Test for the Leaders

At the half, mighty Michigan State had turned two recovered fumbles deep in Illinois territory into touchdowns, and led by 13-0. The capacity homecoming crowd at Champaign sat glumly waiting for Michigan State to turn on its second-half drive and send Illinois to its fourth straight defeat. They had not counted on a spring-legged Negro right halfback named Abe Woodson, who also happens to be co-holder of the world 50-yard indoor high-hurdle record.

Five minutes after the second-half kickoff, Woodson plunged over the Michigan State goal line from the two-yard line. In the fourth quarter Woodson took a pitchout on his own 30-yard line, got a key block, threaded his way through the secondary and put on a blazing burst of speed that left his blowing pursuers behind. The score was tied 13-13. With only five minutes left in the game, Woodson took a screen pass on his own 18-yard line. He stepped delicately around one tackier, then lit out directly across the field. Michigan State's defense was caught flatfooted on the other side of the field as Woodson turned and began speeding for the goal line. A State tackier hurled himself into his path at the Michigan 30. Almost casually, Woodson hurdled him, ran into the end zone hardly breaking his smooth stride, then staggered and almost fell from exhaustion. Illinois was ahead of the nation's No. 1 team 20-13, the proud progenitors of the biggest upset of the season.

Watching the Oklahoma-Notre Dame game, a press-box wag remarked: "The turning point was the kickoff." Outraged because the nation's football .writers had demoted them to second place (after Michigan State) in the national rankings, Oklahoma's powermen were out to top the 47-14 beating Notre Dame had taken from State. They did. The big, mobile line smothered Quarterback Paul Hornung's passes, jarred the runners loose from the ball. Senior Halfback Tommy McDonald, who runs split T's run-or-pass option play with more skill than any back in the nation, kept the Notre Dame secondary tangle-footed. In the third quarter he set out for right end, was trapped by tacklers, whipped a 49-yard string-straight pass on the dead run. He intercepted two passes, carried one 55 yards along the sideline for a touchdown. Demonstrating in lordly fashion that it could pass if passing were needed, Oklahoma fired five passes, completed four. Final score: Oklahoma 40, Notre Dame 0. It was Oklahoma's 35th straight victory, Notre Dame's first shutout in 48 games.

P: A fired-up underdog Minnesota team, led by Quarterback Bobby Cox, walloped Michigan 20-7, to make the Big Ten championship race wide open. With its all-star backfield, Georgia Tech smothered a once-beaten Tulane team 40-0. Outplayed on the line, Colgate riddled a weak Yale pass defense to win 14-6. Vinceton thumped Cornell 32-21, mak-ng Princeton the only major Eastern earn still undefeated, and prime favorite o take the Ivy League championship. On he Pacific Coast, Stanford upset J.S.C. 27-19, to become the leading candidate for the Rose Bowl.

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