Arizona-ASU Game 14: Wildcats dominate Tempe in decisive 1934 win

Some important things to keep in mind: This isn’t the 100th anniversary; the upcoming meeting will be the 100th time the teams have gone head-to-head. There were a number of years that they didn’t compete against one another. The Wildcats lead the all-time series vs. the Sun Devils, 52-46-1.

Arizona Juggernaut Runs Wild to Trounce Tempe Bulldogs, 32-6

Matchup: Game 14

Date: Nov. 17, 1934

Where: Tucson

Winner: Arizona, 32-6

What was reported at the time: 

By PAT O’BRIEN

Arizona’s football juggernaut steam-rollered the Bulldogs of Tempe Teachers college under a barrage of touchdowns to take a 32-6 victory in a Border conference contest played before a crowd of about 5,000 spectators in the local campus stadium yesterday afternoon.

The Wildcats, playing in defense of the state collegiate title, swept their opponents into submission early in the game with a dazzling display of power. After that, the Arizona second and third teams merely toyed with the badly beaten Bulldogs.

Four of the five Arizona touchdowns were scored on plays started more than 25 yards from the Tempe goal. The other Wildcat marker was chalked up on a lightning-like double reverse worked within the shadow of the Bulldog uprights. After two of these fine drives, Dave Wynne, fullback and punter extraordinary, stepped back and place-kicked the extra point.

There wasn’t a semblance of equality between the two teams. Tempe was out-powered, out-maneuvered and out-fought during the entire game, even when Coach Tex Oliver had his third string on the field.

Power and Generalship

The crowd in the stands sat amazed as the Wildcats beat down a stubborn Tempe defense in the first quarter to score one touchdown, and then marvelled at the power and generalship shown as the Arizonans pushed across two more scores in each of the next two periods.

“Clicking” better, blocking more effectively than in any other home game this season, Oliver’s crew actually seemed to put on the brakes in that final period, after the Bulldogs had pushed across their one touchdown. The score might have been closer to 50 than 30 if Oliver had chosen to leave his first team in the fray.

There were too many players taking part to produce any real Arizona stars. A quintet made up of Ted Bland, Charlie Fowler, Harold Israel, Ronald Henderson and Wynne made most of the effective gains, but it was the Arizona linemen who ripped glaring holes in the Tempe line and the ends and backs who bowled over the Bulldog secondary who really won the ball game. The Wildcats, with occasional lapses of listlessness, blocked better, tackled harder and passed and kicked more effectively than in any other home game this season, with the doubtful exception of the Loyola tussle.

Just 10 minutes after the opening whistle, the Arizonans struck for the first time, when three exchanges of punts had netted them considerable yardage. Bland took a punt from Sexton, Bulldog end, on his own 35 and raced 20 yards to the Tempe 45, for the first invasion of Tempe territory.

Tosses Pass

On the very next play, the lithe, unerring little quarterback dropped back and tossed a perfect 25-yard pass to Henderson, who caught the ball over his shoulder and raced the remaining distance to the goal line unmolested. Wynne’s conversion attempt split the uprights.

The Bulldogs took the ball for a brief time, but on almost every play the Arizona linemen, particularly Tab Lionberger, center, who spent most of the afternoon in the Tempe backfield, swept in and either threw the ball carrier for a loss or else stopped the play dead at the line of scrimmage. Sexton kicked to Bland, who was downed on his own 49. As the quarter ended, Ted’s pass, intended for Henderson, was intercepted near the Tempe goal.

At this point Oliver began to make substitutions, but that didn’t make any apparent difference in the Wildcat attack. The Bulldogs were smeared for losses on two successive plays, forcing Sexton to punt from behind his own goal.

Second Touchdown

Israel caught the kick on his own 45, and right there the Wildcats started a drive that six plays later gave them their second touchdown. Andy Rogers drove through for a first down on the Tempe 25. Israel galloped 17 yards more behind fine interference, starting the goal line fight. Israel was stopped once, but Rogers picked up four yards on an off-tackle slice. From there Israel came through the line like a streak on a double reverse and sprinted, untouched, the remaining few yards for a score. Wynne again converted.

Wynne’s masterful kick outside on the Tempe seven-yard marker led the third Arizona score, which came after a short drive down the field when Fowler dodged the Bulldog safety man on a 31-yard touchdown sprint after Wynne, Kenneth Adamson and Ralph Warford had cleared his path to that point. Davis, Bulldog guard, blocked the attempted conversion, and a minute later the half ended with Arizona leading, 20 to 0.

In the middle of the third period with the third team playing, Fowler galloped through a wide hole off tackle, reversed his field well and took advantage of magnificent blocking as he raced 37 yards to scoring territory to bring the Arizona count up to 26.

A few minutes later the Bulldogs made the first of their two scoring threats when the Wildcats, thrown for losses twice and once set back with a 15-yard penalty, kicked to midfield, where Pickens, flashy Tempe halfback, raced 35 yards to within striking distance of a score. He was finally overtaken and brought down by Sheffer on the Arizona eight-yard line. It was the best Tempe gain of the game, and was made possible by fine blocking that bowled over almost the entire Arizona secondary.

Team Warms Up

Oliver sent his first team out to warm up furiously in front of the bench, but called them back a moment later when Pickens lost 10 yards on a fumble, two Tempe passes were incomplete and the Bulldogs were thrown for a small loss on an off tackle attempt. Arizona took the ball there and promptly punted out of danger, but gained possession a moment later when Berry, substitute halfback, intercepted a pass.

On the second play after that interception, Rogers went through a big hole in the line, reversed his field well and galloped 32 yards to a touchdown. Sheffer tried the conversion, but failed.

At the end of the third period the Bulldogs began their second, and only successful, scoring drive, taking the ball when English, substitute Tempe halfback, recovered a fumble by Preininger, Arizona quarterback, on the Wildcats’ 14. Wager drove for six yards, Baxter made a first down on the Arizona three, and three plays later Baxter drove over the sole Tempe touchdown.

During the fourth period the Wildcat regulars merely toyed with the Bulldogs, who by this time weren’t fighting, but were only being fought. The only serious Arizona scoring threat ended when Lusher, Bulldog quarterback, knocked down Bland’s pass, intended for Henderson.

The victory marked the most decisive decision of the season for the Wildcats, and set aside definitely any claims of superiority advanced by either Tempe or Flagstaff.