 50,000-seat stadium at East Lansing, Mich, had been sold out since spring. Daugherty, 40, the onetime Syracuse lineman who succeeded M.S.U. Head Coach "Biggie" Munn last year, had obviously put together a powerful team. Michigan State had lost only one game, a one-touchdown defeat by No. 1-rated University of Michigan. But Terry Brennan had an even better record. In three 1955 starts, the Irish were undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

From the outset, Michigan State was the superior team, stronger in tackling, blocking and ball handling. With a bewildering mixture of single-wing and T formations, the Spartans drove into Irish territory right after the kickoff, lost the ball on a fumble, then mounted another offensive that carried to the Notre Dame goal line. Notre Dame's perfect record ended just as the second quarter began, when Halfback Clarence Peaks went over for the first M.S.U. touchdown.

Notre Dame's Quarterback Paul Hornung, who has been only moderately successful with his passing so far this season, began throwing as soon as his team dropped behind. He tried five and completed three passes, the last one good for a tying touchdown. But it turned out to be the last Irish scoring play of the day. All through the second half, with every State man blocking explosively and tackling the Irish offensive into the ground, the Spartans dominated the play. Fullback Gerry Planutis bucked over early in the third quarter to put the Spartans in front again, and Quarterback Earl Morrall sneaked across with an insurance touchdown in the last period. Planutis, who missed two conversions in last year's 20-19 game and opened the way for the Irish victory, made no mistakes this time; he kicked all three extra points.

Notre Dame was not the only favorite knocked off in the weekend's games: P:Underdog Colgate put Princeton out of the unbeaten ranks, winning 15-6 for its first victory over the Tigers since 1925.

P:Still dazed from the beating they took from Michigan the week before, favored Army could not get the ball across midfield until the final two minutes of play and was blanketed 13-0 by Syracuse.

P:Top-ranked Michigan won its game 14-2, but lost prestige when it was outplayed by lowly Northwestern, which has not won a game this season.

P:Yale crossed Cornell's goal line in the first minute and a half of play, then went on to score a 34-6 win, and rule as a clear favorite to top this year's Ivy League.

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