Omaha daily bee., 1897-11-15

JlOu OE lOOJ Ddll VIII lOTH tne SUBJECT OI
many disputes for some time to come. Even
now there are enough protests concerning
mooted points in the game to keep the court
Of arbitration busy for several minutes,
Coach Wylie Woodruff of Kansas wants the
game played over again and says that the
playing done on Saturday cannot be con-
strued into a game, To corroborate this
statement he points to the rule which says
that game must be of seventy minutes
duration, divided into halves of thirty-fve
minutes each. While 1t is not probable that
Nebraska and Kansas will meet again this
season on the foot ball field it Is certain
that such a match would attract the great
est crowd of spectators that ever witnessed
a game in the western association. Both
teams contain many players of more than
ordinary ability. the teams are well-trained
and fairly evenly matched. A game free
from entanglements of an oratorical nature
would be great one, surely, and would be
worth going miles to see. The suggestion
was made at Lincoln on Saturday night to
play another game in Omaha and to this
Coach Woodruff assented but it is under
stood that Manager Ouray OF the Nebraska
team is against such a proposition. Such
a game here any time this month would be
bound to be a inaucial success and would
do a heap of good for the sport hereabouts.
If it did nothing else than to remove the
cloud under which the game of foot ball
and the teams of Kansas and Nebraska rest
SlllCC CdluLudS JOIHI ucD1lt VI l1luGOli ~
would accomplish great deal.
UNFORTUNATE OCCURRENCE.
There is no use of crying over spilled milk
or of thrashing over old straw, but the fact
that the great intercollegiate game of foot
ball was sadly marred by the exhibition at
Lincoln on Saturday cannot be too deeply i'm
pressed upon those connected with the sport
and responsible for the wrangle. The points
in dispute were covered in the account OF
the game published in The Bee yesterday,
and it is not the purpose of this article to
rehelrse them. The foot ball department Of
The Bee, however, does want to declare an
emphatic protest against the further em-
ployment of weak, yacillating, incompetent
and incapable officials at the games here and
AZ Lincoln During the past two years there
have been so many exhibitions of the utter
incOmpeteGcy and almost uselessness of the
officials at foot ball games played in Omaha
and at Lincoln that it is time for those who
have The best interests of the game at heart
to call a llalt on the engagement as ofhCiat-
ing referee or umpire of those who may be
genial, popular among the players or are
closely connected with the management in
railway or Other matters, but who know alb
solutely nothing about the game of foot ball
GaVo what they able to cram into their
heads by a nasty study OF the rules a few
minutes before the game. The idea of the
presence of an umpire and referee wac
proved themselves notlbly weak in the dis
game seemed especially ludiCrOus when suCl
players Buck Connolly, the famous tackle
Of the Missouri team; Frank Crawford, who
has played on the varsity teams at Yale and
Michigan; Charlie Thomas, former tackle
of the Michigan team, and half dozen other
men who lad actually played the game and
knew something about it, were among the
spectators.
If the game of foot ball is to be made as
popular in the west as it is in the east it
I,E frpN1 thn ir1,t,n nf,lI
cling about it here and the greatest of these
is the willingness of the officials to let the
players, coaches and spectators argue with
them; to allow those who have no right on
the field to crowd on there and interrupt the
game, and to take back decisions once rem |
dered merely for the sake of humoTing some
player who says he will go out of the game
ia the decision made is not Withdrawn. Such |
was the real condition of affairs at Lincoln |
on Saturday and these who saw it had every
right to be disgusted. The spectators paid
their admssicnS to see a game of foot ball |
and not to hear debate The idea of allow |
ing the coaches TO run the game and to
take any back talk is simply degrading to |
the position of referee or umpire. But it |
must be confessed that the officials on Sat |
urGay had such a slight knowledge of the |
game and 50 little ability to render intell- |
gent decisions that tho players and coaches
could scarcely be blamed FOR disputiug them.
There is but one way over the obstacle now
west and that is the employment of officials
from players of recognized ability, who have
sufficient backbone to conduct the games and
not take orders dictated by captains, man
ayers or coaches.
GOOD FOOT BALL
As to the little foot ball that was played |
at Lincoln II was of a high order. 1t was
so good that all who saw it wished that |
there might be more of it, The weakness !
OF Kansas on the defensive was most sur
pTsng and made one wonder if Woodruff |
was really in his right mind when ne wrote
to Pennsylvania challenging the Qualers to
a game with Kansas. The Kansas team ay
erage about seven pounds per man lighter
than the Nebraska team, the backs being
light Q50, 100 155 and 142
monty seen $50 and 1S0 pounds), and both
were strong points in the Kansas teams
favor. Captain Kennedy at quarterback was
exceptionally clever, and Hess, left half
back was a little dandy In the Nebraska
team the shining lights were the tackles.
Hayward and Pearse 1t Is very doubtful if
any team in the association ever had two
such strong tackles. The way both men
broke through the Kansas line and tackled
the backs wes deserving OF the greatest
praise. Turner tho big guard was used to
good advantage Back OF the line Captain
Shedd was the particular star, and his
plunges through the line were always for
good gains Cowgills work at quarterback
was not up to standard several bad FUN |
bles and poor kick being reg stored against
him, but he did some good defensive work
TO atone for his weakness in the offensive
play. Scwartz and Williams were good
gamers, and Benedict did what little he had
2 chance to do very we'll,
The following table has been prepared
from the detailed account OF the game end
shows the gains in yards credited to each
man on the Nebraska siGe, the return of
kicks rot being included Captar' Shedd,
fullback: 4. 0. g. 2. o, A. 3, IS, 3, A, /, IS, 3,
8, 3, l. l. 2, 0 and yards, a total OF rs
yards gaiped in 20 phys or fn average OF
nearly 4 yards per Ilay Schwartz, right
during the first half, gained ground
with the BAH as fClows; l. /, 2 90 3, s,
and yards, and loss OF 3 yards, with
total Of SO yards galEed in plays, an aver
age Of 4 yards per play. Williams, left half
back gained as follows 7, 5, 2, 3, 0. 4. 0, 10,
10. 8, 3, /. TO- 6. 2, and 2, a total Of Sc
yards gained in IT pays, or :r average OF
over yards gained per play, Pelrse, left
tackle gained as follows: 6, l. 3. o. 0 and 10,
a total Of 20 yards gained n plays or an
average OF S15 yards gained per play. Wig
g ~. right enl gained yards on one play
Turner, right gu.rd, gained yards on one
play. In SO pays Nebraska gained 2O9
% aI mar I