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The University of Mississippi Athletics
FRIDAY FLASHBACK: Ole Miss - Vanderbilt 1939
9/19/2008 | Football
FRIDAY FLASHBACK rewinds to some of the memorable Ole Miss games from this week's all-time series. As the Rebels open Southeastern Conference play against long-time league foe Vanderbilt, we look back at a major shift in momentum in the history of the rivalry. Despite trailing 46-34-2 in the all-time series, the dominant Commodores of the early 20th century won the first 19 meetings against Ole Miss and 16 by shutout, holding the Rebels to a total of 16 points. That all changed on Nov. 4, 1939 in Memphis, and the following is the Commercial Appeal's account of the game.
Rebels Shatter Jinx
By David Bloom
Commercial Appeal
Ole Miss crushed the memory of 45 black years of Vanderbilt dominance into the earth of Crump Stadium yesterday, storming to a 14 to 7 victory and demonstrating to 15,000 that in this new era the Red and Blue banners march in the front ranks of the football mighty.
Nineteen times since 1894 the proud Commodores flung back the warriors from
Pass Severed Chain
A tremendous pass play that covered 81 yards of seared brown turf was the key that loosed the Commodore chains. Merle Hapes, a sophomore fullback with a catapult arm, rifled the ball through the sunlight of a perfect day 50 yards down the field where another sophomore Junior Hovious, was racing like a man possessed to get behind the Vanderbilt secondary. Straight and true, this ball bored toward the meeting place. Ball and Hovious met on the Vanderbilt 45-yard line and with nobody near him the mercury-shod halfback simply sprinted to the score.
That was a magnificent pass. To prove it was no fluke, this pair repeated in the third quarter only to have the play called back, so the decisive touchdown had to be more prosaic. It came from a drive carried on for another 81 yards by Hovious and Hapes that eventually found Hapes hurling his 185 pounds through center for the touchdown. Erm Smith kicked on extra point, Hovious the other.
Burden on Vandy
The burden was on Vanderbilt to prove it wasn’t outclassed and the Commodores were definite in the testimony. For early in the third period their touchdown effort for 10 yards short of the distance of Ole Miss’ two produced seven points, put them thoroughly in the middle of the flight and kept them there. A scintillating bit of dunning by Capt. Raymond Andrus after he had caught a short pass from Junius Plunkett capped the climax to the 71-yard march and Plunkett’s dropkick brought the extra point.
It was almost incredible the way the Commodores came back. Where their play had been sluggish and ineffective in the first half, it was alert and productive in the second. Almost all of those 30 minutes were spent with Ole Miss on the defensive.
And then, just at the end, Bill Schneller, who’s thumbing of the nose on a touchdown run against
Caught On Last Stripe
On a beautifully executed “suicide” play this hefty fellow broke through the left side of the Vandy line and moved 66 yards down the field, only to be hauled down on the five-yard line by Junius Plunkett. And three plays later, when the game ended Ole Miss has the ball just a yard short of a third touchdown.
Perhaps it was poetic justice that Ole Miss used the same play that Vanderbilt manipulated into a 13 to 7 victory last year - a scintillating pass. Maybe it was the same kind of justice that made Hardy Housman, the catcher of the Commodore air bomb, the man who fumbled away two chances for Vandy to score. But there isn’t any maybe about Ole Miss being happy about winning. The last time the teams played here in 1915 Vanderbilt won 91 to 0.
There will be no more thrilling bits of football business than the first Ole Miss touchdown. Plunkett, a fine little back, tossed pass after pass to set Ole Miss back, and an Ole Miss fumble, which Mach Peebles recovered at the 44, made it look as though luck were running Vandy’s way. When Plunkett and Roy Huggins knifed two first downs on the 28, there were groans from the Ole Miss stands.
But Ole Miss wrestled the ball away at the 19 and the thing happened.
Ball Went Soaring
Hapes had been sent in for Romeo Popp. He took the pass from center, started fading back. Hovious, running like all getout down the sidelines in front of the South stands, suddenly put on a spurt as Plunkett and Hardy Housman approached. In a trice, he was clear, and Hapes, ducking and dodging near his goal line, reared back and let it fly. The ball went soaring into the air and Hovious kept running. It seemed inevitable that the ball and ball-seeker would meet and they did 36 yards from the line of scrimmage, 45 yards from Vandy’s goal. Plunkett and Housman gave chase but it was a futile gesture. Hovious is a speed merchant and he had something for which to run.
Such a play is a gamble on any field, but it was well worth it. Ole Miss picked up from that point and Vanderbilt sagged noticeably. For after Plunkett got off a neat quick kick that went out of bounds on the Ole Miss 19, the “H” boys started again.
Hapes Takes Turn
Hovious went slicing off tackle for nine yards, and Hapes made it a first down over center. Hovious went back to pass and was hemmed, but he spotted and opening at his left, ducked two tacklers, ran 20 yards through feeble Vandy resistance.
It was Hapes’ turn. Hovious shuttled Merle the ball, and Merle started a loose jointed lope down the South sidelines, right in front of the biggest part of the crowd. He ran over one man. He avoided two more. He was headed for the goal line when Plunkett and Andrus came roaring up to shove him out of bounds on the 13.
Billy Sam spun up to the eight when Hovious earned a first down on the one, a touchdown was a formality. Hapes made it by a sort of billygoat maneuver of lowering his head and plunging over surging, struggling linemen. Hovious kicked that extra point, following Erm Smith’s successful conversion of the first.
For the rest of the half, the firing on both sides was desultory. But when it came back, Vanderbilt had learned something. The Commies checked Ole Miss, got the ball on their own 29 and went to town.
The irrepressible Plunkett pitched a pass to Joe Anderson for 11 yards. Ole Miss started backing up looking for more. So Plunkett and Hardy Housman began running through the middle, running past Sammy Liles and Winkey Autrey for two first downs. Ole Miss gathered its defense and Plunkett tossed a 12 yarder to
Plunkett went back to pass and Capt. Andrus sneaked out on the flank. Hovious saw him and was there with the ball but Andrus caught the oval, snuggled it, wheeled like a huge bear. Hovious clung tightly for a moment, was shaken loose by Andrus’ lunge and the back ambled across the goal line for the big points. Plunkett kept Vandy in the running by booting a perfect left-footed dropkick.
Vandy had tasted nectar and liked it. Ole Miss has yielded a touchdown and didn’t like it. So Hapes carved a first down out of Vandy’s middle on the 34 and worked the impossible again. He faded back. He found Hovious in the clear near the south sidelines. He shot the pass high over defending Vandy heads and into Hovious’ arms.
Crowd Goes Wild Again
The crowd went wild again for lightening has struck twice. But for up the field Referee Shaky Kain was waving. There was a handkerchief on a spot, and there Umpire Sammy Sanders had detected Horace Dossett, the Ole Miss tackle, illegally using his hands. The ball was brought back. Ole Miss was penalized. The play was just another on that will never go in the books.
And there were no more touchdowns to go in the books either. Twice Vandy started drives and twice Housman fumbled to stop them. Once Plunkett passed to lumbering Ed Heistand for 26 yards to bring the ball deep into Mississippi territory but Hovious was there to grab the next one and in brief few minutes Schneller was on his jaunt up the field to take the game away from the Commodores forever.
Suicide’ Play Works
This suicide play is one that works well when it works. Schneller hadn’t carried the ball all afternoon. He blocked instead. This time the Ole Miss lads lined up to the left, the interference went winging to the left. But Schneller, coming from his close position, took the ball from Hovious, swung in a wide arc to his right. No Vandy man was there to meet him for 20 yards. Then he ducked and dodged and sidestepped and was ahead of the field 30 yards from the goal. But Plunkett, the gritty, kept trying, made one desperate lunge, got Schneller by one foot and saved for Vandy a decisive defeat.
This one was convincing enough. The Commodores outgained Ole Miss on passing, but were behind in running. But Ole Miss’ attack functioned when it was necessary and functioned well in the payoff drive.
Glory Enough For Both
Yet there was glory enough for both. Plunkett was a swell back for Vandy a runner, passer and punter of capability. And
But when the final additions are made, there are those “H” boys, Hovious and Hapes to get the lion’s share of the cheers. They engineered the touchdowns, they ran that ball and threw that ball and caught that ball.
In fact, they knocked history for a loop with a lot of assistance from a good Ole Miss team. This may not have made up for the 19 lickings, but it will help.
