Cornerman Cobb Stole Indians Blind; Rookie Backed By Dockery And Poe

There's an axiom in the National Football League that a rookie defensive back costs his team at least a touchdown per year. The proverb nearly came true in a topsy-turvy way for Dartmouth on Saturday; Harvard sophomore corner back Bill Cobb almost cost the Green not one touchdown, but two.

In the second quarter, Cobb intercepted one of Mickey Beard's passes and raced 34 yards to the Dartmouth 17. Then, in the third period. Cobb grabbed a pass thrown by Gene Rysewicx at the Green 47 and ran it back to the 37 line.

But both times, the Crimson offense mired short of the goal line, once at the Dartmouth eight and once with an agonizing fumble into the end zone. Cobb or no Cobb. Harvard was whipped 14-0.

The first time, I was supposed to be deep outside, but no one released in my zone." Cobb said yesterday.

Then he spotted Dartmouth end John Franzen angling across into his area on the left side of the Crimson secondary. "I saw him coming all the way. I knew Beard was going to throw to him," said Cobb. "I was going to get that one."

Cobb cut in front of Franzen, snatched the ball, and dashed down the left sideline behind a phalanx of blockers. But when Beard himself cut off the lane to the end zone. Cobb had to swing to the inside, colliding with Skip Sviokla and slowing down enough to be caught from behind.

The second interception came on a Ryzewicx pass that hit another Dartmouth player. 'It bounced off the short receiver and right into my hands." Cobb said. After a ten-yard sprint, Indian end Steve Bryan finally pulled Cobb down.

Against Cornell, Too

It was the second week in a row that Cobb gave the team a chance to score, and the second week that they missed. Against Cornell, he picked off a pass and returned it to the Big Red's 36, where the offense took over and didn't even a field goal.

Cobb tried out this fall as a safety, the position he played last year on the freshman team, but he switched to the corner on the advice of defensive backfield coach Loyal Park.

Cobb said veteran Buzz Baker who played cornerback last year, helped him learn the unfamiliar position. Then Bakor was hurt in the UMass scrimmage, and Cobb suddenly found himself the starting left cornerback. He still is, and Baker, healthy again, is on the bench.

Support from Behind

Blunders don't worry Cobb very much, not with Dave Poe and John Dockery playing behind him. "Especially Dave," Cobb admitted." Dave's on my side of the field. You tend to make some mistakes back there, and it's great to have a couple of seniors behind you who really know what they're doing."

"The main thing to playing cornerback is reading keys effectively," he continued. Keys are the first moves made by an offensive player, usually revealing where the play is going.

"If the ends and halfbacks block, it's a run," said Cobb. "If they release, it's a pass."

Hughes Returns

The football team expects to have one injured player back in uniform and an other back in action for the Penn game tomorrow in Philadelphia.

Justin Hughes, 216 point defensive end, has firmly recovered from a persistent knee injury, and will play against the Quakers. Coach John Yovicson plans to rotate his defensive ends, switching Hughes, Captain Ken Boyda, and sophomore Bob Welx.

And Jerry Beasley, who was the starting right cornerback before injuring his shoulder against Holy Cross, has started working out again and may be ready for Princeton. He had been thought lost for the season.