Eastern Oregon Normal Opens Season with 18 to 0 Win

Saturday, September 29

La Grande, Ore.

2:30 p.m.

Boise State

Eastern Oregon

10/1/1934 9:46:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Boise Junior College Crushed in Closing Half of Grid Game

By: La Grande Observer

LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon Normal Mountaineer football team, a bit lighter than last year and more inexperienced, made up for these deficiencies last Saturday with a surplus of breaks coupled with Fred Petterson's kicking, and defeated the Boise Junior college 18 to 0.

For nearly three quarters the two teams battled up and down the gridiron on equal terms, but then the break came, and the Mountaineers were swift to take advantage. It all traces back to Petterson's sparkling punts. Fred stood on about his own 35-yard line and booted a long one to Boise's 16-yard stripe, a Mountaineer grounding the ball. Then Boise was penalized five yards on an extra time out.

Shaw, Boise kicker, faded back to the goal line and tried to kick, but a fighting E.O.N. forward wall surged through and blocked the punt, and recovered the ball on the six-yard line. Jiggs Burnett, quarterback, immediately sneaked through center for four yards, and Petterson went over off tackle standing up on the next play. Petterson's kick for point was blocked.

And right there, Boise's rugged playing ability seemed to fade out and during the next 15 minutes E.O.N. added two more scores. It was a break, but the Mountaineers had been playing for just such a chance, and they took it when it came without hesitancy – and made the most of it.

The next score came early in the fourth quarter when Burnett faded back from the 34-yard line and whisked a short pass to Grunderson, fullback, who caught it about the 20, and snaked through several Boise would-be tacklers for a touchdown. This play probably was the outstanding piece of offensive work during the game. Burnett tried to plunge for the extra point but didn't quite make it.

A few minutes later another touchdown came, as a direct result of fight and ability to realize on the breaks. Boise had the ball on its own 40 and three attempts to complete passes failed. Then Shaw called for a punt, but the pass from center went over his head, and as it was fourth down, the pigskin went over to E.O.N. on Boise's 22.

Immediately the Mountaineers unleashed what power they could muster, and it was sufficient. Richards reeled off eight yards, Jiggs sneaked another one through center, and Richards added half a yard. Then Petterson went two yards for first down on the 10-yard stripe, and two more plays netted five more. Richards plunged for a yard and then Miles skipped over through center, grounding the ball in pay dirt. Petterson's attempt to kick was again blocked, and the final score was 18 to 0.

Boise threatened once in the last quarter, getting the ball on a break on the E.O.N. six-yard line. Three plays later they were still on the six-yard line, with a fighting Mountaineer line refusing to budge. A fourth down pass into the end zone failed and E.O.N. took the ball out to the 20.

One of Petterson's kicks carried nearly 70 yards and most of them were around 45, and on top of that Fred turned in some nice gains off tackle. Gunderson, Miles, and the other backs did well considering the earliness of the season, and Burnett's blocking was a feature of the game. In the line Hogensen turned in some fine work for the Mountaineers; in fact, nearly every linesman played a better brand of ball than was expected of them. Fowler played his first game of football and several others had very limited previous experience.

Next Saturday E.O.N. plays Albion Normal School here in its second game of the season.