Today's Tidbit... Slowing The Pass Rush With A Shovel

TCU's Dutch Meyer was a fan of behind-the-line passes, both screen and shovel varieties. His 1952 Spread Formation Football includes two versions of the screen pass, and seven shovel passes, so it's worth looking at one of his shovel passes that helped TCU win the 1939 Sugar Bowl.

Meyer had a heckuva team in 1938, as they finished 11-0 and had three first-round picks in the ten-team 1939 NFL draft. Quarterback Davey O'Brien was picked fourth by the Eagles, with center Ki Aldrich going #1 and tackle I. B. Hale going #8. Their opponent, Carnegie Tech, had one of the top teams in the East, entering the Sugar Bowl at 7-1, having lost to #5 Notre Dame 7-0 and beaten #1 Pitt 20-10.

The 5’ 6’ Davey O’Brien stands second from right. Aldrich is #48 over the ball, and Hale is #22 at left tackle. (1939 TCU yearbook)

In the first Sugar Bowl played in dry conditions, the pass-happy Horned Frogs as Carnegie Tech outrushed TCU 149 to 148, while TCU held the advantage in passing 225-59. Despite TCU punting only once, the Tartans' red zone defense allowed them to keep the game close.

After playing an uneventful first quarter, both teams inserted their second teams to begin the second quarter. TCU soon benefitted from a second-team coffin corner punt that left Carnegie Tech on its 6-yard line. A few minutes later, TCU got the ball back at the 48, running 11 plays before scoring on a one-yard run to take a 6-0 lead.

TCU earns its first TD. ('Touchdown,' Fort Worth Star-Telegram, January 3, 1939.)