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Show Hughes Loses Gloom Over '39 Farmer Array; Spirit Of Optimism Invades Camp Note This ii the fifth article in a serin by The. Telegram Tele-gram sports editor, who ia making his sixth annual tour of the Rocky Mountain football camps to size up prospects In the forthcoming campaign In the Big Seven conference. These articles will appear in this space, usually reserved for I his Backseat Driving column, until he returns to the office. 1 By FRANK K. BAKER Telegram Sports Editor FORT COLLINS, Colo., Sept. 20 Although they are not visualizing any immediate championship, the Colorado Aggies arc confidently expecting the best football team this fall they Y f have had in three years. Almost any degree of Improvement would be welcome news, of course, to the I Farmers, who didn't win a single game last year and had only tips with Denver and Wyoming to show for their effor's. Nevertheless, the Aggies are prepar-i prepar-i )ng lee the loeihmlng campaign with the greatest enthusiasm I have seen here since 1934, when they finally wound up with a share of the old Rocky Mountain Moun-tain conference championship. The spirit of optimism Is so contagious conta-gious that It has even ensnared Harry I Hughes, who Is beginning his twenty-ninth twenty-ninth year as head coach of the Agglea and who In his enduring career hai often been dubbed the, most pessimistic coach ' in the game. Frank K. Baker With his gloom gone, Coacn riugnes talks frankly and hopefully about his team. t "We are making a definite Improvement," he said. I dont f mean that we'll be a serious threat to the big three Colorado, Utah and Denver but we're going to be strong enough again to start having lun once more. Briefly, the Fort Collins aggregation aggre-gation will be considerably Improved Im-proved In the backfleld and at least as good In tha line with the prospect that the forward wall will be vastlylmproved during the latter lat-ter stages of the campaign. Greatest Task Will Be Coordination Of Forward Wall: Speed Up Offense Harry's greatest problems right' now are to coordinate some promising prom-ising sophomores Into the back-field back-field and speed up his ends, especially espe-cially on the offensive. The whole forward wall for that matter, is sluggish In Its offensive movements, move-ments, but It includes a flock of stalwarts who sUnd their ground stubbornly when the other team has the ball. The Angles ware not greatly troubled by graduation last spring, their chief losses from that source being Louts Engleberg, a guard, and Mel McKellar, a scrappy back. At least half a dozen sophomores will undoubtedly be playing regularly regu-larly by the end of the season. In order of Importance they are: 1. Dick Cavanaugh, a 160-pound tailback from Las Vegas, N. M. Six feet tall, he promises to be a fine triple threat. What's more, has fast and rugged. 2. Leon Eastlack, who will press Cavanaugh, and Charlie Peterson, Peter-son, the 137-pound letterman, for service In the ball-carrying role. 3. Ed McCracken. a 171-pound-er, who la apt to handle the block- ring assignments delegated to the quarterback. He won t call signals sig-nals when he's in the game, leaving leav-ing that responsibility to some of the older heads, but he's a find just the same. He's fast and tough, as he proved by knocking a 200-pound tackle sprawling In scrimmage here. 4. Leonard Wltcosky. a 201-pound 201-pound tackle. Harry agrees he has "great hopes" for the big fellow. fel-low. 5. Jim Stlnett, a 185-pound end, who looks like the most promising end the Aggies have had since George French graduated two years ago. 6. Walter "Bus" Bergman, a former North Denver star, who may develop Into a valuable backfleld back-fleld trouble shooter. He weighs only 170, but drives hard in the plunging assignments and appears versatile enough to pinch hit occasionally oc-casionally at several positions. These youngsters will be molded around veterans like Lewis Wendell Wen-dell at center, Paul Glra at guard, Glenn Culior at end. Bill Deason at halfback and Walt Lyons at fullback. Hughes Moves Veteran Giro From End To Guard; Other Lettermen Shifted Not all of these lettermen are, at their old posts, however. The 192-pound Glra, who at 6 feet 4 inches Is the tallest man on the aquad, has been moved from end to guard, where he'll probably be paired with Phil Martin, a junior letterman. Lyons Is In a new position, the ; 198-pounder formerly playing at tackle. Coach Hughes, of course. Is relying upon the rangy fellow to back up the line. Although he still Is no sensation, young Rex Edwards has Improved his line play a lot and should see considerable action. He is the 223-pounder 223-pounder who at IT last fall was the youngest varsity player in the conference. He la a little more adroit ad-roit In his maneuvers this year and, of course, considerably wiser because of his experience last year. Harry has him slated now as tackle, although It would not be surprising to see him return to the strong side guard. In that event, the 1 SI -pound Larry Miller or Odis Halvorsen, a 202-pound senior, who .was an end last year, win prooaoiy fall heir to the Uckle position. Although nothing officially has been said about him, one Anthony Iadlserois, a 220-poud Uckle from Santa Monica junior college, has been suiting up regularly and If his eligibility Is declared, the Aggie coach Is sure to give the big fellow a thorough trial. Pershing Blake, a senior, who didn't play last year after lettering In 1937 as a sophomore, has also returned to the squad. He is an end, weighing 188 pounds. In the final analysis, one can t help being impressed by the sturdier stur-dier talent to be seen In this year's squad. Because so many of the leading hands are sophomores and because the Aggies are also turning turn-ing out a more promising crop of freshmen. Coach Hughes and his associates have every right to be encouraged again. This year's team will make too many mistakes to be a title contender, con-tender, but woe be unto the club that takes It too lightly. It could get In an overconfident club's hair in the most vexing manner. |