The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-20
THE FINE POINTS.
Interesting Features of the
Teams Play.


less, and in a sea of mud and mire, she
triumphed over her old rivals by score
of II to 0.
By this afternoons victory, Harvard
must be placed at the very front of the
college foot ball teams of the season,
now practically closed. Even the rank
est Yale supporter-the man who got
up and shouted for the blue long after
hope was lCst-accords her that honor
tonight.
Nor can they do otherwise. She very
effectually disposed OF any claims
/ Pennsylvania might have to the cham
piOnship on Soldiers field in Cambridge
two weeks ago this afternoon. Today
she as effectually disposed of Yale, who
was beaten at Princeton last Satur-
day by a tumble and a fluke.
The championship has been a long
time coming Harvard's way. And for
| that reason, it is all the more welcome
With the single exception of the year
| 1890, this afternoon was the first time
that Harvard has administered defeat
to Yale on the gridiron. In other
branches Of athletics the crimson has
held her own. But when Yale and
| Harvard met at foot ball, a victory for
the blue and a defeat for the crimson
seemed inevitable. The tie score a year
ago was the nearest she had ever come
to winning, though the teams first met
in SO.
The secret of Harvard's success this
/ afternoon can be easily told She had
the better team; she played the better
game; she deserved to win. There was
| but one feature in which the Sons of
Eli eXcelled John Harvard's players.
1t was in the matter of punting Yale
in this department was slightly strong
er Her star man averaged greater
/ distances on his punts than did the
! Harvard punters. But this advantage
counted for naught against the miser-
able way in which the Yale backs han
died kicks that came from the other
side of the line.
Those who saw the Penn-Harvard
game at Cambridge were unanimous in
/ saying that never, in their remem-
/ brances had tirst-class team done so
poorly in catching punts This after
/ noon, however, the Yalensians gave an
exhibition of poor work in catching
punts that easily discounted Penn s
| performances in this respect Early in
/ the game, Yale handled punts well, and
gave little indication of fumbling. But
after the first touchdown her backs
4 went all to pieces whenever they saw
one of those low twisting kicks of Har-
wards coming their way. Three times
a Yale man fumbled the ball so badly
that Harvard man fell on it, Six other
times Yale backs fumbled. but recov-
cred in time to retain possession of the
ball, although not able to cut down any
of the distance
Ely, who took DeSauHes place at
quarterback, was the principal Offend
err Ills seldom that one goes away from
a foot ball game thinking of the same
man as having made plays that were
most brilliant and others that were de-
cldedly ragged Today, however, Ely
1nt W111 eafIn L
by brilliant runs. More often, however
ne caused host Of mental and in many
/ cases of audible obs by fumblfne A
punt in the most ineXcusable manner
I DeSaulles was criticised for his playing
IN this respect while ne was in the
Princeton game. Nevertheless, he stood
head and shoulders above Ely.
ale was unable to gain with any
degree of regularity in plays directed
against Harvard's line. At the same
time she could not withstand the as
saults Captain Dtbblee directed to the
left of Yale's centre. How we'll the
visitors line held is shown by the fact
that more than a dozen times Yale
found it absolutely impossible to make
the necessary gain of five yards in
-FOUR downs. Yale would have played
line-bucking game, but Harvard s
strength compelled her to punt. Har-
ward, on the contrary, being the
stronger, could follow out the line of
campaign agreed upon by the coaches
several days ago.
Inc scheme was to make it Just as
much of a kicking contest as possible;
to get the ball by punts well into Vale
territory; to then hold Yale for downs,
gain possession of the ball, and then
buck the line for a touchdown. Every
one of Harvard's touchdoWns were
made along exactly those lines. Occas-
lonally Y ale would make a temporary
rally, and make one of those deter
mined Yale stands that her football
teams Of past years have so many
times INDUCED in when hard pinched
But the rally would be only Temporary
and but four times during the game did
Harvard lose the ball because of ina
bllIty to make the requisite distance in
the requisite number of downs
Harvard got down the field on punts
surprisingly well, and it may have
been the knowledge that two or three
Harvard men were waiting for tnc
catch, that the Yale backs fumbled so
frequently. For a man who has had
so ailing an ankle, Mcbride did re-
markedly well in the punting line. He
was punting high and deep. a. fact that
prevented many q punt from being
blocked, for the Harvard ends repeat
edly succeeded in getting down on Nc
. A'L-rto' 1Adu6 ilLOIl 5 NOGk 100 was SUI
perior.
Setting aside the element of punt
Lunpnng which cannot be attributed to
a wet ball, for the reason that the Har-
VaTu players had just as many oppor-
tunitles to tumble, the game was re
markabIy free from fumbling. The
combination of a rainy day and a mud
dy field is most conducive to this weak
ness, yet when the ball was snapped
back 1t was never apparent In line
plays each team fumbled but once dur
ing the game. The work that Yale's
coaches had put in on this weakness.
as a result of the showing at Prince
I ton, had its effect, for the players hung
| on to the ball whenever they received
it on a pass or were carrying it during
the progress of a scrimmage. This
absence OF fumbling on pass-bac was
one of the features of play.
For game so fiercely and desperate
ly played, the few times time was call
ed on account Of injuries to the players
were surprisingly few in number The
referees whistle blew in consequence of
injury to a Harvard PLAYER only four
| times-tWo Of them bein, for Jaffray
/ Captain Chamberlain of 1ale DELAYED
play but twice. once whei lTownshend
gave way to Mcbride; the other after
! Ely had been viciously tackled toward
the end Of the second half. No PLAYER
had to be carried off the field, as in the
days of the flying wedges and mass
plays
1t was not a game that was replete
with brilliant runs. 1t was not what
could be called an open game. When the
ball was not being kicked it was being
advanced, or rather the attempt was
being made to advance the ball, on
mass line attacks. The runs of the day.
made after the ball had been snapped
back, could be counted upon the fingers
Of the hand. Captain Dlbblee made a
couple of Them, and Ely, on the old
criss-cross play-although it was a
modification Of the original criss- Gross