Sport: Saturday's Surprises

In hopeful moments, Princeton's Football Coach Charlie Caldwell could look down the season's schedule and imagine his team stretching the Tiger winning streak to 31 straight (since mid-season 1949). But in the way stood a high hurdle: ponderous, powerful Penn. With All-American Dick Kazmaier and ten of last year's other regulars gone, Princeton's young team would have to outsmart and outspeed Coach George Hunger's huskies to win. In Princeton's Palmer Stadium last week, Charlie's youngsters tried. With less than five minutes left in the second quarter, Penn had bucked and passed its way into a 13-0 lead over the slow-starting Tigers. Then Princeton came to life, took to the air as of old, made it 13-7 at halftime.

Paced by triple-threat Halfback Bob Unger, Princeton came out strong in the second half, clawed at Penn's tough line, kept the ball in Penn territory and the crowd in intermittent hysterics. But the youngsters couldn't quite put another one over. Penn's defense clicked in the pinches and there was no more scoring. Princeton's victory string, the longest of any major college team when the game began, was cut off at 24. Penn took rank with the best in the East, a heavy favorite for the Ivy League championship.

Ohio State, already bowled over by Purdue, faced the prospect of taking its licking of the year from powerful Wisconsin, ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll of U.S. sportwriters. Wisconsin had every reason to pour it on; the Badgers had not beaten Ohio State at Columbus since 1918. But once again the beef cowed the butcher. Holding Wisconsin to a thin 7-to-6 lead at the half, Ohio State rallied brilliantly, put on long, sustained drives for two more touchdowns, added a field goal, blasted the Badgers out of the Big Ten lead, 23-14.

Other winners: Michigan State, rated No. 1 in the United Press poll of the nation's coaches, in a romp over Texas A. & M., 48-6, the Texans' worst defeat in 54 years; Maryland, pre-season national favorite, finally living up to its promise in routing unbeaten Georgia, 37-0; Yale, bunching three last-period touchdowns against Columbia (the winning one with only eight seconds to play) in a wild, Frank Merriwell-style thriller, 35-28; Oklahoma, by a startling margin over Texas, 49-20.

Notre Dame, upset winner over Texas last fortnight, took on underrated Pittsburgh at South Bend, Ind. Pitt lashed out in the first quarter with two touchdowns, kept outrushing Notre Dame, piled on another third-quarter tally and a fourth-period safety to stay ahead. The Irish finally got rolling, but it was too late, and the game's end left the upsetters upset, 22-19.