Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-11-20
THIS WEEKS BIG GAME
GOSSIP OF THE COMING KANSAS.
MISSOURI STRUGGLE.
Jayhawks Have Their Last Hard
Pr~actice-Little News From the
Tigers Lair-Chances Are
in Favor of Kansas.

The Western college football season will
come to n close next Thursday afternoon
when the teams representing the Kansas
and Missouri state universities will meet
in their eighth Thanksgiving day contest
at Exposition park.
This game. while rot always as closely
contested for either team as some of the
others of the season, is always the big
event of the college year to students of both
schools. What the annual PrinCeton-Yale
contests were for many years to New York
the kansas-Missouri Thanksgiving day
game is to Kansas City. Among society
folk it is second only in Importance to the
horse show, and gaily decorated tallyhos.
traps and drags attest the interest they
take in the big event. Each year both from
Lawrence and Columbia the university
students swarm. flashing the colors of their
respective teams and bringing horns, mega
phones and other like tcrture-bearing in
which are considered requisite
TO a proper celebration OF the day.
Seven times the football aggregations of
the two universities have met in Kansas
City, and five times the Kansas Jayhawk
has bested the Missouri Tiger. Present in
dicationS point to a repetition of the Oft
lOlu story again next i ulSLdN, III ool
ball is uncertain and Columbia students
will not be prepared to believe that their
team is unable TO do Kansas until the
referee blows his whistle, 10 announce the
conclusion of play. For they are thorough
bred MissourianS.
The Tigers Say Little.
Down at Columbia they have a habit of
maintaining Il strict silence prior to the
big game that is eXasperating TO kansans.
They take part il few contests with for
midable teams before Thanksgiving day
and give the J~ayhawks little opportunity
to form lines" on their real strength.
Aside from the fact that reports of any
thing but an encouraging nature have been
sent out from Columbia the contest with
Nebraska form the only criterion by which
the respective merits of the two teams
can be judged. Nebraska beat Missouri A
To 6 and Kansas only is TO +. and the Jay
hawks find something of encouragement in
this comparison.
1t is likely. however. that David Fultz,
of Brown, the Tigers, coach. has a few
on the table in time to turn the trick on
DR.. Wylie Woodruff, formerly of Pennsyl-
vania. who has the Jayhawks in charge.
Last year the Missourians planned Il 1t,
tie surprise on Kansas, which, while 1t did
not pan out as Well as its projectors in
tended it should, at least startled d., the stu
sans had expected their hardest game to
be the one with Iowa and practiced to
such a degree OF perfection that they Were
alb. to score Sc points on the Hawkeyes
ard send them home without a single
touchdown as a souvenir of the trip. 1t
then occurred to DR.. Woodruff that he
came very close to being the whole works
and he did not hesitate to proclaim the
foot that the Yale PLAYERS would stand no
show against his team. although. paren-
thetically. he did recognize the possibility
OF Missouri's winning out. The Kausans
won from the Tigers, but it was by just
40 points less than their margin in the
Iowa game.
Seven Years of Play.
The first Thanksgiving day game be-
tween the two teams was played in 1871.
when the manner of play was widely diff
ferent from that of the present. Then in
dividuals were the factors in the contest
and team work was lacking. Champlin,
THE mighty Champ who still stands up
ity football celebrities. captained the Jay
hawk team and led his men to a % to s
victory.
Kansas won again in 30 by a score of
i to i. The following year Missouri turned
| the tables and won by the same score.
The Tigers brought with them the then
ported from Harvard for the occasion.
and surprised the J~ayhawks, to whom the
plays We're unknown. Kansas won a fierce
game in "a by a score of IS to L. but the
Missouris. will one of the best teams
which ever played in the West. gobbled
up the victory in the following year by. a
ma cAI VI ~ ~ " tt l ~ t'C
kansans in SO was overwhelming. the
Tigers being thoroughly outclassed and
falling easy victims before shorty Ham
MS aggregation. which won, 20 to o. and
last year the Jayhawks shut out the Mis-
SCurians by 1S points.
But. whichever team wins. the Thanks
giving game is sure to he a great Occa-
SIGN. 1t matters not that one Of the teams
! has defeated the other five times in seven
attempts-the people will be there Just the
same with their flags and banners and
horns. 1t takes more than one or two or
five defeats to rob the college student of
his conidenSe and ~enthusiasm and past
renewed efforts to win this year.
Il. X; Whitman has again been appoint
ed to have charge Of the grounds. and he
is making arrangements to take care OF
the crowd. There will be 1000 reserved
seats. instead of so. as last year. and
reserved seat and carriage stand tickets
will be placed on sale at .Jaccard's Tues
day morning. The general sale of admiS-
sion tickets Will commence Wednesday at
the Midland hotel. Coates House and JAG
cards.
Kansas Last Hard Practice.
LAWRENCE. KAS.. Nov. ~19.-tSpecial.
This afternoons work practically finished
the hard practice preparatory TO the bis
game at Kansas City Thanksgiving. 1
is possible that the varsity NAV line III
against the scrubs for "A short time Mon
day afternoon. but next weeks work for
the most part will be light. The men viii
be given a rest and their bruises a chance
to heal.
Hamill and Wilcox. in the five days We
left before the game will be able to get int
shape. but 1t is very doubtful if Hess will
be in the game. at the start at least. on ac
count of his stiff arm.
Old players here consider the team tina
will meet Missouri in Kansas City mex
Thursday. as the best ever sent forth from
here. with the exception of the sc team
This years team is as strong. perhaps
stronger. than the 90 Jayhawkers in tn
line. but weaker behind the line. wher,
Kennedy. Baine. Foigts and Hester com
prisad the back field two years ago.
Wilcox at center is ii worthy succcsso
to Sal" Walker. He has put up a strong
nervy game throughout the season. and "a
he has learned more about the game ha
steadily improved. so that if his ankle viii
only strengthen. he will be found a Yer.
hard mar to hold.
MOsse's Great PuntinE.
Captain Mosse. ut right guard. is put
ting up a sitter game than ever. His de
fensive work Is much improved over las
season. His greatest fault is a terdenc.
to play high and to go into the line witt
his head up. but once through he is a Yer.
hard man to down. His kicking ha
brought the team ont of many a tigh
pinch. and he ia undoubIedl: the hes
punter that ever played here. few of hi
kicks netting less than fifty wards.
on the other side of the line. Woodwar'
has proved a great surprise. This is hi
first year on the varsity. hut he has prove
a reliable ground gamer. His principl
weakness is in interference and on the de
fensive work.