Browns Win 7th in a row, 45-10

[many a good man]

By Chuck Heaton
Plain Dealer Reporter
Dec. 2, 1968

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- All Leroy Kelly could do yesterday was score touchdowns.

The National Football League's leading ground gainer was held to 56 yards but rammed into the end zone four times as the Browns rolled to their seventh straight victory.

Following that 45-10 rout of the New York Giants before 83,193 in the rain and slop at the Stadium, the magic number is one. A victory by the Browns or a loss by the St. Louis Cardinals will give Cleveland a second straight championship in the Century Division.

The rampaging Browns, an opportunist team that took advantage of New York errors to pull away with 17 points in the second quarter, can wrap up things in Washington Sunday. St. Louis will be visiting the Giants that day.

KELLY, WHO SEEMED TO FIND some extra enthusiasm for carrying the football inside the 10-yard line, scored on jaunts of nine, eight, seven and five yards. Now he has 18 touchdowns for the season which places him within three of the club mark held by Jim Brown and four of Gale Sayers' NFL mark. Kelly now leads the NFL in scoring with 108 points.

The Browns haven't won seven in a row since 1954 when they put eight victories together and went on to take the Eastern Conference honors and the NFL title.

Although Leroy got all but two of the Cleveland touchdowns, it was by no means a one-man show on the lake front. Paul Warfield, who opened the scoring with a 29-yard pass from Bill Nelsen, had one of his finest games. The swift receiver, perhaps the best in the business, caught six for 137 yards although he play only briefly in the final period.

THE OTHER TOUCHDOWN CAME on a 12-yard pass from Frank Ryan to Tommy McDonald.

Fran Tarkenton was a very unhappy quarterback as he dressed after the licking. Ron Snidow, Bob Matheson and John Garlington all fell on fumbles by the Giants in the second period.

In addition to those three bobble recoveries, the Browns benefited from interceptions by Ben Davis and Ernie Kellermann. Points went on the board for winners after four of these five mistakes.

THE BIGGEST BREAK IN THE GAME , which saw the Browns handle the slippery pigskin, surprisingly well, came early in the second quarter. The Giants led 3-0 on a field goal of 46 yards but the side-wheeler Charley Gogolak and were driving toward touchdown territory.

Ron Blye, former Notre Dame back, fumbled as he made a yard at the middle of the Cleveland 23. Ron Snidow, defensive end obtained from Washington just at the start of the season, recovered on the 22.

Seven plays later, Kelly hit the end zone from five yards out . Don Cockroft , who booted a 37 yard field goal in that same second period kicked the first of six extra points. The Browns weren't to be headed again.

Things happened quickly after that - all good for the Browns.

FOLLOWING AN EXCHANGE OF PUNTS, Ernie Koy lost the ball after taking a six-yard pass from Tarkenton . Bob Matheson recovered on the New York 30. Two passes to Warfield put the ball on the 11 from where Kelly rammed into paydirt.

Marv Upshaw's kickoff was short following that score but Bobby Duhon touched the ball and couldn't hang on to it. Garlington recovered, again at the New York 30. Following three incomplete passes, Cockroft kicked his 37-yard field goal.

So the score was 17-3 at the intermission and the Browns made certain that the boys from the Bronx knew who was boss immediately after the second half kickoff.

CHARLEY LEIGH, ROOKIE from the Continental League, returned Gogolak boot 41 yards to the Browns 47. Eight plays later, Kelly went the eight yards for his second touchdown.

Leroy accounted for his other two in that same third quarter. Kellermann's theft of a Tarkenton pass intended for Aaron Thomas set the stage for the first from the New York 35. Four plays later Kelly went seven yards and across the goal line.

The Browns moved 77 yards in four plays for the third score of the period. Warfield took passes good for 27 yards and 43 yards to eat up most of that real estate. This time Kelly went the last five.

SO THE BROWNS WERE ON TOP 38-3 going into the final quarter during which reserve of both teams got muddied up. The Giants finally moved into the end zone late in the session on a one-yard plunge by Koy.

Tarkenton, whose scrambling probably hampered by the wet field, had one of his poorer days. Fran completed one eight of 20 passes for 59 yards and one throw intercepted. In his defense it should be reported that several passes were dropped.

Gary Wood finished the game and was at the throttle for the lone touchdown.

Nelsen, who had some trouble with his accuracy at the start, settled down for a good afternoon. The Cleveland passer hit on 13 of 25 for 204 yards. The Giants didn't intercept any of his passes.

KELLY'S 56 YARDS LED BOTH TEAMS in rushing on a day when the condition of the field and the rain that fell through much of the game didn't lend itself to ground gaining.

The Giants were mathematically eliminated in the Capitol Division race with Dallas gaining another spot in the Eastern Conference windup.

For the Browns, it's on to Washington for a crucial game in which victory would mean the Century Division title and another shot at the Cowboys for the Eastern Conference honors. And that game would be played in Cleveland, Saturday, Dec. 21.