Holy Cross Features Effective Aerial Attack

Though a ponderous Holy Cross team provided the 1949 Harvard varsity with with its only victory, the Crusader freshman team, led by an accurate long-passer named Charlie Maloy, swamped the Yardling eleven, 31 to 6.

This same Mr. Maloy is still passing, and apparently as far as accurately as ever; Holy Cross is second in the country in passing. Operating out of Dr. Eddie Anderson's shifted T, Maloy has completed 64 out of 138 passes for 1099 yards and ten touchdowns. As the Crusaders have played but five games, Maloy has thus averaged two touchdowns and 220 yards per game.

Anderson's attack is clearly centered about the six-foot Maloy. The Crusaders' running offense has gained only 610 yards. Of this total, John Turco and Mel Massucco, left and right halfbacks, have gained 427 yards between them. Right end Tom McCann has, by contrast, caught 24 passes for 302 yards.

Massucco and Turco are both fine runners (both average four yards or better per try); both are breakaway threats--Turco, for example, has scored ten touchdowns. But Anderson apparently feels that it's easier to pitch a football over the enemy than to run it through him, for Maloy has thrown the ball on more than one-third of the Purple's offensive plays.

This strategy has been fairly successful. Though Holy Cross has but one victory in five starts, the Crusaders' three losses were all by one touchdown or less.

After an opening 21 to 21 tie with Dartmouth, Holy Cross walloped Brown, 41 to 21. This was Tureo's biggest day; he scored five times--four on passes from Maloy. After this, the Crusaders dropped a pair of close games, 35 to 28 to Colgate, and 34 to 27 to Syracuse. The underdog Purple lost to Yale, 14 to 13, last Saturday.

Maloy has been the real surprise on Mount St. James. At the beginning of the year, it was thought that he would probably understudy Paul Gallo. Gallo, though only a sophomore, played more than any other player for the 1949 Crusaders.

But Maloy has completely eclipsed Gallo this year. Gallo is now used mainly on Kickoff returns, where his speed makes him a scoring threat.

Holy Cross has not beaten Harvard since the war, but the Crusaders seem set now, in the backfield, at least, Maloy is a sophomore, while Turco, Massuco, and job Doyle are juniors.

Doyle, at 5 ft. 10 in. and 185 pounds, lacks the necessary size for a driving T-information fullback, but Anderson's shifted set-up compensates for this.

The Purple backs line up Maloy under the center, but with left halfback Massucco directly behind him. This shifts Doyle and Turco over to the left, and allows Maloy more of a choice in handoffs. The Leshaped formation also means that many diagonal sweeps can transform themselves, with little change in blocking assignments, into sudden slants over and off the tackles. The speed of the backs increases the effectiveness of this set up.

More Time to Pass

Massucco usually hangs back to block on passing plays. His hard blocking has two effects. It allows Maloy more time to pass, and lets the receivers get farther downfield.

Massucco, five ft., ten in., is the Holy Cross punter. At 25, he will be the oldest player on the field today. In eighteen kicks, he has averaged over 40 yards.

The close loses indicate that Holy Cross has a fairly tight defense. The line averages just under 200 pounds and has charged harder and faster than past Crusader forward walls.

Captain Tex Donnalley and John Feltch, tackles, are standouts. Feltch plays both ways, but looks best on offense. A left tackle, he opens the holes for Massucco and he has also kicked 16 extra points in 19 tries. Donnalley is the key blocker on the Purple's sweeps around the right side.

The ends are strong points in the Crusader line. Though only 6 feet, and 135 pounds, McCann plays both ways at right end. He is probably the Purple's best man on pass defense, and can slash in when necessary. Left end Joe Mikutowicz is more of a blocker than a passcatching threat. Little--5 feet., 11 in.-- Owen Coogan spells Mikutowicz on defense. Despite his lack of size, Coogan has looked fairly good so far this year. The end coach at Holy Cross is Elmer Madar, who filled a similar position here last year.

Left guard Bob Jachowicz is the only senior starter besides Donnalley. He is a fine offensive ballplayer, especially on wide runs when he has to pull out. His substitute on defense, John Murphy, is one of the weaker players in the Purple line.

The other offensive guard, George Foley, has trouble blocking hard, and is susceptible to traps. Chet Millett, defensive right guard, is inexperienced, but somewhat more mobile than Murphy.

Dick Murphy and sophomore Joe Gleason have shared the center position. Gleason, solely a defensive player at the start of the year, is a good linebacker or and a hard tackler. He has been playing with the offensive team more and more, and will probably start ahead of Murphy, a regular until now.

No reserve backs besides Gallo have seen offensive action, but John Cullity, Carmen Mangianello, Bill DeChard, and Mike Zinkiewicz play defense. This quartet has intercepted ten passes. As fast as the other backs, they have run back the interceptions for a total of 177 yards. Cullity, a safety man, has, in addition, returned a punt 80 yards.

DeChard is a linebacker. He and Gleason form a good defensive pair, quick to plug holes. Cullity is a fine pass defender. He can run with the ball once he catches it, and has a 30-yard interception return to his credit.