The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-14
NEW RULES FOR FOOTBALL.
COAL FROM T~OUCHDoWN WORTH OWE
POINT INSTEAD OF TWO.

~ NOuAHhltte6 OF tne Unworthy A. Os-a
Mass Plays Arc Not Interfered with, buN
the Quarterback Rule Ia Turned Down.
After celebrating for nearly six months the
intercollegiate Football Rules Committee has
ended its labors. Az II Sun predicted when,
the rule makers took up their tanh vNEr few
radical changes have been made In the Enethodr.
Of playing the game. hut the code has beonl
simnlincd and in some places altered with the
idea OF making it plain and Ineligible to both1
players and officials, The many reforms. u
they can be called such. inaugurated by A. Al
Stagg and the Western Intercollegiate Footballa
Association last fall have been ulmost totallF.
ignored by the Eastern men. so that a widot
difference in the styles Of play between the EaStt
and the West this year will prevail. This un.X
fortunate state Of affairs is due solely to the
desire on the part of the Western colleges 10,
dictate. when by waiting for tho action OF the,
older and more experienced legislators CONE
prising tho University A. C.'s committee they
would have shown excellent taste and also
prohtcd considerably. no doubt. in the matter
OF arranging games with some Of the big East.
ern teams. As it is. II there arc any EaoAq
versus West games In the fall. they will have to
be played under compromise rules. or under
the old code as 1t existed last year. ,ylG
The only change Of any great importance In
the rules rs revised by tho University A. GAs
committee is n clause in the scoring code
""i'h nus W. L lDlllN WI u GDhI hlChtu IOlAN
touchdown instead of . points. The change,
can be attributed TO tho efforts of Cornell and
Princeton. whose delegates on the Rules Come
mittec were warm advocates of the reform al.
most from the first meeting. The idea upon,
which the change Is based was suggested I'M
many games whore goals kicked from touch-,
downs decided the contest. 1t was shown thahp
there was an inequality In the scoring OF points
In this way due to the location Of the touch. 4
down and tLn ali bSnuIppt unnI tioI Erank.
Morse, the eX-Princeton half back. was one Of
the first to explain why the new rule should bO
passed. He said some time ago: -s
1T team makes a touchdown in the middle
OF the goal line it counts four points. II tho,
touchdown is made in the corner OF the field. 10
is also worth four points. The goal trial from
the first touchdown being at n point directly
opposite the posts makes it a comparatively
easy matter to send the ball over the bar, there.
by securing two additional points. But the
goal trial from the second touchdown is quite
another proposition and is much more difficult
to make. The ball must be punted out in the
first place and then the kick must be made at
an angle. Yet the goal kicked under such cir.
cumstances is not worth any more than the goal
kicked from in front Of the posts. Therefore,
II seems unfair To- make two radically different.
plays OF equal value. thereby nullifying a diff
ficulty that may be experienced from q high
wind and a hard basis tor a kick" .
1t was suggested to the Rules Committee
that a remedy, would be found in compelling all
goal trials to be made in front of the posts, no
matter where the touchdown had been scored.
But this was regarded as too tame. and was
consequently turned down. The plan for allot-
ting one point instead OF two was finally looked
upon with favor. although Yale objected to the
last. 1t is, said. II was a matter of short dis
goals from the field should be changed or not.
stood. BY that it openly showed that field
goal kicking should be ENCOURAGED in all insti-
tutions whore the game is played. and the COM
mittee did not hesitate in saying that II any.
I%ection OF increasing the value Of a field goal;
Many iootball men have advocated a rule that
sc, that this branch of he game would be de-
yeloned everywhere. They still believe that
change.
The rule covering the mass play created a
touched. This means that the University OF
PennsySivaphi ao eleven , can continue f. use the
games played by the University of pennsylvania.
hot y sine hIaIe; prinGet % Cornell RI and Brown
was seriously injured by mass plays. so-called.
bHt thp TT there mIeo wG ins,i s ,m,ion seG 6 dent i'm i. s games u
I RieEedd = both @f'D phY ysE:ai"' s1rsnet fs'g a r"Y s stiifui
knowledge OF the fine points of play. As
chiefly for the benefit of the biz college
visable to let the rule stand until it has re-
ceiyed another thorough trial. The rule
that it might be a matter Of choice among
minor schools and colleges to either follow the
gether, by an agreement among, themselves.
Prompted. perhaps, by the members Of their
that the rule as it reads now has been the
means Of freeing the game from many I'M
mon occurrences when the flying wedge"
and other such methods Of attack we're IN
more improvements would be made in play
after a close study Of tho present rule, by the.
time was not ripe to make alterations.
The Yale delegate was outspoken At all meet
as it was. played last fall. was as near being
complete IN style and methods as y could be.
eurate unnecessary reforms that Would make
it imperative for all teams to waste time in
isnTHin s:1 5Gf p n9S BPS S imnrd he believed nbSN aL taSt the b,
minor details. and that the public should not BE-
features. This argument, which was undoubt.
Sd!y based upon sound Judgment. carried the
the committee fell in line. and thereafter re.
Trained from introducing any OF the many sug-,
There was one scheme. though. that received;
a great deal of thought. It was the proposition
THIS suggestion has been made from year to
year until it has come TO be a matter OF serious
beers VIII" believed that a rule permitting such
tactics might be, inserted with good results.
damental principles Of football. used enough
arguments to have the matter tabled. The
e fSn nner+sr p 6nrG u reason ease i for not liEwltnYE
leges was that it might. tend, to compile;
cate matters ON the field and produce =
play. though. have all along pointed out that
the simplicity OF the idea would mako 1t a mat:
ter easy for officials TO control. Instead OF
helng compelled to have the ball touch .
third man. before taking It. IT would be any
thing except a complex play for the quarter
back TO take the ball directly from the centre
rush, pass il, kick il or run with 1t. as he might
Gnn If In that Wnv IN has hnnn HTRnnn thA
quarter back could make the game faster and
much more entertaining.
The best work done by tho committee has
been IN the formation OF f~ootnotes and an
index 10 all the rules. This was suggested by
THE Sun last fall, for the reason that the rule
book was so complicated that the officials found
IL n rathcrdiflcult matter TO locate their duties.
In the ease of disputes with captains over Vari-r
Gus points Of play inability to turn TO the rules
quickly caused long, tirosome delays; With the