California football fans may have bewailed the Golden Bears' third straight Rose Bowl loss on New Year's Day, but to this observer, who watched the game on a San Francisco television set, Michigan's victory was not only clearly deserved, but, to a Harvard man, was the ultimate "might have been."

It did not take much effort to imagine the Michigan team as the fruition of Art Kapey's plans here. Everything was there: the casual huddle, the initial lopsided formation, the jumping backfield shift.

Besides these, of course, there were the players to make the system move. The T may afford greater deception, and the short punt formation may be more suitable for passing. But for an offense based on solid football fundamentals, nothing can touch the Michigan single wing.

Admittedly, the system is not perfect. It took the Wolverines two full periods to get their attack going to the point where it could move the ball steadily; California completely controlled the first half. After that, however, the Big Ten Campions took over, as a team, and California couldn't stop them.

Michigan relied almost entirely on fundamentals. Its blocking was savage, yet exercise, its running hard, its quarterbacking shrewd. The Wolverines dropped the kick-lateral series, concentrating on the power running of fullback Don Dufek and to passing--from the double wing--of Chuck Ortmann.

Occasionally, Michigan switched to razzie-dazzle. Once, when Dufek was racing down field, he stopped in front of the Cal safety man and flipped a backward pass is Ortmann, who had trailed the play. Dufek bumped the safety man, and Ortmann sined five more yards. It was on a similar play that Harvard's Chuck Roche scored twice against Dartmouth in 1949.

Invading Ivy

The Ivy League figured a little more definitely in the East-West game, played San Francisco on December 30. John Clayton and Bob McCraney (Dartmouth), Poland Donan and Jack Davison (Princeton), and Bernio Lemonick (Penn) all are on the East squad.

Some of these played far below their customary levels, and therein lies the story the West victory. Donan, literally a defensive giant for the Tigers, was badly crippled and trapped by the West line. Kyle Rote gained many of his 130 yards through and around Donan's position.

Davison, like the other East fullbacks, could gain nothing up the middle, and is hurt badly. Clayton and McCraney alternated at quarterback, and called plays full, but were hampered by the ineffectiveness of the fullbacks. Clayton used his pillar bootleg play well, but was equalled in that department by Fran Nagle (Nebraska), West quarterback.

It looked from the stands us though the East players were having trouble asking together, a common failing in all-star games. The West built an attack asking together, a common failing in all star games. The West built an attack using Rote's drive and Nagle's arm; its line out charged the East on every play. The West deserved the games as clearly as the Shirine Hospital deserved the proceeds.